Fourth edition Aswan Forum report, July 2024.
The fourth edition of the Aswan Forum was hosted in July this year and titled “Re-envisioning Global Governance for Peace and Development,”. The Aswan Forum initiative was designed to advance African perspectives on re-envisioning global governance for peace and development in anticipation of the Summit of the Future. The fourth Aswan Forum culminated in the Aswan Conclusions report which include a wide number of policy recommendations to feed into the preparations for the Summit of the Future.
The fourth edition of the Aswan Forum took place at a time of great turbulence and polarization, with conflicts on the rise - some of which have far-reaching and detrimental effects felt not only in Africa, but also on a global scale. The event brought together a wide range of key stakeholders and highlighted a number of impactful ways forward to surmount the challenges the continent faces and identified opportunities for the advancement of the peace, security, and development nexus in Africa. This forum also provided a platform for policymakers to engage in difficult but necessary conversations on the future of the African continent and the imperative to promote Africa’s role on the global stage.
Reform Multilateralism, Global Governance Frameworks, including International Financial Institutions
It is of paramount importance to elevate African views in addressing issues of global justice, equity, and double standards. The retreat from multilateralism stems from the erroneous perception that global solutions do not align with national agendas. This view must change. Leaders’ recognition of the pivotal role global solutions can play in addressing global challenges is needed to address issues that are cross-cutting and cross-dimensional, impacting the entire international community. Cooperation should thus be rebuilt on the basis of mutual respect and reciprocity. The voices of African leaders on the future of peace, security, and development must be amplified, particularly in the lead-up to the Summit of the Future.
Re-energize the Global Prevention and Sustaining Peace Agenda
The urgency to shift from symptomatic approaches to proactive and structural efforts that aim at preventing the outbreak, escalation, continuation, and recurrence of conflict continues to underpin the global prevention and peacebuilding agenda. The escalation of violence across the globe and the emergence of old and new conflicts have laid bare the gaps in implementing the principles underscored by the ‘sustaining peace’ shift, namely addressing the root causes of conflict and reinforcing the structures and institutions of peace.
Advance Holistic Approaches to Promote the Peace, Security and Development Nexus
It is widely recognized that siloed interventions by humanitarian, development, and peace actors lead to ineffective outcomes. Integrated approaches across the nexus are required to effectively address the root causes of conflict and fragility and thus effectively promote sustainable peace and development.
Advance the Common African Position on Climate Change, Peace and Security
Africa is at the forefront of the confluence of the adverse impacts of climate change with fragility, conflict, and instability. Efforts to adapt to climate change are hindered by ongoing conflicts, increasing livelihood insecurity, and climate-induced displacement. In addition, climate finance has fallen short of what is needed, especially in fragile and conflict affected settings, further straining sustainable climate adaptation in those regions. Addressing the effects of climate change on peace and security requires concerted efforts to overcome silos in implementation, programming, and funding, which are grounded in the principles of context specificity and national ownership. In this regard, several strides were taken to address the impacts of climate change on peace and security in Africa on the global and regional fronts, such as the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) Presidency initiative Climate Responses for Sustaining Peace. On the continental level, developing the Common African Position on Climate Change, Peace, and Security serves as a critical step towards consolidating African efforts aiming to advance a unified climate, peace, and security agenda on the continent, and ensuring that African needs and priorities on global platforms such as the COP are leveraged.
Re-envision the Future of Peace Operations in Africa
Amid escalating violent and protracted conflicts in Africa, there is an urgent need for strengthening peace operations on the continent, and their contribution to advancing political solutions, including through focused, prioritized, sequenced, achievable and appropriately-resourced mandates, with exit strategies and transitions, based on clear benchmarks, that are nationally owned and regionally/internationally supported, as part of a comprehensive approach to sustaining peace.
Harness Youth’s Role in Scaling Up Innovative Solutions through Education to Build Peace
Africa has the youngest and fastest-growing population, with 75% of its population under the age of 35, and will represent 42% of the global youth population by 2030. Through investing in education, youth can play a transformative role in promoting a culture of peace and achieving sustainable peace and development across the continent. Now more than ever, we need to shift the narrative from one perceiving African youth as victims and agents of conflict, to one that puts a spotlight on their role as active champions of peace and resilience.
Revitalize Partnerships for Sustainable Peace and Development
The interconnectedness of challenges in Africa calls for rethinking effective partnership modalities to advance more coordinated responses across the continent. In this context, there is a need to align partnerships with national priorities and strategies as a key catalyst to reinvigorate and expand informed, integrated, and sustainable responses. There is a growing need to move beyond policymaking, implementation, and financing siloes, as well as broaden the landscape of engaged stakeholders beyond the realms of humanitarian, development, and political actors to also include local communities, civil society organizations and the private sector. This ensures attuning to the national priorities and that responses are effective, sustainable, and economically viable.
These are extracts from a report by the Aswan Forum published in July 2024. The full publication can be accessed here.