Malabo, Equatorial Guinea - The Fourth Arab-African Summit concluded on 24 November 2016 with the endorsement of the Malabo Declaration. Arab and African countries pledged to enhance Arab-African cooperation in areas of sustainable development, peace and security.

Of the many areas of cooperation between African and Arab countries, peacekeeping received particular attention. For the first time ever, the Malabo Declaration called for the active participation of Arab and African countries, most notably major contributors of troops and police, in the decision making process. Equally important, it also called for greater cooperation between African and Arab national peacekeeping centers in training and capacity building. Moreover, the Declaration called for active African and Arab participation in the 23rd Annual Conference of the International Association of Peacekeeping Training Centers (IAPTC) to be organized by CCCPA in Cairo in September 2017. It will be the first time the IAPTC Conference is held in the Arab world, and the fourth time in Africa.
 
Counselor Ashraf Swelam, Director of CCCPA, welcomed the call by the Malabo Declaration for an active Afro/Arab participation in the 23rd IAPTC Annual Conference. “This is a most welcome step by the Malabo Summit, which will most certainly ensure even stronger involvement than what we have already been anticipating,” Swelam remarked. As of January 2017, the Cairo Center will assume the Secretariat of the IAPTC until 2022, in addition to its role in the Association’s executive committee.
 
Held in Malabo (Equatorial Guinea), under the theme “Together for Sustainable Development and Economic Cooperation”, the Summit brought together heads of Arab and African states and high-level representatives of national governments, the African Union and the League of Arab States.

Photo Credit: Anadolu Agency