• Date: December 4th, Thursday, 2025, 16:00 – 17:30
• Online via Zoom

Presenter: Ueli Staeger (University of Amsterdam)

The Asia–Africa Center at SNUAC has been hosting the Seoul National University Africa Seminar series on a monthly basis since 2022. The series aims to promote in-depth understanding of Africa and foster academic exchange by inviting experts with diverse disciplinary backgrounds and professional expertise.

The 30th seminar will be held on Thursday, December 4, 2025, featuring Professor Ueli Staeger from the University of Amsterdam, who will deliver a lecture titled “The African Union’s Partnerships in Geopolitical Context.” This seminar will examine the various partnerships that the African Union (AU) has built within the international community, situating them in broader geopolitical dynamics. It will explore the AU’s strategic choices and roles amid global power competition and regional cooperation frameworks. In particular, by analyzing how the AU’s relationships with major international actors influence the continent’s political and economic autonomy and regional integration, participants will gain a multidimensional understanding of how the AU expands its diplomatic space within the global order—along with the opportunities and challenges that emerge in this process.

Professor Ueli Staeger is an Assistant Professor of International Relations at the University of Amsterdam. His research focuses on international organizations and African multilateralism, particularly in relation to security. He earned his PhD in International Relations and Political Science from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID), Geneva, graduating summa cum laude in 2021. He also holds an MA in International Politics (with Distinction) from SOAS University of London, an MA in EU International Relations and Diplomacy (with Excellent) from the College of Europe, Bruges, and a BA in Political Science and Arabic from the University of Geneva. His work examines how international organizations provide security in Africa and how the AU’s resource mobilization and external partnerships shape its agency. Alongside his academic research, Professor Staeger has been involved in policy consulting on AU reform, peace and security, and donor coordination. He previously served as a Research and Teaching Fellow at the University of Geneva and has worked with several international organizations and research institutions, including GIZ, FES, and SwissCore.