Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, April 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The African Union Commission and the International Dialogue Centre – KAICIID signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa on 20/04/2026, marking a decade of official cooperation and setting the terms for the next phase of joint work on interreligious and intercultural dialogue across the continent.
Marking the occasion, the Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E Ambassador Selma Malika Haddadi, underscored the importance of partnership and dialogue for building a peaceful and united Africa.
“The African Union Commission values this partnership as it reinforces our collective efforts to promote mutual understanding, prevent conflict, and strengthen resilience within our societies, in line with Agenda 2063. Dialogue remains central to building a peaceful and united Africa, and this collaboration strengthens our ability to translate that vision into action on the ground,” said H.E. Ambassador Selma Malika Haddadi, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission.
On his part, the Acting Secretary General at the International Dialogue Centre – KAICIID, Ambassador António de Almeida-Ribeiro, highlighted the need for inclusive dialogue to address peace and security challenges in Africa.
“Africa’s peace and security challenges are not going to be resolved through political frameworks alone. Communities hold trust, religious leaders hold influence. When those actors are equipped and supported, something real changes”, stated Ambassador António de Almeida Ribeiro. “This partnership with the African Union Commission is built on these tangible outcomes, moving from dialogue as an abstract concept, into real change, taking place on a community level,” added KAICIID’s Acting Secretary General.
The roundtable discussion framed on “Fostering a Culture of Transformative Dialogue in the Africa Region,” brought together senior representatives of the AU Commission, as well as representatives from the Member States that integrate KAICIID’s Board of Directors and host country, namely Ambassadors of the Kingdom of Spain, the Republic of Portugal, Austria and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Nuncio Archbishop Brian Ngozi Udaigwe, representing the Holy See, a founding observer of the International Dialogue Centre, was also present.
Since the first Memorandum of Understanding signing back in 2013, both organisations have revitalized the AU Interfaith Dialogue Forum, which has since convened Nigeria (2016), Chad (2018), Rwanda (2023) and Namibia (2025), creating a structured continental space where religious leaders, policymakers and civil society engage directly on peace and security challenges.
The formal work between the AU and KAICIID began in 2016, with KAICIID’s Africa Programme still operating in the Central African Republic, supporting Local Peace and Reconciliation Committees and interreligious dialogue structures in communities affected by prolonged conflict, in Nigeria, where it worked to reignite the Interfaith Dialogue Forum for Peace on community early warning systems and is supporting interfaith engagement ahead of the 2027 elections and in the North of Mozambique, where it has supported intra-community dialogue in the province of Cabo Delgado.
The renewed MoU stipulates an official framework for KAICIID to work with the AU in direct alignment with Agenda 2063, in particular its aspiration for a peaceful and secure Africa. The roundtable drew in representatives from the Cabinet of the Deputy Chairperson (CDCP), Civil Society and Diaspora Directorate (CIDO), Women, Youth and Gender Department (WYGP), Political Affairs Peace and Security (PAPS), Health Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development (HHSD), as well as Partnerships Management and Resource Mobilization (PRMP), among other key local actors.
The Addis roundtable comes at a moment when many African societies face overlapping and compounding pressures, from intercommunal tensions, displacement driven by climate stress and conflict, to rising hate speech and the erosion of social trust. The AU-KAICIID commitment reflects not only on the past decade but to set out concrete priority areas where dialogue-based approaches can be more systematically embedded in continental peace and security responses.
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About KAICIID
The International Dialogue Centre – KAICIID is an intergovernmental organisation headquartered in Lisbon, Portugal, founded in 2012 by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Austria and the Kingdom of Spain, with the Holy See as Founding Observer. KAICIID works to prevent the instrumentalisation of religion to justify violence and to advance interreligious and intercultural dialogue as a practical tool for peace, inclusion and social cohesion. It operates regional programmes across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Arab Region and has trained more than 550 dialogue practitioners through its International Fellows Programme since 2015.
About the African Union Commission
The African Union Commission (AUC) serves as the secretariat of the African Union and is responsible for the day-to-day activities of the Union. Based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the Commission supports the implementation of AU decisions and advances continental priorities across peace and security, integration, governance, and sustainable development in line with Agenda 2063.
- African Union Commission (AUC) and The International Dialogue Centre – KAICIID Sign Agreement and Host High-Level Roundtable on Dialogue-Driven Peacebuilding in Africa
- AUC and KAICIID Host High-Level Roundtable on Dialogue-Driven Peacebuilding in Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia