The 4th Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development will open in Cairo on 2 July under “Africa in a Changing World: Reimagining Global Governance for Peace and Development”.
This year’s edition takes place during great turbulence, marked by geopolitical tensions and polarisation. Conflicts are on the rise worldwide, some with far-reaching global implications and devastating humanitarian consequences.
Africa remains mired in multidimensional violence, instability, and the rise of terrorism, with new and protracted conflicts in Sudan, the Horn of Africa, the Sahel, and the Great Lakes region, as well as large-scale displacement and the increasing impact of climate change.
As this fourth edition coincides with the 20th anniversary of the African Union Peace and Security Council, the Forum will outline priorities and actions to scale up more effective integrated solutions that empower women and youth, with a particular focus on strengthening the implementation of the peace and development nexus.
In this regard, this edition will also address several priorities to amplify Africa’s voice at a critical juncture for the future of multilateralism and international cooperation.
These include broadening partnerships to strengthen the global peacebuilding architecture; examining the future of peace operations in an evolving African landscape: post-conflict reconstruction and development; harnessing trade and investment for sustainable peace and development; and strengthening the role of the African Union in peacebuilding.
In line with the African Union’s 2024 theme on education, peace education will be an important aspect to be discussed. Emerging risks to peace and security
Emerging risks to peace, security, and stability, in particular in the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea, and the Sahel, will also be addressed.
Egypt has taken the initiative to launch the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development during its chairmanship of the African Union in 2019.
The Forum is intended to be a high-level African-owned platform that brings together African leaders from national governments, regional and international organizations, regional and regional economic communities, financial institutions, the private sector, and civil society, together with visionaries, leading academics, and practitioners for action-oriented discussions.
It is a pioneering platform in Africa that aims to operationalize the nexus of a structured approach to the conflicts plaguing the continent, advocate African solutions, and strengthen the links between policy and practice.
The Cairo International Centre for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping, and Peacebuilding (CICCAP) is the Executive Secretariat of the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development.