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THE YEAR OF PEACE AND SECURITY IN AFRICA |
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WANEP has joined the family of Civil Society
Organisations across the African continent to applaud the adoption of
the Tripoli Declaration on the Elimination of Conflicts in
Africa and the Promotion of Sustainable Peace by the Special Session of
the AU Assembly, 31st August 2009. Once again,
the African Heads of State and Government have accentuated the peace and
security challenges of the continent - and have set a new tone towards
strengthening collaborative partnership with Civil Society to promote
peace and security in the African continent – known as ‘’The Livingston
Formula’’. WANEP is honoured to have actively participated
in Civil Society Consultation held in Addis Ababa on 20th and
21st January 2010, alongside other CSOs from across the
African continent. This Consultation jointly organised by Centre for
Citizens Participation at the African Union (CCP-AU) and OXFAM
International considered peace and security issues that African leaders
will deliberate upon in the upcoming 14th Ordinary African
Union Summit of Heads of State and Government. WANEP did not only
welcome the invitation in isolation, but to also broaden its
understanding on the conceptual political ideals underpinning the year
of peace so as to take ownership and implement planned peace and
security initiatives already situated within its strategic plan for the
year 2010. In the process of collectively reflecting upon the
state of peace and security on the continent, some of the critical
questions were discussed. (1) How do we enhance CSOs/AU dialogue on
challenges to peace and security to reach common positions and implement
common approaches on challenges to peace and security in Africa? (2)
Identify collaborative action plan, common strategy, common working
procedures and activities, as well as joint ownership of the ‘’Year of
Peace and Security ideals?’’ (3) In what ways do these paradigm shifts
in Civil Society interactions with the African Union and RECs shape-up
the principles of conflict prevention and human security concerns? (4)
Examine and identify pertinent issues slowing down human security in the
region; elicit lessons learnt and suggest alternative approaches that
are informed by the complexity of the African continent. (5) Identify
priority areas and strategies for strengthening collaboration and
fostering an active peace movement in Africa. As WANEP never ceases playing its pioneering role as
one of the principal actors within ECOWAS sub-regional security
architecture, the organisation has already started readjusting its
commitment to meeting the increasing emerging threats and challenges
passed on from previous years, and carried forward to the ‘’Year of
Peace and Security’’. The organisation has also continued broadening its
scope and norm of its thematic early warning and preventive
peacebuilding programme jointly implemented with ECOWAS (ECOWARN).
Despite the foreseeable difficulties in the pursuit of
the Year of Peace ideals, WANEP promises to re-energise its
collaborative spirit of engagement with African Union, and its existing
relationship with ECOWAS and other CSOs across the African continent –
as stipulated in the framework of the operationalisation of article 20
of the PSC Protocol-------‘’The Livingstone Formula’’. This is not only
to overcome the barriers to a stable Africa, but to contribute in
creating stable environment where the rule of law would be upheld and
development-driven democratic ideals promoted. This sort of
collaborative engagements has been very promising in the collective
condemnation of recent undemocratic political events in Guinea and
Niger. It is our collective hope that our Heads of States will act upon
the recommendations presented for the 14th Ordinary African
Union Summit of Heads of State and Government. |
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Communiqué on CSO Consultation on the Year of Peace and Security in
Africa |