Acting in its capacity as the Secretariat of the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development, Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding (CCCPA) participated in the Stockholm Forum on Peace and Development, building on the synergies between the two forums with regards to peace, security, and development. At the closing session, Ahmed Abdel-Latif, Director-General of CCCPA, commended the rich discussions that took place during the three-day forum and congratulated Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on the launch of the Environment of Peace report. The session, moderated by Director of SIPRI Dan Smith, witnessed the participation of Johanna Lissinger-Peitz, Head of the Secretariat of Stockholm +50 Forum, in addition to several youth representatives. Abdel-Latif provided an overview of the highlights of the third edition of the Aswan Forum, to be held in a hybrid format on 21-22 June 2022 in Cairo. He indicated that it will focus on the emerging challenges and cascading risks to peace, security, and development in Africa "at a critical juncture marked by intertwined crises on the international level." In this context, the Aswan Forum will put particular emphasis on examining the impacts of climate change on sustainable peace and development efforts in Africa–building up to the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 27) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), to be hosted by Egypt in November 2022. Abdel-Latif stated that the discussions at Stockholm Forum and Stockholm +50 Conference "will inform and enrich the upcoming deliberations at the Aswan Forum, particularly regarding the necessity of advancing a holistic and coordinated approach to facing climate-related risks, boosting prevention and preparedness efforts to confront emerging crises, and ensuring the inclusiveness of responses and terms of women and youth involvement." In the same context, he added that the Aswan Forum will stress on resilience; bolstering institutional capacity; and increasing the financing of peace, development, and climate in line with international pledges. He also expressed his appreciation for the Swedish government's continuous support as a strategic partner to the Aswan Forum for the third year in a row. On her part, Amb. Lissinger-Peitz ,head of the Secretariat of Stockholm +50 Forum, commended cooperation between Egypt and Sweden in the field of environment, adding that she looks forward to the outcomes of Stockholm+50 conference being linked to COP27 via the Aswan Forum "as the appropriate platform to build upon the Stockholm Forum discussions this year." During the event, the CCCPA hosted an online roundtable titled "The Regional Implications of Climate-Security Risks in Africa: The Need for Holistic Responses", to discuss the challenges and opportunities in addressing the regional implications of climate-related risks and to identify avenues for strengthening cooperation between all relevant stakeholders through effective partnerships.
