July 2022 will mark twenty years since the African Union (AU) officially came intobeing in Durban, South Africa. A founding principle of the organisation is to promotepeace, security and stability on the continent. African leaders built a bespoke architecturethat would enable the AU to fulfil this mandate. The organisation’s twentiethanniversary offers an opportunity for member states to assess its achievements so far,as well as to examine the AU’s role in Africa’s evolving peace and security challenges.