From 18-20 September ACCORD partnered with African Peace Research and Education Association (AFPREA) and the Foundation for Sport, Development and Peace for the hosting of the 2nd AFRPREA Regional Conference in Cape Town, South Africa.
ACCORD was represented by Prof. Jannie Malan, Managing Editor of ACCORD’s publication African Journal on Conflict Resolution, who was also invited as a guest speaker.
AFPREA is a non-governmental organisation of peace researchers, educators and development practitioners from the African continent focusing on emerging global threats to peace and stability and more specifically working to achieve the goals of sustainable peace and development throughout Africa. The overall aim of the conference and the work of its commissions was to look at how the conference can take the late Nelson Mandela’s vision for youth, sport and peace forward in 2019 and in the years to come. The conference also acknowledged the International Day of Peace celebrated on 21 September by convening representatives from government, non-profit organisations, education, corporate and media organisations. Key themes discussed during the conference included Youth, Women, Climate Change, Cross-Border Migration and Human Trafficking, as well as Election Justice, Peace and Development. The sessions on the various themes reflected on case studies from Uganda, South Sudan, Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria.
Prof. Malan addressed the conference on The State of Peace Research in Africa during the plenary session entitled, What can Africa lend to the global peace discourse? Prof Malan shared that there has been significant growth of peace research and education in Africa from the past to the present. He further expressed that Peace Education should communicate a vital and vibrant emphasis on developing constructive attitudes both in the content of the work and the spirit in which it is presented. Prof Malan address reflected on the future of the field, and he made suggestions on a few under-researched themes that could still be explored by African researchers which included addressing an anti-peace mind-set and a stubborn unwillingness to resolve conflict.
