The Training for Peace Programme partners, ACCORD, the Institute for Security Studies and the Norwegian Institute for International Affairs co-hosted the 2023 Annual Challenges Forum (CAF23) with the Challenges Forum Secretariat from 26 – 27 October 2023 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The Challenges Forum is a global partnership that uses its convening power to generate innovative ideas and promote results for more effective peace operations. In a changing global context, CAF23 highlighted useful experiences on Global-Regional Peace and Security Partnerships, where new ideas were generated on how to improve these partnerships.
ACCORD convened the Youth, Peace and Security in PSOs session, which was facilitated by Programme Officer, Mr Wandile Langa. The panel included young leaders who shared concrete examples and lessons learned of youth inclusion and ways to leverage youth as a key stakeholder in PSO, reflecting on the situation in the DRC, and the UN Missions in the Central African Republic, Somalia and South Sudan.
CAF23 also provided a unique and timely platform to reflect on how regional peace and security arrangements can be part of a new generation of peace operations. The working group discussions focused on strategic coherence among global, regional, and sub-regional bodies using the example of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM); predictable financing of AU-led PSOs reflecting on AU Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS); and addressing capability gaps more systematically using the case of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC). Ms Karishma Rajoo, General Manager for Programmes was part of the expert panel on key takeaways that presented the key conclusions of the working groups.
CAF23 brought together policymakers, scholars, practitioners and civil society representatives from all over the world to engage in high-level conversations as well as dialogue-driven workshops. The CAF23 was attended by High-Level delegates including H.E Bankole Adeoye, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security at the AU Commission; H.E. Mesganu Arenga, State Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia; Ambassador Stian Christensen, Ambassador of Norway to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the AU and UNECA; H.E. Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General to the AU and Head of the UN Office to the AU; and H.E. Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for the Horn of Africa.
ACCORD’s support and attendance of CAF23 are in line with the institution’s strategic objectives to enhance the institutional responses of the AU and RECs to complex conflicts and to enhance the role of youth to prevent, mitigate and resolve complex conflicts.
