Cairo, Egypt – The Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding (CCCPA), in partnership with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the African Union’s Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD) Center, conducted a training titled “Integrating Displacement Considerations in PCRD Efforts for Sustaining Peace: Pathways to the Operationalization of the Humanitarian-Peace-Development Nexus (HDPN)”, from 24-27 November 2024, during the fourth edition of the AU PCRD Awareness Week.

In line with Egypt’s leading role in addressing forced displacement and its impact on peace, security, and development--and its championship of PCRD in the African Union, the training comes as an implementation of the Multistakeholder Pledge on Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding, led by the Egypt, Colombia, Norway and the UN Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) to the second Global Refugee Forum GRF-2023. This pledge seeks to contribute to the achievement of 2023 GRF Objective 3 “Support conditions in countries of origin for return in safety and dignity,” through addressing the root causes of forced displacement in conflict-affected settings. 

Bearing in mind that Africa and the Arab region host the highest and the second-highest concentrations of displaced populations globally, the training aimed to strengthen the capacities of national officials and institutions to develop tailored, integrated interventions addressing the cross-border implications of displacement amidst the complex security and development landscape. Additionally, it provided the opportunity to discuss various national inclusion mechanisms required to ensure the effective integration of affected communities into peacebuilding efforts. It also took stock of existing initiatives addressing displacement within broader efforts to advance sustainable peace and development. 

Addressing displacement has been a key focus of the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development across its successive editions since its launch in 2019. Consequently, the training comes as an implementation of the Conclusions of the Forum’s fourth edition (2024), which emphasized adopting a prevention and resilience paradigm that integrates displacement considerations into peacebuilding efforts and national development plans. This approach ensures that both host and displaced communities are effectively integrated, in line with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) pledge to “leave no one behind.” 

Furthermore, the training is a direct implementation of Pillar Three of the COP27 Presidency's initiative, "Climate Responses for Sustaining Peace" (CRSP), which focuses on advancing durable solutions to displacement in conflict-affected areas. 

In his opening remarks, Ambassador Ahmed Abdel-Latif, CCCPA’s Director General, underscored Egypt’s unwavering support to advancing long-term peace and stability, particularly in Africa and the Arab region. He highlighted the urgent need to address displacement through a holistic approach that goes beyond the crisis management paradigm to a strategy anchored in the operationalization of the HDPN. Ambassador Abdel-Latif also expressed his gratitude to UNHCR in Egypt for its partnership with the Aswan Forum and its support in implementing the Forum’s Conclusions through this training. 

Ambassador Dr. Wael Badawy, Deputy Assistant Minister for Migration, Refugees, and Combating Human Trafficking at the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasized the importance of adopting a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to address the interconnected challenges of conflict, displacement, and climate change. He further highlighted the necessity of advancing multidimensional cooperation between national, regional, and international actors to support countries affected by displacement. Dr. Badawy also stressed the importance of promoting responsibility-sharing while strengthening  national institutions to address the differentiated needs of forcibly displaced persons. 

Dr. Hanan Hamdan, UNHCR Representative to Egypt and to the League of Arab States, highlighted UNHCR’s continuous efforts to support countries grappling with displacement and its associated risks in Africa and the Arab region. She commended Egypt’s unwavering support in addressing the Sudanese displacement crisis, as well as its longstanding commitment to provide services and protection for asylum seekers and refugees from over 62 nationalities residing in the country. 

The training featured a high-level policy dialogue titled “Towards the Operationalization of the Women and Gender Pillar of the AU Policy on PCRD.” This dialogue aimed to contribute to the operationalization of the women and gender pillar of the Revised AU PCRD Policy. Specifically, it presented practical recommendations to bridge the gaps between the displacement agenda and the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda within PCRD efforts. 

The policy dialogue included the participation of experts and facilitators from a wide array of entities and key partners, including UNHCR, the AU PCRD Center, the National Council for Women, the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Center, the Mediterranean Women Mediators Network, and the UN University.  

The training brought together government officials from the ministries of foreign affairs, interior, justice and defense from Egypt, Djibouti, Lebanon, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.