MEDIA ADVISORY

TOPIC: “Placing Human Security at the Centre of Peace Enforcement, in the context of the COVID-19”

WHAT: Virtual Conference on Silencing the Guns in Africa

WHEN: Monday, June 1, 2020

TIME: 3.00–6.00 pm EAT (GMT+3)

THEME: “Silencing the Guns in Africa: creating conducive conditions for Africa’s development”

WHO: The Virtual Conference is organized by the Department of Peace and Security of the African Union Commission (AUC), under the Silencing the Guns Initiative

WHY:

The virtual conference on, ‘Placing Human Security at the Centre of Peace Enforcement’, is the second in a three-part multi-stakeholder series of virtual engagements organized by the Department of Peace and Security (PSD) of the African Union, which started off with a High-Level Conference on Silencing the Guns, on Africa Day on May 25. The virtual engagements seek to address some of the key developments and challenges in implementing the AU theme of the year – ‘Silencing the Guns: creating conductive conditions for Africa’s development’, in the wake of COVID-19. It seeks to give impetus to the theme on silencing the guns in Africa, which was launched as the AU theme of the year for 2020. Additionally, it seeks to strengthen collaborative efforts among Member States, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and the private sector, to take ownership of the provisions contained in the silencing the guns initiative. The event assigns a prominent role to women and youth, to whom the campaign seeks to protect the most. The third and final virtual engagement under these series, will be held on June 8, 2020.

OBJECTIVES OF THE VIRTUAL CONFERENCE:

The objectives of this virtual conference during the celebration of the Africa Day on 25 May include the following:

1. To engage stakeholders towards the development of country-level and sub-regional programmes of action towards silencing the guns in Africa, with particular attention to the current global context;
2. To sensitize and generate interest among African Citizens about the nexus between development and peace;
3. To generate innovate ideas on how Silencing the Guns can be used to move the continent forward, towards a more integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa;
4. To increase visibility on how the African Union’s work relates to the African citizens in reference to Silencing the Guns;
5. To proffer policy and programmatic recommendations to advance the Silencing the Guns agenda.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

1. Commitment to implementable programmatic actions towards silencing the guns on the continent;
2. Increased dialogue among stakeholders (governments, youth, women, private sector and media, among others) on Africa’s common destiny;
3. The conclusions will feed into the Upcoming Extraordinary Summit

Notes to the Editor:

The AU theme of the year 2020 - ‘Silencing the Guns: creating conducive conditions for Africa’s development’ - reinforces African Union’s efforts to silence the continent’s guns - focusing in particular, on addressing the underlying root-causes of conflict and facilitating socio-economic development. However, the year has seen unprecedented changes with the outbreak of the coronavirus disease. In light of this, the Department of Peace and Security Department (PSD), of the African Union, organized a three-part multi-stakeholder Virtual engagements, focusing on thematic issues related to silencing the guns, to address some of the key developments and challenges in implementing the theme of the year, in the wake of COVID-19.

The virtual conferences are being held over a period of three weeks, with a High-Level forum having already taken place on Africa Day on May 25, followed by subsequent virtual engagements on June 1 and June 8, 2020. Silencing the Guns is part of the flagship projects and programmes of Agenda 2063, Africa’s blue print for its long-term socio-economic and integrative transformation.

Journalists are invited to connect and take part in the virtual conference scheduled for Monday, 1st June 2020, at 3.00 p.m. East Africa Time.

Register in advance for this webinar: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RF07s1OnSR-gLQx02UJ7sg
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the online meeting.
The Draft Programme is attached.

For further media inquiries, please contact:
1. Mrs. Esther Azaa Tankou | Head of Information Division | Directorate of Information and Communication, African Union Commission | Mobile: +251911361185 | E-mail: yamboue@africa-union.org
2. Mr. Gamal Eldin Ahmed A. Karrar | Senior Communication Officer | Directorate of Information and Communications (DIC) | E-mail: GamalK@africa-union.org