Nigeria has emerged the chair of the AU Peace and Security Council (AU-PSC) for the month of July 2017.
The council is the standing organ of the AU for the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts.
It is a key element of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), which is the umbrella term for the main AU mechanisms for promoting peace, security and stability in Africa
It was established to be a collective security and “early warning” arrangement with the ability to facilitate timely and efficient responses to conflict and crisis situations.
The PSC’s core functions are to conduct early warning and preventive diplomacy, facilitate peace-making, establish peace-support operations and, in certain circumstances, recommend intervention in Member States to promote peace, security and stability.