Background

The current global order is facing a crisis of legitimacy, credibility, and inclusiveness. With growing global fragmentation and shifting power dynamics, there is a renewed call for more inclusive global governance. The Pact for the Future underlined the need for urgent reforms, including amongst others of the UN Security Council. While Europe faces pressure to adapt its global role, partnerships and geopolitical priorities, Africa is asserting a stronger voice on the global stage, underlined by the AU’s membership in the G20 and its longstanding call for UN reform through the Ezulwini Consensus. Despite divergences, both continents continue to a commitment to multilateralism, recently highlighted following the EU-AU Ministerial meeting in May 2025,  and recognise the urgency of working together to shape more representative, effective, and rules-based institutions.

In this context, ECDPM and SAIIA, in partnership with the Global Challenges Foundation, are convening this timely closed-door, invite-only roundtable discussion in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) as part of the project ‘Building bridges in turbulent times: The role of Africa and Europe in shaping global multilateralism reforms on peace and security’ funded by the Global Challenges Foundation. The meeting will bring together senior decision-makers, experts, and thought leaders from Africa, Europe and the UN to exchange frankly on the challenges facing multilateralism and to identify realistic pathways for joint action on reform of global peace and security governance. 

The roundtable will also serve to validate and enrich the findings of a background paper prepared for this meeting. 

About the project