CAIRO – The Fourth Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development will kick off in Cairo on Tuesday under the rubric “Africa in a Changing World: Re-Envisioning Global Governance for Peace and Development.”
Spokesman for the Foreign Ministry Ahmed Abu Zeid said that establishing the forum is an important initiative which has been a source of pride to Egypt.
The Foreign Ministry is very proud of being a partner in organizing the forum in cooperation with the Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding (CCCPA), he added.
The forum is now a platform for politicians, intellectuals, civil society, the private sector and international and regional envoys to exchange viewpoints regarding provision of solutions to crises facing the African continent and the world at large, the spokesman pointed out.
He said the forum is a significant opportunity for probing the situation in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip.
At a time of unprecedented challenges to peace and security in Africa and globally, the fourth edition of the Aswan Forum seeks to advance African perspectives on re-envisioning global governance for peace and development, in a dialogue with partners, in anticipation of the “Summit of the Future.”
This year’s edition takes place at a time of great turbulence and uncertainty, marked by geopolitical tensions and polarization. Conflicts are on the rise worldwide, some with far-reaching global implications and devastating humanitarian consequences, such as the Russia-Ukraine war and the war in Gaza.
Moreover, Africa continues to be engulfed by violence, instability and surging terrorism, with new and protracted conflicts in Sudan, and the Horn of Africa, the Sahel and Great Lakes regions, combined with large-scale displacement, soaring food insecurity and increased impacts of climate change.
As this fourth edition coincides with the 20th anniversary of the African Union Peace and Security Council, the forum will outline priorities and actions to scale up more effective, context-specific, and integrated solutions that leverage the role of women and youth, and address the interconnected crises facing the African continent, with a particular focus on strengthening the implementation of the peace and development nexus.
In this regard, this edition will also address a number of priorities to amplify Africa’s voice at a critical juncture for the future of multilateralism and international cooperation.
These include, but are not limited to scaling up partnerships to operationalize the nexus; strengthening the global peacebuilding architecture; examining the future of peace operations in an evolving African landscape; advancing post-conflict reconstruction and development efforts; harnessing trade and investment for sustainable peace and development; developing African-led responses on climate, peace, and security; and enhancing youth contributions to education for peace in line with the African Union’s 2024 theme of the year on education.
It will also address emerging risks to peace, security, and stability, particularly in the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea and the Sahel regions.
As the Champion of Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development in Africa, Egypt took the initiative to launch the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development during its presidency of the African Union in 2019.
The forum serves as a high-level, African-owned platform that brings together African leaders from national governments, regional and international organizations, regional economic communities and regional mechanisms (RECs/RMs), financial institutions, the private sector, and civil society, together with visionaries, leading scholars, and practitioners for action-oriented discussions.
It provides the first-of-its-kind platform in Africa that seeks to operationalize the nexus, by championing African solutions, including through strengthening the links between policy and practice.
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