Ambassador Ahmed Abdel-Latif, Director-General of the Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding (CCCPA) and the Chair of the African Union (AU) Network of Think Tanks for Peace (NeTT4Peace), presented the first policy paper prepared by the Network to Bankole Adeoye, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS) during the 14th AU Commission High-Level Retreat on the Promotion of Peace, Security and Stability in Africa held in Cairo, in cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the AU Commission (AUC) and CCCPA. The policy paper was developed by a number of centers members of the Network, including CCCPA, and puts forward African perspectives regarding different aspects of the UN Secretary General's New Agenda for Peace (NA4P) Policy Brief released last July. The paper includes a number of essays that present evidence-based and policy-oriented analysis. It is the result of a collaborative effort that aims to enrich the discussions on the NA4P which are taking place in perspective of the Summit of the Future. Ambassador Abdel-Latif expressed appreciation for the on-going collaboration with the AU Commission PAPS Department since the Network's launch last February, noting that the policy paper seeks to provide further food for thought and recommendations to African policymakers and stakeholders, with a view towards ensuring that NA4P is fully aligned with, and supports, the implementation of key AU programs and initiatives, including most notably Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want and the Silencing the Guns initiative. PAPS Commissioner Ambassador Adeoye highlighted that the launch of the NETT4Peace reflects the AUC's keenness to tap into the expertise of African think and do tanks with a view towards bringing African priorities to the forefront of international discussions and formulate innovative responses to address the myriad of peace and security challenges the African continent is grappling with. Since its launch last February in Addis Ababa, NETT4Peace has contributed to drafting the AU Advisory Note with nine key priority areas to voice how the NA4P can facilitate Africa playing an active role in global peace. In August, it held a webinar on African Perspectives on the NA4P, in collaboration with the PAPS Department. The NeTT4Peace is an initiative of the AU DPAPS to serve as a significant platform bringing together all think tanks and do tanks working in the fields of peace and security in the African continent. It intends to drive the much-needed strategic partnership between the research community focusing on governance, peace and security and the Department in support of collaborative efforts needed to achieve African solutions to African problems.
