Outreach, advocacy and capacity-building overview

The AU and especially NEPAD are based upon a spirit of partnership, both between African actors and with international development partners. Policy processes cannot be restricted to the corridors of the AU Commission—they must engage a wide range of stakeholders from governments and civil society, who in turn must have the capacity to engage in such processes. Within Africa, Pax Africa conducts outreach to inform civil society of developments in the APSA and thereby enhance civil society’s ability to participate in continental peace and security. Pax Africa has also entered into a number of partnerships with other civil society organisations, think tanks and academic institutions to further the governance, peace and security agenda. Additionally, we participate in training of government officials, practitioners and others to increase political buy-in and enhance their capacity to achieve peace and security-related objectives.

While Africa is increasingly taking responsibility for its own peace and security, and setting the agenda for conflict prevention, management and resolution on the continent, the enormity of the task of providing peace, stability and development, and the reality of Africa’s limited resources, necessitates support from international partners. Over the past decade or so, these partners have increasingly recognised the importance of Africa-owned and –led programmes for peace, security and development on the continent, and have entered into relationships with the AU and NEPAD with the aim of supporting the African agenda.

Pax Africa has established solid relationships with a number of Africa’s international partners, including the Group of Eight (G8) Member States and the broader African Partnership Forum (APF), the European Union (EU) and the United Nations, in particular the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA), the UN NEPAD Cluster and the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). Given Pax Africa’s unique working relationship with the AU, NEPAD and other regional and national organisations on the continent, the organisation is well-placed to serve as interlocutor between Africa and its partners on the APSA and governance agenda.