The Third Joint Retreat of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) was held in Johannesburg, South Africa from 11 to 12 December 2023. The Retreat centred on the theme, ‘Strengthening diversity management in Africa as an effective response to governance, peace and security challenges in Africa’. The two-day meeting was co-chaired by H.E. Ambassador Jainaba Jagne, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of The Gambia to the AU and the PSC Chairperson for December 2023; and H.E Dr. Abdoulie Janneh, Chairperson of the African Peer Review (APR) Panel of Eminent Persons. The Retreat coincided with the APRM’s 20th anniversary, and also hosted a high-level panel on the ‘20th Anniversary Celebration of the APRM: Accelerating and Deepening Governance Reforms: Measure and Interventions by the APRM’.
The retreat included briefings on the different studies undertaken by the APRM and the impact of the reviews, revealing the serious governance deficits in many parts of the continent. A session on ‘Foreign interference and military coups in Africa’ was also held, emphasizing the importance of collective security approaches which counter foreign interference. The session explained the need to promote synergies between intelligence, military and academia to exchange information for the benefit of early warning. Increased intra-Africa trade and a single market were also discussed in relation to promoting integration and addressing some of the socio-economic drivers of conflict on the continent. The retreat offered an important reflection on the significant work of the APRM and provided a platform to strengthen the existing relationship between these two AU structures.
