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Consultative Meeting with Civil Society Organisations on the African Union’s Decision and Policy on Post Conflict Reconstruction and Development

Introduction

The African Union Peace and Security Department (PSD) hosted a Consultative Meeting with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on the African Union’s decision and policy on Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD) on 12-13 March 2007 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The meeting was convened to discuss the role of civil society organisations in the operationalisation of the Banjul decision adopting the African Union’s PCRD policy.

Convened by the AU Commission, the Consultative Meeting was co-hosted by the Organisation for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa (OSSREA) and supported by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Participants included members of various departments within the AU Commission and representatives from multi-lateral agencies and civil society organisations throughout the continent.

Participants exchanged views on the Banjul Decision, and then discussed the challenges facing CSOs in post-conflict countries and the opportunities for civil society involvement in post-conflict reconstruction and development. The objective of the Consultative Meeting was to provide an opportunity for civil society groups to input into the AU Commission’s plan for the implementation of the AU Policy on PCRD, in particular with regard to the role of civil society; and to contribute to the development of the agenda for a larger consultation on the implementation of the PCRD policy with the AU, Member States, the private sector, CSOs and other stakeholders, to be held in July 2007.

Recommendations made during the meeting will be incorporated into the AU Commission’s workplan for the implementation of the PCRD policy and will be incorporated into the development of the agenda for the next consultative meeting on PCRD to be held in Lusaka, Zambia in July 2007.

Opening Session

Welcoming remarks were given by Captain Johan Potgieter of the Peace Support Operations Division (PSOD) of the AU Commission, on behalf of Geofrey Mugumya, the Director of the Peace and Security Department (PSD) of the Commission. He reminded participants that the goal of the PCRD policy was to ensure sustainable peace and development, highlighted the pivotal role of CSOs in post-conflict countries and underscored the need for the AU to provide strategic leadership of PCRD processes.

Dr. Alfred Nhema, Executive Secretary of OSSREA, also welcomed participants to the meeting. He outlined some of the causes and consequences of conflicts in Africa and stated that by pooling resources, sharing experiences and comparing notes, the CSOs at the consultative workshop would generate important recommendations on how to take PCRD forward in Africa.

PANEL I: The African Union’s Post-conflict Reconstruction and Development Policy

Dr. Owen Sichone, Head of Research and Publications at OSSREA, was the moderator for the first panel, which examined, “the AU Policy and Decision on PCRD: the Roadmap of implementation”.

Dr. Naison Ngoma, Expert on Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Peacebuilding at the AU Commission, outlined the process that led to the adoption of the PCRD policy and reminded participants of the objectives of the policy, inter alia, to:

1. consolidate peace and prevent relapse of violence;

2. help address the root causes of conflict;

3. encourage and fast-track planning and implementation of reconstruction activities; and

4. enhance complementarities and coordination between and among diverse actors engaged in PCRD processes.

Dr. Ngoma further reminded participants of the six indicative elements of the PCRD policy, which leave room for additional elements according to the specific needs of countries emerging from conflict. These are: security; humanitarian/emergency assistance; political governance and transition; socio-economic reconstruction and development; human rights, justice and reconciliation; and women and gender. The core principles that should underpin all PCRD activities include: African leadership; national and local ownership; inclusiveness, equity and non-discrimination; cooperation and cohesion; and capacity building for sustainability.

Dr. Ngoma outlined the characteristics of “the African battle space”, highlighting the prevalence of active and passive conflicts on the continent. The high number of ongoing and recent conflicts, as well as displaced populations, underscores the need for effective implementation of the PCRD policy. Given this context, the AU Commission has devised a two-track roadmap for operationalisation of the policy. On the strategic/ policy track, key elements include: the creation of an AU Standing Multidimensional Committee (AU SMC) to provide strategic leadership of PCRD processes; the creation of an AU Interdepartmental Taskforce (ITPCRD) within the Commission, which will engage in implementation; the dissemination of the policy throughout the continent as well as to international partners; the development of operational guidelines; and collaboration and coordination with other stakeholders engaged in PCRD processes, including African actors and international agencies such as the UN Peacebuilding Commission (PBC).

On the operational track, key elements include: coordination of African responses to post-conflict situations, including collaboration with regional economic communities (RECs) and CSOs; conducting assessments in post conflict countries, for which a draft template has been developed; the possible establishment of ministerial committees to remain seized with each post-conflict situation; monitoring of performance; communications and advocacy in support of PCRD; and the creation and management of an AU Volunteer programme (AUV). The AU Commission has already commenced work on these activities.

Dr. Monica Juma of SaferAfrica highlighted five key areas for civil society engagement at the strategic level. First, there is a need to frame and clarify PCRD in terms of the emerging continental vision. This involves: a) concretising the strategic concepts in the document such as security sector reform (SSR) or human security, and ensuring that there are appropriate benchmarks and standards for assessing progress in these areas; and b) clarification of what PCRD means for Africa, and attempting to align the vision of international partners with the African vision of PCRD as a long term, transformative process.

Second, Dr. Juma underscored the need to distinguish between political, technical and operational implementation functions. Third, Dr. Juma stressed the need to create synergies between new structures and between new and existing structures and mechanisms, including the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), the African Standby Force (ASF) and the various departments of the AU Commission. Fourth, there is a need to utilize existing mechanisms to align ongoing activities on the ground with the policy. Finally, Dr. Juma emphasized the importance of flexibility in responding to the specific needs of countries emerging from conflict.

Additionally, Dr. Juma highlighted some of the challenges facing civil society engagement in PCRD processes. These include: a) the question of the appropriate level of decentralisation of PCRD planning and implementation, in terms of who defines the priorities; b) the need for balance between national, regional, AU, and international mechanisms; and c) the perennial problem of resources for PCRD.

Dr. Befekadu Berhanu, Deputy Regional Representative of the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), reminded participants that PCRD is premised on the concept of human security. Dr. Berhanu pointed to a number of advantages of CSOs in post-conflict environments, such as their proximity to people and communities, recognition at grassroots level, ability to organise and mobilise communities, strong understanding of local and regional context, moral leadership, operational experience and technical expertise.

During the discussion that followed, participants raised a number of important issues. Key amongst these was the AU’s role in and capacity for implementation of the PCRD policy, with an emphasis on the AU’s strategic leadership of PCRD processes and its support for countries emerging from conflict in the international arena. Some of the other issues raised included:

1. the most appropriate level of engagement (national, regional or continental) for PCRD activities and the need to clearly identify the roles and responsibilities of the AU, the RECs, sub-regional initiatives, national and international actors;

2. lack of capacity for implementation, at all levels, and how to leverage existing capacity to maximize impact;

3. the importance of flexibility to address the specific needs of countries emerging from conflict;

4. the need for political will amongst AU Member States to implement the PCRD policy;

5. the need to view PCRD within a continuum of mechanisms and activities for conflict prevention, management and resolution, such as the Continental Early Warning System (CEWS) and the African Standby Force (ASF);

Panel II: Integrated Mission Planning

Dr. Sichone was the moderator for the second panel, which examined, “Factoring in the civilian dimension in AU Peacekeeping missions”. The presenter was Captain Potgieter and the discussant was Mr. Eustace Chiwombe from the African Civilian Standby Roster for Humanitarian and Peace Support Missions (AFDEM).

Capt. Potgieter explained that, from the perspective of the African Standby Force (ASF), an integrated mission is one whose structure is derived from an in depth understanding of the specific country setting, of the evolving imperatives facing the security, political, humanitarian, and development pillars in that country and of the particular mix of assets and capacities available and/or required to achieve the desired impact. One of the key elements of mission planning is that the role of the military intervention should not be in conflict with or frustrate the long term objectives of PCRD. Further, the planning should involve all key actors from the early stages, and must include continuous evaluation to ensure flexibility and adaptability to conditions on the ground.

Capt. Potgieter reminded participants that the ASF is made up of five regional brigades, a civilian police component (involving police, gendarmerie, observers and advisors) as well as a civilian component (involving rule of law, civil administration, humanitarian affairs, good governance and other areas of expertise). The ASF planning process, while dependent upon the mandate and strategic objectives of the particular peace support operation, involves political, military, police, rule of law, humanitarian, human rights, gender, legal affairs, public information, civil affairs and other components, which are generally in line with the indicative elements of the PCRD Policy.

Mr Chiwombe highlighted the value of a database of African experts, which would shorten the amount of time required to access the necessary human resources for countries emerging from conflict. Integrated mission planning could identify the required expertise and enable the AU or its partners to commence recruitment, screening, pre-training and placement of expertise on standby.

During the discussion that followed, participants examined a number of issues with regard to the mobilization of human and financial resources in support of PCRD processes generally and the implementation of the Banjul decision adopting the PCRD policy. Some of the key issues discussed included:

1. The need to align the development of the civilian component of the ASF with the required African expertise for PCRD processes and the AU Volunteers (AUV) programme;

2. The importance of utilizing and building upon existing rosters and databases, rather than beginning a new database of African PCRD experts from scratch;

3. The value in mobilising African (financial and human) resources for PCRD activities, through engagement with the African private sector, harnessing the continent’s natural resource wealth and drawing upon the African diaspora;

4. The role of external actors in triggering and sustaining conflicts in Africa, which needs to be addressed in PCRD processes if they are to succeed in bringing about sustainable peace.

Panel III: The Role of Civil Society in a Post-Conflict Environment

The third panel, which examined “The role of civil society in the implementation of the PCRD Policy and decision”, was moderated by Ms. Constance Kunaka of the Women and Gender Directorate at the AU Commission. The panellist was Dr. Juma, and the discussant was Dr. Constantinos Berhe of the African Centre for Humanitarian Action.

Dr. Juma drew participants’ attention to paragraph five of the Banjul decision, which, “requests the Commission, in collaboration with the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), relevant United Nations (UN) and other institutions and African Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), to take all the necessary steps for the effective implementation of the PCRD Policy Framework”. At the strategic level, the steps to be taken by NGOs are aligned to the principles underpinning the PCRD policy.

1. National and local ownership: the principal objective is to enhance common understanding of a shared vision and to re-engage the population in their own governance, through activities such as civic education;

2. Inclusiveness, equity and non-discrimination: NGOs have a critical role in terms of protecting and promoting the rights and needs of vulnerable groups such as women or youth;

3. Coordination and coherence: this would require clarity in terms of division of roles amongst NGOs and other actors, improved targeting of NGO activities as well as a shift away from the practice of working in silos;

4. Capacity building for sustainability: this would reduce dependency, lessen the negative impact of future shocks and improve the long-term sustainability of recovery and development.

Dr. Juma also outlined a number of activities to be undertaken by civil society at the national, regional and continental levels (see section on recommendations, below). In addition, she highlighted the role of CSOs in the area of resource mobilisation, where they can engage with and support key international campaigns that affect post-conflict countries, such as debt cancellation. Civil society can also undertake advocacy for: effective financial management structures to avoid wastage of resources; alternative sources of resources for PCRD, such as South-South cooperation; and responsible engagement of the private sector in PCRD processes.

Dr. Berhe highlighted the complexity of PCRD processes and emphasised the need for information and analysis to inform interventions in countries emerging from conflict. He warned participants of the danger that PCRD could become yet another failed development programme in Africa if it is not underpinned by the necessary intellectual base. Research institutes, universities and other civil society actors could provide such a base, while also contributing to the development of rules and institutions in post-conflict settings.

Dr. Berhe raised several key issues that tend to be overlooked in countries emerging from conflict, which would benefit from CSO engagement. These were: the need to promote the development of sustainable livelihoods; the importance of building entrepreneurial skills amongst communities and establishing the necessary policies and systems to support entrepreneurship; the importance of engaging with all relevant stakeholders and integrating different types of programmes, to maximise impact; and the need to ensure that gender issues are addressed at all stages and levels of PCRD. Dr. Berhe also pointed out that the relative newness of PCRD as an area of expertise meant that there were few examples of best practice for CSOs to emulate.

In the discussion that followed, participants identified a number of issues related to the role of civil society in PCRD processes that deserved further attention. Amongst these were:

1. The need to clearly define CSOs or NGOs, and to distinguish between local community based organisations and externally based or oriented NGOs. The role of the diaspora, the media and faith-based organisations was also discussed;

2. The problem of competition for resources and legitimacy amongst NGOs;

3. The possibility of creating a CSO standby network for deployment to countries emerging from conflict;

4. The need to build the administrative capacity (including financial management, human resources and strategic planning skills) of CSOs to enable them to participate effectively in PCRD processes. The problem of retaining capacity was also raised; and

5. The need for CSO coordinating mechanisms at all levels, from national to continental, to maximise impact, improve the process of setting reconstruction priorities and facilitate coordination with governments, RECs, the AU and other partners.

Panel IV: The Way Forward: Recommendations for the 2nd Consultative Meeting with Wider Civil Society

Dr. Berhanu was the moderator of the fourth panel, which made recommendations for areas to be considered at the 2nd consultative meeting on PCRD, to be held in July 2007. The panelists were Professor Paul Nkwi of EthnoNet Africa, Professor Mboy Mekesa of Kinshasa University and Dr. Juma. The panelists made a number of recommendations for: areas for consideration at the meeting; and as well as mechanisms and activities to improve CSO participation in PCRD.

With regard to the planning of the next consultative meeting, participants made the following recommendations:

Participants identified a number of actual and potential mechanisms for CSO participation in PCRD processes, which could be discussed in greater detail before and at the next consultative meeting, including:

1. A database not only of PCRD experts but also of CSO organisations. This could build upon existing databases such as that of AFDEM;

2. Creation of national and regional focal points for PCRD, involving NGO participation;

3. Creation of, or use of existing, national, regional and continental CSO coordinating mechanisms (such as NEPAD CSO think tank, AU Economic Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC), etc); and

4. The development of a CSO standby network, which would involve appropriately trained professionals ready to be deployed when needed.

Participants also pointed out a number of activities that could be undertaken by CSOs prior to the next consultative meeting, including:

1. popularisation of the PCRD policy amongst other CSOs;

2. inputting into ongoing AU activities, such as the development of the AUV programme and the database of experts;

3. commencing research on PCRD as a basis for advice to policy makers and to inform civil society interventions in post-conflict situations;

4. the generation and dissemination of best practices in PCRD activities;

5. examination of mechanisms for resource mobilization, assessments, monitoring and evaluation; and

6. OSSREA and other organizations that promote research could provide funding for research on PCRD in support of the activities outlined above, and could host seminars to disseminate the research.

Closing Session

Dr. Ngoma was the moderator for the closing session, which reviewed the discussions of the previous two days and gave an overview of the way forward for the AU Commission and CSOs with regard to the implementation of the PCRD policy. Recommendations for civil society participation in PCRD processes were based upon the need for people-driven processes and divided the areas of engagement into national, regional and continental level, though some activities would cut across all levels.

At continental level, civil society organisations could engage in the following activities:

1. support the clarification of strategic issues in the PCRD policy, such as economic development, security sector reform, reconciliation, etc;

2. participate in assessment missions, directly or through provision of information/analysis in support of AU missions;

3. monitor progress of PCRD processes in Africa, possibly through a shadow report on PCRD to be delivered to the AU;

4. generate best practices and share of lessons learned, especially from community based organisations from countries emerging from conflict.

At regional level, civil society could engage in the following activities:

1. participate in cascading the policy to the regions, in terms developing operational guidelines that reflect their specific needs;

2. liaise with other civic organisations to form regional networks to harmonise common practice with regard to PCRD activities, and to promote the use of the policy by existing regional networks (such as the Manu River Union or the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region);

3. create institutional mechanisms, such as a regional CSO focal point for PCRD that can monitor harmonisation and synergies across the region.

At national level, civil society engagement would be oriented toward shaping the national vision and strategy for PCRD, and promoting national ownership of that vision. This would entail advocacy and lobbying to ensure an inclusive process of determining national needs and priorities. Activities at this level would include:

1. dissemination of the AU policy;

2. research and analysis in support of planning and implementing PCRD;

3. participate in needs assessments and/or promote participation of communities in those assessments;

4. undertake advocacy in support of vulnerable groups;

5. sensitise communities with regard to their rights to enable them to participate more effectively in governance;

6. monitoring of performance/ progress on PCRD;

7. advocacy and engagement with private sector, especially for resource mobilization and socially responsible investment;

8. advocacy to align the programmes of international partners with the national vision and needs;

9. training and capacity building of local community based organizations;

10. participate in implementation of PCRD activities across all indicative elements, especially those without sufficient funding.

Dr. Ngoma pointed to a number of activities of the AU Commission that would benefit from CSO engagement, including the establishment of dedicated structures for PCRD; the sensitization of RECs, Member States and other stakeholders on the PCRD policy; the development of policy guidelines for the AUV programme; strengthening the capacities of relevant African CSOs to undertake PCRD activities; and the organization of workshops on PCRD in countries emerging from conflict. In conclusion, he thanked participants for their input and encouraged them to continue to contribute to the process of operationalising the AU policy on PCRD.

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