High-Level 20th Anniversary Colloquium of the Peace and Security Council

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May 25, 2024

WHAT: The African Union Peace and Security Council will hold a 20th Anniversary High-Level Colloquium on the theme: “20 Years of the AU PSC as a Standing Decision-Making Organ: The Next 2 Decades of the Peace and Security We Want in Africa.”

WHEN: 25 May 2024, at 0900 Hours EAT. The media is also invited for a press conference at 1700 Hours EAT.

Preceding the Colloquium, PSC will address a public lecture interfacing with stakeholders, institutions and students at the University of Dar es Salaam on Friday, 24 May 2024 at 1500 Hours.

WHERE: Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

WHO: Participants include PSC Member States, Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms, AU Commission, Civil Society Organisations, United Nations Agencies, among others. The event will be addressed by:

H.E. Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, President of Mauritania, AU Chairperson
H.E. Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of Tanzania and Chairperson of the Peace and Security Council for the month of May 2024.
H.E. Adama Barrow, President of The Gambia
H.E. Yoweri Museveni, President of Uganda
H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission
H.E. January Makamba, Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Tanzania

Background information.

2024 marks the 20^th Anniversary of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) since its launch on 25 May 2004. In commemorating the anniversary, the African Union will lead various activities that provide a platform for reflection on the significant strides made by the Council for the past 20 years in promoting peace, security and stability across Africa.

The Colloquium will be a platform to deliberate on 20 Years of the AU PSC’s role as the Standing Decision-Making Organ, focusing on key milestones and challenges to be addressed to further strengthen the institutional capacity of the PSC to deliver its mandate more effectively. It will include a high-level panel discussion leading to the adoption of a Declaration on 20 Years of the AU PSC as the Standing Decision-Making Organ.

The celebration presents a unique opportunity for the Council to assess its accomplishments and the challenges faced over the past two decades in discharging its mandate of promoting peace, security and stability in Africa. The vision is to silence the guns and realize a conflict-free Africa.

Since its establishment, the PSC has been actively engaged in the promotion of peace, security, and stability, addressing peace and security challenges on the continent. The PSC has made decisions that provide political guidance on almost every conflict/crisis on the continent. This involved the deployment of peace support operations, high representatives, envoys, and the Panel of the Wise for preventive diplomacy, which led to the de-escalation of crisis.

The PSC engages civilians through field missions and open forums, in particular those affected by conflicts, refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees, and the representatives of civil society organizations. The PSC champions women, youth, and children's involvement in peace and security matters, including peace processes and negotiation of peace agreements.

Through the PSC, the African Union has reactivated and operationalized the AU Peace Fund dedicated to peace and security activities on the continent on three windows, namely, Mediation and Preventive Diplomacy, Institutional Capacity, and Peace Support Operations.

The PSC has led the adoption of several common African positions that provide guidance to AU Member States and for Africa to speak in one voice in multilateral fora. The PSC developed and adopted a landmark AU Roadmap of Practical Steps to Silence the Guns in Africa, which provides guidance to the continent on steps to be undertaken to realize a conflict-free continent. To complement efforts to silence the guns in Africa, the PSC proposed the endorsement of the month of September each year as ‘Africa Amnesty Month’ for the surrender and collection of illicit small arms and weapons.

Since its establishment, the PSC has been active in addressing thematic issues related to the state of peace and security in Africa, such as terrorism and violent extremism, unconstitutional changes and government, climate change, peace and security, post-conflict reconstruction and development, humanitarian issues, and the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons.

For further information, please contact:

Ms. Lulit Kebede | Communication Officer, Political Affairs, Peace and Security Department | Email: lulitk@africa-union.org

Ms. Doreen Apollos | Directorate of Information and Communication| African Union Commission | E-mail ApollosD@africa-union.org 