From 21-24 October 2024, ACCORD participated in the African Union’s (AU’s) stakeholder consultation on civil society organisations (CSO) participation in silencing the guns in Africa, held in Nairobi, Kenya. The stakeholder consultation aligned with the AU’s Master Roadmap to silence the guns by 2030, which calls for the involvement of civil society in achieving the goal of ending all wars in Africa.
This consultative workshop brought together a variety of CSOs, such as the West African Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) and the Cairo International Centre for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding (CCCPA) amongst others. Representatives from the AU Commission and the AU’s Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) also attended.
During the workshop, participants brainstormed ways to encourage greater CSO involvement in achieving the vision of silencing the guns in Africa by 2030. The consultative workshop thus discussed the various objectives and initiatives in the Master Roadmap and explored areas for CSOs to engage in their pursuit. As a result, the workshop developed an action plan aimed at facilitating increased CSO involvement in the evaluation and implementation of the AU silencing the guns framework.
ACCORD remains committed to supporting the AU’s silencing the guns by 2030 initiative and the vision of an African, free of conflict, recognising the crucial role that CSOs can play in this endeavour. ACCORD’s participation in this workshop aligns with its strategic objective of enhancing the institutional responses of the AU and regional economic communities to complex conflicts.
