In the 1960s the emperor was clearly recognized as a major force in the pan-African movement {a movement dedicated to a united Africa}, demonstrating his remarkable capacity for adopting to changing circumstances.  It was a great personal triumph for him when in 1936, the newly founded organization of African Unity established its headquarters in Addis Ababa and elected him as the organization's first official chairperson.  Unlike other African leaders, Haile Selassie, of course, had not to struggle once in office to prove his legitimate authority to his people.  Rather, his control of government for more that forty years had given him enough time to demonstrate his strength.  In 1964, Haile Selassie would initiate the concept of the United States of Africa, a proposition later taken up by Muammar Gaddafi.

​

On October 4, 1963, Haile Selassie addressed the general assembly of the United Nations referring in his address to his earlier speech to the League of Nations:

​

• "Twenty-seven years ago, as Emperor of Ethiopia, I mounted the rostrum in Geneva, Switzerland to address the League of Nations and to appeal for relief from destruction which had been unleashed against my defenseless nation, by the fascist invaders.  I spoke then both to and for the conscience of the world,  My words went unheeded,, but, history testifies to the accuracy of the warning i gave in 1936.  Today, I stand before the world organization which has succeeded to the mantle discarded by its discredited predecessor.  In this body is enshrined the principle of collective security which I unsuccessfully invoked at Geneva.  Here, in this assembly, reposes the best - perhaps the last hope for the peaceful survival of mankind."

​

In January 1965 the Emperor convened the Conference of the Heads of the Oriental Orthodox Churches in Addis Ababa.  It was an event of undoubtedly some importance in the history of the Church in our time.  Although these five Churches, the Armenian, Syrian, Indian, Coptic Church of Egypt and the Ethiopian Church, have all along recognized one another officially as sister Churches, holding full Eucharist fellowship with each other, they have not had a common council or synod after the fifth century.  The Addis Ababa conference has now brought it to an end, this practical isolation, one from another of these Churches, and opened up a new age in which they may be expected both to manifest concretely their unity and to play their role together in serving, the Christian cause in the modern world.  Due to the fact that Haile Selassie convened the conference, thereby giving it a setting similar to that of the Councils of the ancient Church, they conferred on the emperor the title, "Defender of the Faith."

​

By 1970 the emperor had slowly withdrawn from many day-to-day workings of the government and had become increasingly involved with foreign affairs.  In 1973, a famine in Wollo province seriously hurt his reputation.  With a strain on the nation, Selassie was forced to abdicate on September 13, 1974.  The eighty-tow year old Emperor spent his final years of life under house arrest.  His death was announced on August 27, 1975.  The man who led Ethiopia for sixty years - through some of the nations' darkest times - did not have a funeral service.  The location of his grave is unknown.