ADDIS ABABA: The African Union opened its 39th ordinary summit in Addis Ababa on Feb. 14, bringing together heads of state and government at the bloc’s headquarters with a focus on water security and sanitation. The meeting’s official theme centers on sustainable water availability and safe sanitation systems as part of the AU’s long-term development blueprint, Agenda 2063, as leaders reviewed priorities spanning development, peace and institutional reform.
The summit followed the AU Executive Council’s 48th ordinary session, which began in Addis Ababa on Feb. 11 with foreign ministers and senior officials setting the agenda for leaders. At that session, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, called for unity and faster regional integration, while linking the 2026 theme to growing pressure on shared water resources and the need to expand access to safe sanitation.
Opening events for the leaders’ meeting included addresses by Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who hosted the summit, and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. The AU also listed Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni among invited leaders who spoke during the opening, alongside the secretary-general of the League of Arab States and the President of the State of Palestine, reflecting a mix of African and partner participation during the Addis Ababa gathering.
The assembly also confirmed the African Union’s rotating chair for 2026, electing Burundi’s President Évariste Ndayishimiye to lead the bloc for the year. He succeeds Angola’s President João Lourenço. The AU said the bureau for 2026 includes Ghana as first vice chair, Tanzania as second vice chair, and Angola as rapporteur, while the third vice chair position assigned to the North Africa region was listed as to be confirmed.
Water and sanitation agenda
In its summit communications, the AU framed the water and sanitation theme as a continent-wide development priority tied to public health, economic growth and resilient infrastructure. Leaders discussed approaches to expand reliable water supply and strengthen sanitation systems, while linking those objectives to Agenda 2063 targets on inclusive development. The theme also featured prominently in discussions across the summit week, including at ministerial meetings that prepared draft decisions and set out implementation issues for consideration by heads of state.
Alongside development discussions, the assembly addressed peace and security issues on its agenda, including conflicts and terrorism. The AU said leaders reaffirmed a stance of zero tolerance for unconstitutional changes of government, a position repeatedly emphasized by the bloc in recent years. The assembly also underscored the need for predictable financing for AU-led peace support, a recurring issue as the organization seeks to sustain operations and strengthen its security architecture.
Decisions and AU security architecture
The AU said the assembly adopted a memorandum of understanding among the African Union, regional economic communities and regional mechanisms on the use of the African Standby Force, part of the continent’s collective security framework. Leaders also reviewed institutional reform work and considered reports and updates from AU organs and structures as part of the summit’s formal decision-making process, according to the bloc’s summary of outcomes.
The 39th ordinary session concluded on Feb. 15, with the AU describing the summit as advancing the year’s theme while taking decisions across its peace, governance and institutional portfolios. The Addis Ababa meeting closed with the new AU chair and the commission expected to steer implementation of adopted decisions through 2026, including work related to water and sanitation priorities and the bloc’s wider Agenda 2063 commitments. – By Content Syndication Services.