Cairo, Egypt - CCCPA, the Government of Japan (GoJ) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched a new phase of their cooperation in support of peace and security in Africa on 20 April 2016.

The project – “Enhancing Peace, Security and Stability in Africa” – is funded by GoJ, in cooperation with UNDP, and is another milestone in Egyptian-Japanese trilateral cooperation in Africa, as well as a practical translation of Egyptian President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi’s successful first trip to Tokyo earlier this year. It's a new phase of the well-established and ongoing cooperation between CCCPA, GoJ and UNDP, now in its 9th year. The project leverages CCCPA’s unique position, as an African Union (AU) Center of Excellence in training, to enhance African capacities in matters of peace and security.

Specifically, the new project will contribute to supporting efforts of national, regional and continental players in the areas of peacemaking, peacekeeping and peacebuilding; dealing with transnational threats and challenges to peace and security, including most notably terrorism and extremist ideologies leading to it; and supporting the TICAD process. CCCPA is one of only four African training centers to receive Japanese funding in 2016.

At a ceremony, hosted by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Ambassador Sherif Refaat, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for International Cooperation for Development, Anita Nirody, Resident Representative of UNDP in Egypt, and Ashraf Swelam, CCCPA Director, signed the project document. Nirody expressed her appreciation of CCCPA’s regional role in issues of peace and security. “At UNDP, we are highly appreciative of the excellent partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; CCCPA and Government of Japan, as well as the pivotal role played by CCCPA to consolidate African voices to contribute to shaping the global policy debates on the peacekeeping and peacebuilding architecture,” she said.

On his side, Director Swelam praised the continuing cooperation with GoJ and UNDP, describing both as “partners in success”. “Thanks to the generosity of the Japanese Government and people, CCCPA has been making organizational leaps that have allowed it to multiply manifold its contribution to peace and security in Africa. CCCPA has also become a partner of choice for international, regional and national actors, including the United Nations, the African Union and the League of Arab States in training and capacity building,” he added.

In their joint statement during the March visit, President El-Sisi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced the new Japanese support to CCCPA in recognition of its “important role in maintaining peace and stability in Africa.”