ACCORD and AUC co-host 8th High Level Retreat on Promotion of Peace, Security and Stability

On 24-25 October 2017 ACCORD was once again one of the hosts, along with the African Union Commission, of the 8^th High Level Retreat on the Promotion of Peace, Security and Stability, which was held in N’djamena, Chad. The theme of this year’s Retreat was “The Emerging World Order, Multilateralism and Africa”.

The first day’s sessions aimed to examine the current global order and to identify the opportunities and challenges of multilateralism, examining its principles and institutions in their historical context. The second day, which will be focused on Making Multilateralism Work for Africa, will focus on Africa’s potential for meeting its internal and globalized challenges, particularly in prevention, peacekeeping and conflict resolution, examining emerging challenges and opportunities for multilateral actions (for instance, in the Middle East). Africa’s experience and potential in setting and implementing the global agenda will be considered, as will the AU’s relationships and partnership with the RECs, the United Nations, European Union, among others.

The overall aims of the Retreat will be to

1. Create more awareness on the level of impact of the decline of multilateralism on peace and security in Africa;
2. Provide an opportunity to devise ways to consolidate partnerships to mitigate the trend and its consequences; and
3. Accelerate ongoing peacemaking and mediation efforts in the emerging new world order.

ACCORD’s Founder and Executive Director, Advocate Vasu Gounden, along with ACCORD’s Senior Political Advisor, H.E. Ambassador Welile Nhlapo, are both resource persons at the Retreat.

On 24 October 2017 Advocate Vasu Gounden met with the new Chairperson of the AU Commission, H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, while at the Retreat.

ACCORD works extensively with the African Union within the focus areas of peacemaking; peacekeeping and peacebuilding. On 21 November the 2015 ACCORD presented the Africa Peace Award (APA) to the African Union Commission (AUC) in recognition of over fifty years of securing peace on the continent and advancing socio-economic development.