The Permanent Representations of the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to the African Union (AU) held a working meeting on the 30^th of October, 2026 in Addis Ababa Ethiopia with the African Union Partner Embassies Group to strengthen dialogue on matters of common interest.

The agenda primarily focused on evaluating institutional synergies between the African Union and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), as well as reviewing the status of major current affairs handled this year under the leadership of the Burundian Presidency of the organization.

Speaking during the deliberations, the Permanent Representative of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) highlighted the historic and tangible progress achieved within its regional space, particularly regarding free movement of persons.

However, ECOWAS shared a major concern with partners that hinders the momentum of continental integration: the low adherence and insufficient rate of ratification of the African Union Protocol on Free Movement of Persons.

For its part, the Burundian Presidency of the organization presented a satisfactory mid-term review of its mandate, which has been marked by major sectoral progress. Among the flagship achievements presented were the adoption of the African Water and Sanitation Policy, the development of an operational implementation matrix aimed at translating security and humanitarian early warnings into concrete actions, as well as the deployment of structural initiatives dedicated to women’s empowerment and youth inclusion.

The Partner Embassies Group praised the transparency of the exchanges and reiterated its commitment to supporting the AU-RECs coordination dynamic, which is essential for achieving the goals of Agenda 2063.