22 – 24 May 2018, Yaoundé, Cameroon – ECOSOCC’S Peace and Security Cluster, in close collaboration with AUC Departments, including CIDO and PSD, organized a civil society consultation forum on Countering Violent, Extremism, Terrorism and the Illicit Proliferation of Arms in African back to back with the Forum of the Livingstone Formula.

It should be recalled that the Livingstone Formula is the mechanism for the interaction of the Peace and Security Council and civil society organizations on peace, security and stability in Africa that was adopted by Member States, which is the gateway for civil society participation in the issues of peace and security in Africa.

In his opening remarks, the Chairperson of the Peace and Security Cluster Mr Ngalim Eugine Nyuydine, shared his gratitude as ECOSOCC’s moved to hold these two major events in Cameroon. “The two meetings are central to Cameroon as Cameroon considered as an island of peace a few years ago has also become a target for terrorists especially the Boko Haram”. Mr Nyuydine called on the participants to actively brainstorm and strategize on the appropriate ways of not only rolling back violent extremism, terrorism and the illicit proliferation of arms in the continent but equally evaluating how far African CSOs have gone with the implementation of the AU Master Roadmap on Silencing the Guns in Africa by 2020 and what is expected from the civil society to make the roadmap achievable by 2020.

From the AU Commission, the Head of Civil Society Division at CIDO Directorate called on participants to take steps to ensure that ECOSOCC as an Organ, is an active enterprise that works to sustain a social and development agenda that promotes unity and the wellbeing of African people. He also used the opportunity to call for more collaborative work between CSOs from the wider civil society and their respective ECOSOCC P&S Cluster representatives. “Although the framework of the interaction between CSOs and PSC was officially adopted, there are still some challenges. There is need for specific training for CSOs in order to be able to interact effectively and efficiently with the PSC by taking advantage of the presence of ECOSOCC at all AU Member States in order to collect data, disseminate information and mobilize people for peace and security issues”, he said.

Participants to these meetings were drawn from members of the ECOSOCC Peace and Security Cluster, CSOs with expertise in the areas of anti-extremism, anti-terrorism & SALW, religious and faith-based leaders, Academia, research and training institutions, experts and key divisions in the Department of Peace and Security of the African Union Commission among others.

Having in mind the advantage that ECOSOCC has, as the only AU Organ which has presence in the fifty five AU member states, participants recommended to promote the idea of the Peace Week which should be observed by all member states and can be carried in collaboration with the representatives of Parliaments in PAP, the ECOSOCC National Chapters, media and AUC.

For more information, please contact:
Ms Hazel Maureen Danetta Dixon: DixonH@africa-union.org
Or ECOSOCC Secretariat: ecosocc@africa-union.org