CCCPA and the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with the UN Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO), will organize a two day workshop in Cairo on 24-25 November 2014 on “Regional Perspectives of Peacebuilding: Identifying Gaps, Challenges and Opportunities”. 

The workshop is intended to offer the first substantial input into the upcoming review of the UN peacebuilding architecture, by providing an African perspective on the regional aspects of peacebuilding, drawing upon the experience of the African Union, sub-regional organizations and individual African countries.

Background

By reaching 2015, the international community will mark the end of the second five-year review cycle for the UN Peacebuilding Architecture. As mandated by UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council resolutions (A/RES/65/7 and S/RES/1947) of 29 October 2010, a further comprehensive review will be initiated in 2015. The review will assess progress made by the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) and other UN actors in the implementation of key recommendations from the 2010 Review, as well as to identify remaining challenges.

The 2015 review is expected to make concrete recommendations aimed at repositioning and reorienting the PBC to maximize its impact for national, regional and international efforts to ensure the successful transition to durable peace in countries where it is engaged. Furthermore, the review is an opportunity for the international community to take stock of the functions, orientations and institutional structures of the PBC in light of developments in both global and regional peacebuilding practices since 2005.

Over the past decade, the regional dimension of conflicts and peace has had ample illustrations, particularly in Africa. In operationalizing the decision to establish the PBC and its accompanying entities, the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) and the PBSO in 2005, the Security Council and the General Assembly recognized the important role of regional and sub-regional organizations in post conflict peacebuilding. In recent years, the role of these organizations, particularly in Africa, has gained prominence in maintaining and sustaining peace and security. And despite its engagement in six African countries, the PBC has had only a scant focus on the regional aspects of peacebuilding. Moreover, it is yet to find a practical framework to engage regional actors and organizations.

On the other hand, and since the PBC was established, Africa has witnessed a significant growth in its readiness and capacity to engage in post-conflict peacebuilding activities. In 2006, the African Union (AU) launched its policy on Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD) aimed to lay the foundation for social justice and sustainable peace, based on principles similar to those underpinning the mandate of the UN peacebuilding architecture, including: i) prevention of relapse into violence, ii) peace consolidation; iii) national ownership; iv) complementarity of security and development strategies; and v) coherence of regional and international engagement.

Today, and after ten years of establishing the UN Peacebuilding Architecture and eight years of launching the African Union PCRD, there is a need to take stock of how the UN and African actors have approched and addressed peacebuilding-related challenges. The complexity of the challenges facing several African countries emerging from conflict confirms the need for joint efforts at the national, regional and international levels.

Most importantly, there is a need to develop shared analysis and understanding of the regional dynamics that affect the consolidation of peace and the existing potential for regional solutions that will be supported internationally over the long term.
The workshop will therefore offer an opportunity to:

1.      Identify appropriate entry points for the PBC to address the regional dimension of post-conflict peacebuilding;

2.      Explore ways for the PBC to establish practical partnerships with regional and sub-regional actors drawing upon its unique membership structure; and

3.      Learn the perspectives of African regional and sub-regional organizations with respect to the challenges they face when formulating and implementing regional peacebuilding policies and practices.