The African Union (AU) is a 55-member body that looks to address issues common to all African nations. Chair of the AU rotates among the continent's five geographic regions: Central, East, North, South, and West.

Sisi said that he would use his one-year term as chair of the AU in efforts to focus the pan-African body on efforts of mediation and what he called "protective diplomacy." The previous AU chair was Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda. Egypt's assumption of the chairpersonship was its first since the AU was founded, in 2002.

Egypt has been recently reinstated to the AU, having been suspended from the organization in 2013 after the governmental overthrow led by Sisi.