News

Decision on the Culture of Peace in Africa at the 24th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State of the African Union on January 20 and 21, 2015 in Addis Ababa

Newsletters Leave a comment

DECISION ON ITEMS PROPOSED BY THE MEMBER STATES

The conference,

1. TAKES NOTE of the following points proposed by the Member States:

A. DATE AND PLACE OF THE THIRTY-THIRD, THIRTY-FIFTH AND THIRTY-NINTH ORDINARY SESSIONS OF THE AFRICAN UNION CONFERENCE

2. TAKES NOTE of the offers made by the Republic of Niger, the Kingdom of Swaziland and the Republic of Zambia to host the thirty-third, thirty-fifth and thirty-ninth regular sessions of the African Union Conference in June / July 2019 in Niamey (Niger), June / July 2020 in Ezulwini (Swaziland) and June / July 2022 in Lusaka (Zambia) respectively, and EXPRESSES GRATITUDE to the abovementioned countries for their offers;

3. ENDORSES the above three offers and REQUESTS the Commission to carry out the necessary consultations with the three Member States for the purpose of holding these sessions under the best possible conditions;

B. CREATION OF AN AFRICAN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CENTER IN N'DJAMENA - Doc. Assembly / AU / 19 (XXIV) Add.4

4. TAKES NOTE of the proposal by the Republic of Chad to establish an African Information Technology Center (CATI) with its headquarters in N'Djamena, Chad;

5. CONGRATULATES the Republic of Chad and its President on this important initiative and on the funds already allocated for the construction of the CATI, the purpose of which is to promote information technologies in Africa, which play an essential role in the process development;

6. UNDERLINES the need to carry out a detailed study on the ways and means of integrating this project into the programs of the African Union with a precise definition of the expected contributions of the African Union on the basis of an assessment of the legal implications , structural and financial, and to submit appropriate recommendations to the relevant bodies of the African Union;

7. REQUESTS the Commission and the Republic of Chad to undertake appropriate consultations with a view to assessing the legal, structural and financial implications of the project and to report to the Conference through the relevant structures;

Assembly / AU / Dec.558 (XXIV)

C. CREATION OF A MEDIATION SUPPORT AND CONFLICT PREVENTION UNIT - Doc. Assembly / AU / 19 (XXIV) Add.5

8. TAKES NOTE of the Egyptian initiative to strengthen the use of preventive diplomacy within the African Union through the establishment of a Mediation Support and Conflict Prevention Unit;

9. REQUESTS the Peace and Security Council to consider this issue at these sessions and to propose appropriate recommendations and an assessment of the legal, structural and financial implications of the establishment of such a unit and to submit them relevant structures, for consideration;

10. FURTHER REQUESTS the Commission, in consultation with the Arab Republic of Egypt, to submit a report on this issue to the next Summit in June / July 2015.

D. STATUS OF THE PREPARATIONS FOR THE 11TH AFRICAN GAMES PROVIDED FOR IN BRAZZAVILLE, REPUBLIC OF CONGO, IN SEPTEMBER 2015 - Doc. Assembly / AU / 19 (XXIV) Add.6

11. CONGRATULATES the Republic of the Congo on the steps it has taken to host the African Games in the best possible conditions;

12. ENCOURAGES all member states of the African Union to participate actively in the African games in Brazzaville in order to demonstrate their solidarity with the Congo and to testify to the Continental Unity.

E. ON CONTINENTAL SOLIDARITY AGAINST BOKO HARAM - Doc. Assembly / AU / 19 (XXIV) Add.7

13. TAKES NOTE of the proposal of Niger on the solidarity of the whole continent against Boko Haram and the draft Declaration submitted on this subject;

14. FURTHER CONDEMNS the kidnapping of girls, women, children and Chibok and all others in northern Nigeria by the insurgents and reiterates its call to the Heads of State and the international community to continue its support for the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in its efforts to secure the release of abductees and facilitate a lasting solution to the threat of Boko Haram;

15. WELCOMES and SUPPORTS the efforts of the member States of the Lake Chad Basin Commission and the Republic of Benin for agreeing to deploy national contingents and to establish a joint military headquarters for the conduct of military operations against the terrorist group Boko Haram;

Assembly / AU / Dec.558 (XXIV)

16. SUPPORTS the activities carried out under the Nouakchott process to prevent and combat terrorism on the continent with the support of the Peace and Security Council and the African Center for the Study and Research on Terrorism (CAERT) and the of the international community as a whole;

17. FURTHER SUPPORTS the proposal to obtain from the United Nations Security Council the adoption of a resolution authorizing the member States of the Lake Chad Basin Commission and the Republic of Benin to deploy a multinational joint task force for a the initial period of twelve months and the establishment by the Secretary-General of the Nations of a special fund of a Special Fund to provide financial and logistical support for the operations of the Working Group;

18. EXPRESSES HIS APPRECIATION to the Republic of Chad for prompt intervention to assist the Republic of Cameroon in the fight against the Boko Haram terrorist group;

19. INVITES all Member States to provide all possible assistance in order to defeat the dangerous terrorist group Boko Haram.

F. TRANSFORMATION OF THE AFRICAN HERITAGE SCHOOL INTO A PAN AFRICAN VOCATIONAL SCHOOL - Doc. Assembly / AU / 19 (XXIV) Add.8

20. NOTES that this is a commendable initiative and ENCOURAGES the Government of Benin to pursue it, and ALSO ENCOURAGES Member States, RECs and African and international partners to provide all necessary assistance to achievement of this objective;

21. REQUESTS the Commission and the Republic of Benin to undertake appropriate consultations with a view to assessing the legal, structural and financial implications of the project and to report to the Conference through the relevant structures.

G. CULTURE OF PEACE IN AFRICA -Doc. Assembly / AU / 19 (XXIV) Add.9

22. REQUESTS the Commission:

(i) to take all appropriate measures in consultation with UNESCO and the Government of the Republic of Angola for the organization of the biennial Pan-African Forum for a Culture of Peace in Africa, "Biennale de Luanda", in September 2015 ;

(ii) to study, with UNESCO and the Government of Côte d'Ivoire, the possibility of establishing a "School of Peace".

Assembly / AU / Dec.558 (XXIV)

H. AFRICAN INITIATIVE FOR EDUCATION FOR PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT BY INTERRELIGIOUS AND INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE - Doc. Assembly / AU / 19 (XXIV) Add.10

23. INVITES Member States, Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and African and international partners engaged in the promotion of international peace and security to participate and actively contribute to the meeting on interreligious and cultural dialogue the Republic of Benin.

Assembly / AU / Dec.559 (XXIV) Page 1

Message from the Africa Department of UNESCO on the Culture of Peace in Africa of March 30, 2015

Newsletters Leave a comment

Dear friends of the culture of peace,

At the beginning of 2015, we wish to keep you informed of the actions taken by UNESCO in favor of the culture of peace in Africa!

UNESCO has committed itself, as part of its "Operational Strategy for Africa Priority", to the implementation of the flagship program "Promoting a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence" with other organizations and individuals in order to create together a Pan-African Movement for the Culture of Peace in Africa.

Since 2012, initiatives have been included in the calendar of this program and implemented on the African continent:

In March 2013, the Pan-African Forum "Sources and Resources for a Culture of Peace", Luanda, Angola

And others are in preparation in 2015:

  • the "Brazza + 20" Forum on the Culture of Peace in Brazzaville, Congo
  • the Biennial Conference on the Culture of Peace in Africa, Luanda, Angola
  • the launch of the campaign "Taking action for peace" in Liberia

At the 24th Summit of the African Union (AU), held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on January 31, 2015, the Conference of Heads of State and Government requested the Commission of the African Union (AU) AU to take all appropriate measures in consultation with UNESCO and the Government of the Republic of Angola for the organization of the Biennial Forum for a Culture of Peace in Africa, "Biennale de Luanda", in 2015 and to study with UNESCO and the Government of Côte d'Ivoire the possibility of establishing a "School of Peace".

For more information: www.unesco.org/africa4peace

Merci de votre engagement dans le Mouvement panafricain pour la culture de la paix en Afrique !

A Pan-African Forum for Innovative Youth Mobilization for the Culture of Peace in Africa

Newsletters Leave a comment

From December 11 to 13, 2014, Libreville hosts the Pan-African Forum on "African Youth and the Challenge of Promoting a Culture of Peace in Africa". Organized jointly by the Omar Bongo Ondimba Foundation and the Gabonese National Commission for UNESCO, in collaboration with UNESCO, this international meeting aims to launch a network of youth organizations working to spread a culture of peace in Africa in through actions in favor of dialogue, tolerance and social inclusion. Young people will be at the forefront of the three-day forum organized by them, for them and with them. One hundred young people representing 45 youth organizations and African national youth councils will be gathered. All regions of the continent will be represented, including the Diaspora. To ensure that young participants have maximum autonomy and initiative, UNESCO made available to them three months ago an online platform which enabled them to take up the stakes of the debate.

Through this virtual forum, youth representatives have compared their views and expressed their ambitions for the network they are developing on their own. They will thus arrive in Libreville to finalize their work through two first days of exchanges devoted to exercises of anticipation and foresight based on participatory methods. These approaches will enable them to envisage their action for the culture of peace in the light of the future - a future where they can play a pivotal and decisive role for Africa and beyond.

After these first two days, the young people will meet the partners of their network. First, at the official opening ceremony scheduled for December 13, they will present the results of their work to their official supporters, the African Union, the Omar Bongo Foundation, the Gabonese government and UNESCO, represented by Ms Bokova, the Director-General. Then, the young people will meet a set of potential partners with whom to take concrete actions on the ground. UNESCO's Special Envoy for Peace and Reconciliation, Forest Whitaker, will be among their interlocutors. In particular, he will present a partnership project between UNESCO and its foundation, the Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative (WPDI). Focusing on the youth of fragile countries, this collaboration aims to train young people in mediation, new technologies and social entrepreneurship in order to build them into networks of peace and sustainable development in their communities. The closing of the Forum will be marked by the nomination ceremony of Pierre-Claver Akendengué, Gabonese singer, musician and poet, as UNESCO's Peacebuilding Artist. This ceremony will then be followed by a concert that will be given in particular to strengthen the impetus of young people towards a culture of peace for the future of the African continent.

By mobilizing African youth around the culture of peace, the Pan-African Forum intends to give substance to a number of ambitions that have emerged in recent years in Africa for peace and youth. The first is to contribute to the Plan of Action for a Culture of Peace in Africa and the campaign "Taking Action for Peace", resulting from the conclusions and recommendations of the Pan-African Forum "Africa: Sources and Resources for a Culture of Peace ", held in March 2013 in Luanda (Angola), co-organized by the Angolan Government, the African Union and UNESCO. The Forum will also be an opportunity to call once again for the ratification of the African Youth Charter by all the Member States of the African Union with a view to accelerating the implementation of the Plan of Action the African Youth Decade (2009-2018).

Source 

Schedule of the Celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Culture of Peace

Newsletters Leave a comment

Under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire

"Peace in the minds of men and women"

Celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Birth of the Culture of Peace Concept

Launch of Activities of the Network of Foundations and Research Institutions for the Promotion of a Culture of Peace in Africa

Yamoussoukro, September 21-22-23, 2014

Schedule

Sunday, September 21, 2014 - International Day of Peace

8:00 am - 10:00 am            Arrival and installation of participants

10:30 am - 12:00 pm          Celebration of Peace Day and Ecumenical Ceremony for Peace at the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace (Intervention of the Rector of the Basilica, the Imam of the Great Mosque of Yamoussoukro, a pastor and other representatives of religious communities )

1:00 pm - 2:30 pm              Lunch

4:00 pm - 6:00 pm             Visit of Yamoussoukro

8:00 pm                                Dinner hosted by the FHB Foundation

Monday, September 22, 2014

8:30 am - 9:30 am              Registration of participants

10:00 am -12:30 pm           Opening Ceremony

  • Tribute to Minister Joachim Bony, Former Secretary General of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Foundation for Peace Research
  • Address by Mr. The Mayor of the Yamoussoukro Commune
  • Address by Mr. Jean Noël Loucou, Deputy Secretary-General of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Foundation for Peace Research

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Culture of Peace

  • Video message from the Executive Director
  • Ms. Lalla Aicha Ben Barka, Assistant Director-General of UNESCO for Africa, representing the Director-General of UNESCO
  • HE Mr. Mohamed Sameh Amr, Chairman of the Executive Board of UNESCO and Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Egypt to UNESCO
  • Ms. Saran Daraba Kaba, Secretary-General of the Mano River Union
  • Mrs. Hiroute Guebre Sellassie - Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for the Sahel
  • Ambroise Niyonsaba, Special Representative of the President of the African Union in Côte d'Ivoire
  • Mr. Sibry Tapsoba, Director, Departments of Fragile States of the African Development Bank (AfDB)
  • Mr Federico Mayor Zaragoza, Former Director-General of UNESCO and President of the Foundation "Cultura de Paz"
  • HE Mr. Daniel Kablan Duncan, Prime Minister of the Government of Côte d'Ivoire

12:30 pm - 1:00 pm Opening Cocktail

1:00 pm - 2:30 pm   Lunch at the FHB Foundation

2:30 pm - 4:15 pm   Round Table: Review of the 25th anniversary of the Culture of Peace Program

Intervention

  • HE Mr. Ahmed Sayyad, Former President of the General Conference of UNESCO and Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Yemen to UNESCO
  • Ms Christine Desouches, Former Delegate for Peace, Democracy and Human Rights - International Organization of La Francophonie
  • Mr. David Adams, Former Director of the Unit for the International Year for a Culture of Peace at UNESCO
  • Ms. Ana Isabel Prera ​​Flores, Former Advisor to the Director-General of UNESCO on the Culture of Peace
  • Mr. Joseph Yaï, Former President of the Executive Board of UNESCO and Member of the Nigerian Academy of Arts
  • Mr Ahlin Byll-Cataria, Chairman of the Governing Board of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL)
  • Mr. Bienvenu Okiemi, Minister of Information, Communication and Media, Republic of Congo
  • Ms Diénéba Doumbia, Director of the Department for Peace Research - Félix Houphouët-Boigny Foundation for Peace Research

Moderator: Mr. Enzo Fazzino, Senior Program Specialist and Head of the Culture of Peace in Africa Program, Africa Department

4:15 pm - 4:45 pm   Coffee Break

4:45 pm - 6:30 pm  Round Table: Assessment of the 25th anniversary of the Culture of Peace program and Peace Culture History Project

  • Mr. Nestor Bidadanure, Journalist, writer, Ph.D. and researcher Université Paris 8
  • Mr. Doudou Diene, former Director of UNESCO's Division of Intercultural and Inter-religious Dialogue and Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance
  • Mr. Nureldin Satti, Chairman of the Fund for the Promotion of Culture at UNESCO and Former Special Advisor to the Director-General for the Culture of Peace in the Great Lakes Region
  • Ms. Ana Elisa Santana de Afonso, Former Secretary-General of the National Commission of Mozambique and Head of the UNESCO Office in Brazzaville
  • Mr Loïc Tribot La Spière, General Delegate of the Center for Studies and Strategic Prospective Studies (CEPS)
  • Mr Lezou Dago, Holder of the UNESCO Chair in the Culture of Peace
  • Mr Jens Boel, Head of Archives and UNESCO History Project
  • Mr. René-Pierre Anouma, Director of International Cooperation of the FHB Foundation

Moderator: Mr. Edouard Firmin Matoko, Director of the UNESCO Liaison Office with the African Union, Addis-Ababa

6:30 pm - 7:00 pm    Reading and adoption of the conclusions of the work

8:00 pm - 10:00 pm Official dinner offered by the FHB Foundation

                                      "Stepping stone for youth social entrepreneurship and the culture of peace" in the Ivory Coast by the CEPS

Tuesday, September 23, 2014 - Meeting of the Network of Foundations and Research Institutions for the Promotion of a Culture of Peace in Africa

9:00 am - 11:00 am   Definition of the Network action plan, modalities of cooperation and development

11:00 am - 11:15 am   Coffee Break

11:15 am - 1:00 pm     Definition of the Network's action plan, modalities of cooperation and development (continued)

1:00 pm - 2:30 pm     Lunch at the FHB Foundation

2:30 pm - 4:00 pm    Review and adoption of the statutes and rules of procedure of the Network of foundations and research institutions for the promotion of a culture of peace in Africa

4:00 pm - 4:30 pm    Coffee Break

5:00 pm - 6:00 pm    Closing ceremony

                                       Reading of the general report

                                       Presentation of the organs of the Network

                                       Closing speech by the Minister of National Education and Technical Education

8:00 pm - 10:00 pm  Closing dinner

Wednesday, September 24, 2014 - Consultation and organization meeting of the Biennale of the Culture of Peace (Luanda, September 2015)

9:00 am - 1:00 pm  Meeting of framing and exchange with the potential organizers / partners: UNESCO, African Union, Member States, Foundations, Universities, Private sector, Experts

3:00 pm                     Departure of the participants for Abidjan

2:30 pm - 6:00 pm  Restricted meeting of organization and programming UNESCO-Angola

Welcoming Remarks

You are welcome to visit the website of the Network of Foundations and Research Institutions for the Promotion of a Culture of Peace in Africa.

The Network was created at the end of the Addis Ababa meeting on September 20 and 21, 2013 with a view to "creating a continental and sustainable peace movement capable of mobilizing African States, the private sector, African artists and leaders, international organizations and regional development actors as well as NGOs and grassroots associations". It is currently composed of 44 African and non-African organizations listed here.

You will find on our website articles, publications, photos and videos concerning the promotion of the Culture of Peace on the African continent. We also keep you informed about upcoming events.

African Union

UNESCO