Ethiopia participated in the 17th Annual Retreat of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AUPSC) on the review of its working methods held in Abuja, Nigeria, from November 5 to 7 and reaffirmed its commitment to work closely with the members of the Council on initiatives geared towards enhancing the peace and security of the continent. The retreat was followed by the Second Lessons Learned Forum on the African Standby Force (ASF) and the African Peace Support Operations (PSOs), which took place from November 8 to 9.
The 17th Retreat of the AUPSC deliberated on the review of the Council’s working methods with the objective of enhancing the effective and efficient undertaking of its mandates stipulated in the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Council. As such, the discussion on the working methods of the Council was critical as it aims to improve the mechanisms and tools through which the Council can effectively address the peace and security challenges in the continent.
During the meeting, the Ethiopian delegation, led by Daniel Tenkir, Director for Peace and Security Directorate at the Permanent Office of Ethiopia to the AU and UNECA, underscored the importance of continuously improving the working methods of the council to enhance its capacity and forge greater unity of purpose among member states to comprehensively and sustainably address the peace and security challenges across the continent.
In addition, the retreat provided an opportunity for discussion among member states on various subjects, including the Study on the Structural Root Causes and Drivers of Unconstitutional Changes of Government (UCG) in Africa, the High-Level Review of the AU Governance, Peace and Security Frameworks, and Geopolitical Shifts and the Global Governance Reset Imperative. While considering the persistent trends of proliferation of UCG in the continent, understanding was reached on the imperative of adhering to the AU’s zero tolerance policy towards UCG, addressing its root causes, and the need to strengthen sanctions measures to deter the spread of UCG.
To that end, the Ethiopian delegation reaffirmed Ethiopia’s unwavering commitment to the zero-tolerance policy of AU towards unconstitutional change of Governments and emphasized the importance of ensuring consistency in the implementation of the AU normative and legal frameworks on UCG, including the African Charter on Democracy, Governance and Election and the Lomé Declaration.
The 17th retreat of the AUPSC was followed by the Second Lessons Learned Forum on AU Peace Support Operation, including the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) and the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), as well as the African Standby Force. With regard to AU Peace Support Operations, the importance of enhancing the logistical and financial capacity of AU missions is underscored with greater emphasis on the need for adequate, predictable and sustainable funding, including through the implementation of resolution UNSC 2719 on the financing of AU-led peace support operations and the reinforcement of the AU Peace Fund. It was noted that without adequate and sustainable funding, the AU-led peace support operation will continue to face challenges in undertaking its mandates.
In a similar vein, the Forum reaffirmed Africa’s determination to continue enhancing its full political, financial, and operational responsibility for its peace operations, reducing dependency on external partners and strengthening self-reliant mechanisms under the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) and African Standby Force (ASF) frameworks. Hence, the importance of accelerating the full operationalization of ASF is considered critical for successful implementation of APSA.
The twin meetings in Abuja marked a significant step towards a more integrated, self-reliant, and effective African peace and security architecture. The 17th Retreat’s focus on refining working methods provided a stronger foundation for the AUPSC’s political direction, while the Lessons Learned Forum ensures this direction is informed by hard-won, practical experience from the field.
Evidently, the deliberate linkage of policy and practice in Abuja offered a promising model for the future, better positioning the African Union to navigate complex 21st-century peace and security challenges and achieve the goal of silencing the guns enunciated in agenda AU’s 2063 agenda.
The outcomes of the retreat will be presented to the AUPSC for formal consideration in the coming days.