Cairo, Egypt – CCCPA conducted the first edition of the Red Sea Security and Development course from 15–18 November 2021.  

Building on the discussions on avenues for cooperation in the Red Sea--held during the first and second editions of the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development-- this course comes as a contribution to the implementation of the Forum’s conclusions, particularly with regard to advancing the humanitarian, development, and peace nexus (HDPN).

The course aims to strengthen the capacities of Arab and African littoral states of the Red Sea in conflict analysis and resolution, as well as raise awareness regarding (i) existing security challenges in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, and (ii) current opportunities to advance sustainable development in the region.

The course brought together 20 officials from the foreign and defense ministries of Egypt, Djibouti, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. It included a field visit to the Suez Canal Authority, where the participants met with Admiral Osama Rabie, Head of the Authority.

During his address at the opening session, Ambassador Hamdi Loza, Deputy Foreign Minister for African Affairs, stressed “the depth of historic relations binding Arab and African littoral states in the Red Sea.” He highlighted the centrality of Egypt’s role in securing the Suez Canal and guaranteeing freedom of navigation in the Red Sea in coordination with the littoral states. He also emphasized the importance of advancing the work of the Council of the Arab and African States Bordering the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Finally, Ambassador Loza reaffirmed that Egypt maintains its offer to host the security liaison office that will be established under the umbrella of the Council.

On his part, Ambassador Ahmed Abdel-Latif, Director-General of CCCPA and Executive Director of the Aswan Forum Secretariat stated that the course is part of CCCPA’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the capacities of African and Arab countries in the fields of peace and security, and to operationalize the Aswan Forum conclusions.

In his opening remarks, Major-General Tarek Adly Abdalla Ali, Assistant to the Egyptian Army Chief of Staff for Naval Forces, referred to the growing challenges of terrorism and increasing humanitarian and displacement crises, which are negatively affecting the security and stability in the region, but affirmed Egypt’s naval and military capacity to protect and secure the Red Sea and Suez Canal areas.

The opening session also featured a video message from Dr. Ghada Waly, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, as well as remarks by the Ambassador of Sweden, the Chargé d’Affaires at the Embassy of Japan, and representatives of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and the African Development Bank (AfDB).

The course comes within the framework of the implementation of the conclusions of the Aswan Forum project through the UNDP, whose partners include (among others) the African Development Bank, the Government of Japan, the Government of Sweden, and the International Organization for Migration.