The Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding (CCCPA) hosted a workshop titled “African Perspectives on the Future of Peace Operations” on 26 November 2024. The event was organized on the occasion of the 3rd in-person Strategy Group Meeting of the African Union Network of Think Tanks for Peace (NeTT4Peace), which CCCPA co-chairs alongside the African Union Commission. The seminar brought together representatives of the NeTT4Peace Strategy Group members and marked the first in a series of workshops to be conducted by NeTT4Peace on existing and emerging peace and security challenges facing the African continent. 

The seminar was inaugurated with opening remarks from Ambassador Ahmed Abdel-Latif, Director General of CCCPA, and 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 workshop began with reflections by El-Ghassim Wane, former Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of MINUSMA, who presented the findings of the newly published independent study, “The Future of Peacekeeping, New Models, and Related Capabilities”, commissioned by the United Nations Department of Peace Operations (DPO). 

A dynamic discussion followed, during which the Network’s members exchanged ideas and offered African perspectives on the future of peace operations. These exchanges highlighted the importance of amplifying Africa’s voice to contribute effectively in the preparatory process leading up to the 2025 Berlin Peacekeeping Ministerial Conference. 

Participants also explored the growing momentum to deploy African Union-led Peace Support Operations (AU-led PSOs), and discussed models of peace operations that could effectively address the continent’s evolving security landscape. The discussions highlighted ways to strengthen the deployment of such Operations, including through ensuring sustainable financing for such operations with a specific focus on the proper and timely implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 2719 on financing PSOs through UN-assessed contributions. 

The workshop reaffirmed Africa’s pivotal role in shaping the future of peace operations and highlighted practical pathways for enhanced collaboration in addressing peace and security challenges across the continent. By bringing together leading African think tanks and experts, the event reinforced NeTT4Peace’s mission to bridge the gaps between research, policy, and practice in support of sustainable peace in Africa.