Cairo, Egypt - The Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping, and Peacebuilding, in its capacity as the Executive Secretariat of the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development in Africa, in collaboration with the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, hosted a dinner at the Diplomatic Club for members of the African Union Peace and Security Council on 2 October, as part of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) Mission to Cairo from 1-5 October 2024.

 

Attendees included H.E. Ambassador Mohammed Gad, Permanent Representative of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the African Union (AU) and PSC Chairperson for the month October 2024; H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security; Heads of delegations of Members of the PSC; as well as H.E. Amr Moussa, Member of the Panel of the Wise, and Chair of the CCCPA International Advisory Board (IAB); H.E Ambassador Abu Bakr Mahmoud Hefny, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs; H.E Ambassador Amr Al Jowaily, Assistant Minister for Multilateral Affairs and International Security; H.E. Ambassador Ashraf Swelam, Assistant Minister for African Organizations and Communities. In addition, Ms. Libakiso Matlho, Executive Secretary, African Union Centre for Post-Conflict Reconstruction; Mr. Alessandro Fracassetti, UNDP Resident Representative in Egypt; H.E. Ambassador Ayman Mousharaffa, Director of Protocol, the Afreximbank; and representatives from the embassies of Japan, Denmark and the Netherlands also attended the dinner.

 

The dinner took place within the framework of Egypt’s Chairmanship of the Peace and Security Council for the month of October 2024, which included the convening in Cairo of a PSC session on advancing the peace-security-development nexus by bridging the gap between policy and practice, a key focus of the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development since its inaugural edition in 2019.

 

In this regard, the dinner provided an opportunity for the AU PSC members  and stakeholders in Cairo to engage in a meaningful informal dialogue on some of the most potent challenges to peace and security the African continent is currently confronted with. Discussions addressed the implications of the recently adopted Pact of the Future for Africa, building on the Conclusions of the fourth edition of the Aswan Forum, held in Cairo from 2-3 July, 2024, which aimed at amplifying African voices in the Pact for the Future and contributing to the realization of Agenda 2030 as well as Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want.

 

Issues discussed included the operationalisation of UNSCR 2719 and means for further strengthening the AU-UN partnership on peace and security. The role of African think tanks and forums in supporting the work of the PSC was also evoked. In this regard, Ambassador Ahmed Abdel Latif, CCCPA’s Director General, in his capacity as co-chair of the African Union Network of Think Tanks for Peace (NeTT4Peace) highlighted the important contribution of the network in this regard and how it could be further enhanced. The “Conclusions” of the Aswan Forum are implemented by the Forum’s partners and CCCPA, as the Secretariat, working with different partners, through targeted deliverables including capacity-building, research and policy engagement.

 

Ambassador Mohammed Gad, the Chair of the AU PSC, presented a token of appreciation to Ambassador Ahmed Abdel Latif in recognition of the unyielding support provided to the AU PSC visit to Cairo.  Furthermore, Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, the Commissioner of AU Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS) also honored CCCPA with a distinguished award, acknowledging its exceptional contributions to the building of African capacities in the fields of peace, security and development. H.E. Amr Moussa was presented with the same awards in appreciation for his distinguished diplomatic career and service to African peace and security.

 Ambassador Ahmed Abdel Latif expressed the Center’s gratitude and appreciation to the members of the PSC for their recognition of the Center’s work and for contributing to a fruitful meeting in addressing the challenges facing the operationalization of the nexus and advancing the AU’s integrated and innovative solutions through a collective vision.