Registration is now OPEN for the 2024 UN Academic Conference on Africa, taking place from December 3 to 5.

Come together with scholars, policymakers, and practitioners to discuss African-led solutions aimed at accelerating Africa's development at AcademicAfrica2024.

About OSAA

The Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA) was formally established in March 2003 and became operational in May 2003. Its mandate is to strengthen international support for Africa’s development and security through advocacy and analysis, assist the UN Secretary-General in improving coordination and coherence of the UN System’s efforts in Africa, facilitate global discussions on Africa, particularly regarding the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), and create mechanisms to monitor progress on commitments to Africa’s development.

In fulfilling its mandate, OSAA leads and coordinates the UN's essential work on the interconnected issues of peace, security, and development in Africa.

The office implements its mandate through several key functional roles:

Advisory Role
The Under-Secretary-General provides the Secretary-General with strategic advice on emerging and cross-cutting issues affecting Africa, ensuring coordination and coherence in the UN's work related to the continent. The office also undertakes special assignments related to Africa at the discretion of the Secretary-General.

OSAA plays a unique and essential role within the United Nations system. It serves as a key convener, helping to ensure coordination of the UN's efforts in Africa, and linking the UN leadership, Member States, and other stakeholders, including civil society, academia, and policy experts. This collaboration supports mobilizing the UN system and international community around Africa’s transformation goals, as outlined in the 2030 Agenda and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

In its advisory capacity, OSAA conducts research, policy analysis, and develops foresight on critical issues affecting Africa. The office prepares Africa-related reports, contributes to policy analysis, and supports African countries' participation in UN bodies, while strengthening intergovernmental processes by amplifying African perspectives.

Advocacy Role
OSAA actively advocates to:

- Increase support from the UN System and international community for Africa’s peace, security, and development.
- Raise global awareness on ongoing and emerging African issues, working closely with UN partners, including the Department of Global Communications and the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

The office organizes briefings, high-level events, and expert group meetings on the links between peace, security, and development in Africa. A central aspect of OSAA’s advocacy is the annual **Africa Dialogue Series (ADS)**, which raises awareness globally on key issues related to Africa’s development and seeks to garner international support for Africa's efforts.

Coordination Role
To ensure coordination within the UN System on critical African issues, OSAA convenes and chairs the **Interdepartmental Task Force on African Affairs (IDTFAA)**. This task force works to:

- Enhance the coherence and coordination of UN support for Africa.
- Support stronger collaboration between the UN and the African Union, particularly on peace, security, and development through the Regional Coordination Mechanism of Africa (RCM-Africa)’s Advocacy and Communication Cluster, co-chaired by OSAA and the African Union Commission’s Directorate for Information and Communications.

The IDTFAA also contributes to organizing key events, such as the **Africa Dialogue Series (ADS)**, in partnership with entities like the Department of Global Communications (DGC), the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the African Union Commission (AUC), the NEPAD Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), and Regional Economic Communities (RECs), to promote international support for Africa’s development, peace, and security.

Monitoring Role
OSAA monitors the implementation of global commitments and outcomes related to Africa’s development, peace, and security. It also tracks how the UN and international partners contribute to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Africa.

The office serves as the secretariat for a UN Monitoring Mechanism to track the implementation of commitments made by international partners and African governments, assessing the outcomes and impacts of these efforts.

Annually, OSAA reviews the support provided by the UN system and its traditional and emerging partners to the African Union and AUDA-NEPAD through NEPAD, and monitors changes in the conditions that impact Africa’s sustainable development. It also provides annual assessments of the causes of conflicts and their effects on Africa’s development, tracking UN support to African countries in addressing conflict-related issues to facilitate the implementation of the SDGs and Agenda 2063.