Aswan Forum: Building on economic and social development to achieve sustainable peace and development – The Maravi Post
The first day of the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development held in Cairo, Egypt from 21 to 23 June 2022 concluded with a plenary session on regional security.
The session aimed to discuss the African Union’s post-conflict reconstruction efforts with strategic organizations in Africa. All speakers agreed that post-conflict reconstruction efforts in Africa require international support from both states and bilateral and multilateral organizations and partners, if sustainable peace and development is to be achieved.
According to Mamman Nuhu, executive secretary of the Lake Chad Basin Commission and head of the multinational force fighting Boko Haram and the Lake Chad Basin in Nigeria, opportunities for people in fragile and fragile security or post-conflict situations to build lasting peace are required to provide. , He said development efforts are needed especially to protect the youth from the temptation to join extremist groups. “We need to strengthen the human resource.
Sandra Edong Oder, Acting Head of Post-conflict Reconstruction and Development in the African Union, agreed with Maman Sidikou, the High Representative of the African Union for Mali and the Sahel, who called for greater cooperation between organizations and better integration of peace efforts within existing mechanisms. urged. In addition to highlighting the role of the African continent’s regional economic communities, Oder spoke at length about the creation of the African Union Center for Post-conflict Reconstruction and Development, which was officially launched in Cairo on 21 December 2021 went.
The African Development Bank is involved in a number of projects that demonstrate how sustainable security, peace and development are inextricably linked. Thomas Viot, the African Development Bank’s chief coordinator for industrialization programmes, cited a number of projects that demonstrate the link between economic activity, social benefits, peace and security. He specifically listed private sector projects in Madagascar, Senegal, Mali, Guinea and Togo.
A strategic partner of the Aswan Forum since its inception, the African Development Bank is strongly committed to post-conflict reconstruction in many parts of the continent, helping to restore lasting peace and above all to establishing long-term inclusive growth. Other than this 2022-2026 Strategy on Building Fragility and Resilience in Africa, its industrialization strategy specifically addresses the need to link security, reconstruction and economic and social development. Between 2016 and 2020, the African Bank invested $8.15 billion in industrial projects in African countries.
“There is general consensus that private investment in a fragile environment cannot take place under the same circumstances as in other situations,” he said. “We need to create innovative tools that don’t exist today.” The African Development Bank’s message is clear, as is its mandate, in line with its strategic high 5s: “Promoting industrial growth and supporting businesses of all sizes, boosting productivity and creating formal employment, but also improving countries’ trade balances”. As Viot said, this will help create opportunities for those involved and thus strengthen peace and security. “Development finance institutions need to ensure that their shareholders are adequately funding their mandates to address fragility,” he said.
Several priorities raised by issues of security and post-conflict reconstruction and development: funding, human resources, cooperation between organizations involved in the sector, international mobilization and coordination, efficiency and long-term vision were discussed. These priorities are only amplified by other threats, such as the risk of a food crisis caused by the climate crisis (land degradation, population displacement) or the war in Ukraine.
Source African Development Bank Group