Munich, Germany - During the 60th edition of the Munich Security Conference (MSC), the Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding (CCCPA) convened a roundtable, in partnership with Munich Security Conference titled, “Dawn of a New Era? Resetting the African Peace and Security Architecture in a Changing World”, which took place on 16 February 2024.
The roundtable provided an important avenue for dialogue on how to reset global and African efforts towards advancing peace and security in a world facing interconnected threats and crises. It aimed to bring forward African perspectives in a dialogue with partners on crafting more effective responses to peace and security challenges, including protracted conflicts, surge in terrorism, large-scale displacement and increased climate-change impacts, within the framework of enhanced partnerships on the international, regional and national levels.
The roundtable brought together a number of distinguished speakers and eminent personalities including most notably: Sameh Shoukry, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arab Republic of Egypt; Benedikt Franke, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Munich Security Conference; Raychelle Omamo, Former Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs, the Republic of Kenya; Comfort Ero, President and Chief Executive Officer, International Crisis Group; Elizabeth Spehar, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support at the United Nations, Annette Weber, Special Representative for the Horn of Africa, European Union External Action Service; João Samuel Caholo, Executive Secretary of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), Hans Olav Ibrekk, Special Envoy, Climate and Security, MFA, Norway; Habib Ur Rehman Mayar, Deputy Secretary General, G7+; Dan Smith, Director, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute; and Fonteh Akum, Executive Director, Institute for Security Studies (ISS). The roundtable was moderated by Ahmed Abdel-Latif, Director-General of CCCPA and Executive Director of the Aswan Forum on Sustainable Peace & Development.
In his keynote remarks, Minister Shoukry emphasized that “Egypt has been a strong proponent of embracing a full-fledged African vision to address the challenges facing our continent with a view to increase Africa’s ownership and leadership of its peace and development agendas”. He shed light on the imperative of ensuring that Africa’s efforts to reinforce its peace and security architecture are anchored in broader global endeavors towards reforming global governance, reinvigorating multilateralism and implementing global pledges and commitments.
On his part, Ambassador Abdel-Latif highlighted that discussions surrounding African peace and security are especially critical this year, against the backdrop of key developments including most notably: the 20th Anniversary of the African Peace and Security Council, the ongoing review of the African Peace and Security Architecture, and the upcoming Summit of the Future – all of which offer ample opportunities to advance a collective strategic reflection.
Speakers emphasized the centrality of African national and regional ownership in the face of interconnected crises and competing priorities, stressing the imperative of revisiting the African Peace and Security architecture to ensure that it continues to be fit for purpose. The discussions highlighted the need for meaningful dialogue and fortified partnerships between Africa and its long-standing strategic partners in peace, security and development. The exchanges also emphasized the importance of the continent’s making an effective and substantive contribution to important global discussions that have a direct bearing on its peace and prosperity.
The roundtable deliberations will feed into the discussions and outcomes of the Fourth Edition of the Aswan Forum, titled, “Africa in a Changing World: Re-envisioning Global Governance for Peace and Development”, scheduled to be held later this year.
