AU Peace and Security Council highlights CCCPA’s role in climate responses for peace on continent

CAIRO – 23 December 2021: A recent communiqué of the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) highlighted Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding (CCCPA)’s role in strengthening the capacities of the AU and its Member States through capacity building, training, and research activities to “advance a holistic African perspective on the climate, security and development nexus.”

The communiqué was adopted at the AU PSC meeting held on 26 November 2021, under the theme “Climate Change and Security: The Need for an Informed Climate-Security-Development Nexus for Africa.”

The communiqué also welcomes Africa hosting COP27 in Egypt and urges “Member States and the AU organs to support Egypt’s presidency to advance African priorities and reach concrete actions on global climate change.” It underlines the need for adopting climate-sensitive planning dimensions in peacekeeping and post-conflict reconstruction and development efforts, requests the AU Commission to expedite the finalization of a climate-related security risks assessment study to define the varying security impacts of climate change on the African continent, and reiterates the importance of accelerating climate finance and climate adaptation to buttress sustainable peace and development on the continent.

Over the past two years, CCCPA has stepped up its work on climate, security and development. It is currently developing a first-of-its-kind training manual on “Climate Responsive Programming for Sustaining Peace in Africa”, and has held eight workshops and seminars relating to strengthening climate resilience for sustaining peace, including on the nexus between climate change and peacebuilding, gender, displacement, and financing for fragile and conflict-affected settings.