Understanding the African Union with Ambassador Jessica Lapenn

Season 5, Episode 2: This season we are talking about multilateralism. What it is, what it's good for, and also what it's not. After looking at the big picture through the lens of the United Nations in episode one, this episode takes us to the regional level. U.S. Ambassador to the African Union Jessica Lapenn joined Dr. Kelly McFarland to explain how the African Union (AU) functions, why the U.S. was the first non-African nation to establish a permanent mission to the AU, how the AU tackles issues of peace and security differently than the UN, and where regional institutions and the United Nations can best work together. 

Ambassador Lapenn was sworn-in as the U.S. Ambassador to the African Union and the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa on August 27, 2019. She most recently served as the Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Mission in South Africa. Prior to this, she served as the Chief of Staff to the Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights at the Department of State in Washington, D.C. She was Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Kigali from 2012-2014. Ambassador Lapenn entered the U.S. Foreign Service in October 1994. Her overseas tours have included Jeddah, Riyadh, Paris, Tbilisi, Baghdad, and Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, she was the Chief of the Political Section at the U.S. Consulate General, and at the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi, she was responsible for regional refugee assistance and policy in the South Caucuses and Central Asia.

Episode recorded: November 16, 2022

Produced by Daniel Henderson and Kelly McFarland. 

Episode Image: African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Solen Feyissa on Unsplash

Diplomatic Immunity: Frank and candid conversations about diplomacy and foreign affairs

Diplomatic Immunity, a podcast from the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University, brings you frank and candid conversations with experts on the issues facing diplomats and national security decision-makers around the world. 

Funding support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. 

For more, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter @GUDiplomacy. Send any feedback to [email protected].