The Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding (CCCPA), in its capacity as Co-Chair of the African Union Network of Think Tanks for Peace (NeTT4Peace), alongside the African Union Commission, successfully hosted the 3rd in-person NeTT4Peace Strategy Group Meeting from 25 - 27 November 2024 in Cairo, Egypt. 

The meeting convened a delegation from the African Union Commission and representatives from the Network’s Member Think Tanks, including:

• Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS)
• Institute for Security Studies (ISS)
• Institute of Policy Analysis and Research - Rwanda (IPAR-Rwanda)
• Policy Center for the New South (PCNS)
• Amani Africa
• African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD)
• Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR)
• Nkafu Policy Institute (NPI)
• Centre for Policy Research AFRICA (CPRA)
• Pole Institute (Institut Interculturel dans la Région des Grands Lacs
• Regional Centre of Small Arms and Light Weapons in the Great Lakes Region, Horn of Africa (RESCA)
• Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA)
• Afrobarometer
• West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP)
• Centre de Recherche en Économie Appliquée pour le Développement (CREAD)

In addition, l’Ecole de Maintien de la Paix Alioune Blondin Beye (EMP-ABB) joined the meeting as an observer, and Panafstrag International and the International Academy for Counter-Terrorism (AILCT) as guests. 

Ambassador Ahmed Abdel-Latif, Director General of CCCPA inaugurated the meeting together with Ambassador William Awinador, Special Adviser to the African Union’s Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, and representative of the Co-Chair of NeTT4Peace. 

The Strategy Group meeting reviewed the progress made in operationalizing the Network and  underlined the potential to further enhance its role in supporting the African Union’s Department of Political Affairs, Peace, and Security (DPAPS). In this regard, discussions centered on the 2025 work plan, with particular emphasis on priorities and modalities for conducting research and delivering training to address existing and emerging peace and security challenges across the African continent. Network members agreed to organize a series of monthly virtual and in-person workshops and seminars aimed at addressing these challenges with a view to bridge the gap between knowledge, policy, and practice. Participants also explored strategies to ensure the Network’s sustainability and effectiveness, expand its membership, and enhance communication and outreach efforts. 

As part of the meeting, CCCPA hosted the first workshop in the NeTT4Peace series of seminars, titled “African Perspectives on the Future of Peace Operations”.  The workshop featured reflections by El Ghassim Wane, former Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of MINUSMA on the independent study commissioned by the United Nations’ Department of Peace Operations (UN DPO), titled “The Future of Peacekeeping, New Models and Related Capabilities”. This was followed by a fruitful exchange on African perspectives regarding the future of peace operations, with a focus on amplifying Africa’s voice in the ongoing review of these operations. The exchange was particularly timely in light of the preparations for the 2025 Berlin Peacekeeping Ministerial Conference. Discussions also addressed challenges and opportunities to strengthen the momentum towards deploying African Peace Support Operations in the context of advancing the operationalization of UNSCR 2719 (2023). 

The meeting was held with the support of the African Union Peace Fund and the GIZ office to the African Union.