1 Concept Note Peacekeeping in Africa: Fostering Partnership And

Concept Note

Peacekeeping in Africa: Fostering Partnership and Synergies

Introduction: The Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), in collaboration with the Permanent Missions of Ghana, the United Kingdom and Norway, the International Peace Institute (IPI), and Wilton Park, will convene a half-day conference on the theme “Peacekeeping in Africa: Fostering Partnership and Synergies”. The event is scheduled to take place from 10am to 1pm in the ECOSOC Chamber, United Nations Headquarters, New York on Tuesday 12th November 2019.

The main purpose of the dialogue is to support the shared commitment to address the challenges facing peacekeeping, focussing on the African Continent, and to build political momentum between partners. The meeting will provide an opportunity to present policy recommendations in support of current peacekeeping challenges including: reinforcing UN-Africa peace and security partnerships, ensuring the long-term impact of peacekeeping missions and increasing cooperation with African regional and sub-regional security frameworks. The event will bring together key stakeholders, including Member States, the African Union, African Regional Economic Communities (RECs), think tanks and other international partners. The meeting will be open to the participation of all Member States.

The conference will be followed by a working lunch on ‘Implementing the Women, Peace and Security Agenda’, from 1.15pm to 2.45pm. Venue (TBC)

Background and Rationale: Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) Declaration of Shared Commitments on UN Peacekeeping Operations UN Peacekeeping remains one of the most essential tools for creating lasting peace and responding to international crises. However, many peacekeeping missions operate in complex and volatile environments. In many contexts, violent groups pose a major threat to the successful, safe and secure

implementation of mandates. At the same time, Missions need to maximise their performance and deliver multidimensional peacekeeping operations to support lasting peace, including through 1

collaboration and partnerships between the UN and international, regional and sub-regional organisations. Member States, too, need to work with partners to deliver holistic solutions that strengthen security and promote national reconciliation so that host countries can uphold the rule of law, protect human rights and deliver sustainable development for their populations. Ongoing conflict prevention efforts will also help to reduce the burden on peacekeeping missions, and reduce the need for their presence in the longer-term.

To respond to these challenges, in March 2018 the Secretary-General launched the Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) Initiative, renewing the political commitment: “First, to refocus peacekeeping with realistic expectations; second, to make peacekeeping missions stronger and safer; and, third, to mobilize greater support for political solutions and for well-structured, well-equipped, well-trained forces.”

Peacekeeping in Africa: Fostering Partnership and Synergies This event will bring together stakeholders from within and outside the UN system to discuss ways to overcome these challenges, with a particular focus on partnerships. Discussion will focus on the commitments under A4P, such as advancing lasting political solutions, strengthening the impact of peacekeeping on sustaining peace, improving peacekeeping partnerships, strengthening performance and accountability and implementing the women, peace and security agenda. These conversations will draw on KAIPTC’s expertise in supporting longer term approaches to security and stability.

Objectives The key objective of the meeting is to increase cooperation between partners in peacekeeping operations and discuss ways to advance the strategic and operational effectiveness across the various components of UN missions, including training, planning readiness and capacities. Specifically, the conference deliberations will address the following issues.

• Improving peacekeeping partnerships, in support of: • Advancing lasting political solutions; • Holistic approaches to security and stability; and • Implementing the women, peace and security agenda.

Expected outcome

• Policy recommendations on opportunities and mechanisms for partnerships that support peacekeeping operations and ongoing peacekeeping reform initiatives, with a particular focus on regional organisations.

Expected Participants

• High-level government officials from United Nations Member States, think tanks and representatives of international and regional organizations (including the United Nations, African Union, and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). • International research and training centres as well as leading scholars, experts, academician and practitioners.

Hosts

• The dialogue will be hosted by the Permanent Missions of Ghana, Norway and the United Kingdom to the United Nations in New York.

Venue and Date

• The Dialogue will take place in the ECOSOC Chamber, United Nations Headquarters, New York on Tuesday 12 November, from 10am to 1pm. • The working lunch will take place from 1.15pm to 2.45pm. Venue (TBC)

Ghana Ghana has been a top ten contributor to UN peacekeeping operations for more than two decades and has been at the forefront of efforts to strengthen the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations. In addition to its unwavering commitment to deploying the required capabilities to UN peacekeeping operations, Ghana continues to play an active role in policy debates on global peacekeeping. To contribute to the ongoing peacekeeping reform initiatives in a manner that takes into account the views of all stakeholders, the Permanent Missions of Ghana, United Kingdom and Norway to the United Nations in New York are convening this conference to foster continued discussion on innovative ways in which regional organisations can continue to contribute to peacekeeping approaches to support the Secretary-General’s A4P Initiative. This dialogue is expected to make African approaches and

international support more effective in addressing the challenges faced by current peacekeeping operations.

Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC)

KAIPTC is one of ECOWAS’s Training Centres of Excellence mandated to provide research, training, policy interventions and education on peace and security. To achieve this objective, KAIPTC liaises with international actors, ECOWAS, AU, and UN Member States, bilateral partners and the Government of Ghana. This conference is consistent with KAIPTC’s strategic objective plans for 2019-2023 which provide a broad framework for engaging the AU and its Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and the UN on issues of peace and security.