Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Upon assuming the chairmanship of the African Union during its 32nd Summit, H.E. Abdelfattah el-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, announced the launch of the “Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development”.

Titled, “An Agenda for Sustainable Peace, Security and Development in Africa”, the Inaugural Meeting of the Aswan Forum will take place in Aswan, Egypt on 11-12 December 2019. It is designed as a platform for African and world leaders, international and regional organizations, financial institutions, leading African and global companies, civil society, and visionaries, scholars, and prominent experts to discuss the operationalization of interlinkages between “sustaining peace” and “sustainable development” in Africa, with the hope of making “a real difference in peoples’ lives and to spread hope, President el-Sisi noted.

During his speech, President el-Sisi commended African efforts to prevent conflict, including through the African Union’s ambitious plan to Silence the Guns by 2020. He noted, however, that the road towards fulfilling the aspirations of Agenda 2063 is still long. “We must continue to work together, to turn the page on a painful history of conflicts in Africa, which has negatively affected the continent’s developmental aspirations,” he noted.

Underscoring that “development is the best shield against conflict,’ President el-Sisi called on African leaders, to work together to revitalize and operationalize the Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development Policy, to develop action plans to prevent the relapse into conflict, and to help build the capacities of state institutions. The President highlighted ongoing efforts to launch the African Union Center for Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development (AUC-PCRD) in Cairo, which will develop and implement programs and projects to support African countries emerging from conflict.

The President also praised the commitment of African countries, and the efforts of the Commission on upgrading the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), emphasizing the need to enhance coordination, complementarity and harmonization between continental and regional peace and security mechanisms, with a view to advancing early and effective response to crises. He called for combatting terrorism comprehensively, collectively and boldly, and eradicating its root causes.

During the Summit, President el-Sisi was announced Champion of Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development in Africa.