New York, 24 September 2026 — The African Development Bank and the United Nations (UN) today signed a Letter of Intent on Strategic Cooperation on Peace and Resilience to deepen cooperation and accelerate joint action on peace, resilience and sustainable development across Africa.
The Letter of Intent brings together the African Development Bank’s development finance, policy and technical expertise and the UNs’ peacebuilding, prevention, political and field capacities. Working through the UN Resident Coordinator system, the partnership will support nationally-led efforts to prevent and respond to crises, address the root causes of fragility and build resilient, peaceful and inclusive societies.
The agreement was signed on the margins of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly on Thursday 24 September by UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, on behalf of Secretary-General António Guterres, and the AfDB Senior Vice President Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade, on behalf of President Sidi Ould Tah.
The Bank and the UN will advance joint analysis and knowledge sharing on conflict, fragility and resilience; mobilize innovative financing for peace-positive investments; and strengthen coordination and advocacy at the country, regional and global levels.
The two institutions will continue developing synergies between the African Development Bank’s Transition Support Facility and UN financing mechanisms, including the Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund. This cooperation is intended to expand support for prevention, resilience and sustainable development in fragile and conflict affected settings.
“This Letter of Intent reflects our shared conviction that peace, resilience, and sustainable development are inseparable and must be advanced together. By combining the African Development Bank’s development finance and policy expertise with the United Nations’ peacebuilding and field capacities, we can better support nationally-led efforts to address the root causes of fragility, strengthen resilience, and unlock peace-positive investments across Africa,” Senior Vice President Akin-Olugbade said.
“Peace is the foundation on which all other ambitions for Africa are built,” said Deputy Secretary-General Mohammed. “By aligning our country-level work more closely, the United Nations and the African Development Bank can help national governments invest in more sustainable financing for peace, build resilience and offer a brighter future for the 45 million people on the continent currently affected by violent conflict.”
The Letter of Intent reflects the shared view that peace and development are mutually reinforcing and that Africa’s resilience is central to global stability and prosperity. While recognizing the continent’s exposure to fragility, conflict, food insecurity and displacement, it also highlights Africa’s demographic and economic potential and the importance of investing in prevention, inclusive institutions, livelihoods, decent jobs, basic services and social cohesion.
The framework aligns with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the 2024 Pact for the Future, the 2025 Sevilla Commitment on Financing for Development, the 2025 UN Peacebuilding Architecture Review, the African Development Bank’s Ten-Year Strategy (2024-2033), the Strategy for Addressing Fragility and Building Resilience in Africa (2022-2026), and the African Development Bank Group’s Four Cardinal Points strategic vision.
Contacts:
Amba Mpoke-Bigg; AfDB Communication and External Relations Department; email: media@afdb.org.
Marija Vareikaite; UN-IFI Partnership Team, Peacebuilding and Peace Support Office, DPPA-DPO; email: vareikaite@un.org.
