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1.
INTRODUCTION AND OVERALL ACTIVITIES OF THE CLUSTER
2.
THE THREE SUB-CLUSTERS AND THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS:
AU Peace and Security Architecture Sub-cluster
Post Conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD) Sub-cluster
Human Rights Justice and Reconciliation Sub-cluster
3.
CHALLENGES
4.
WAY FORWARD
5.
PRESENTATION OF THE UNOAU
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Introduction
The AU’s Strategic Plan for 2009-2012 is built on four pillars. Pillar one deals with Peace and Security. The other three pillars are Institution and Capacity Building, Development, Integration and
Cooperation, and Shared Values. We have every reason to believe that issues of peace and security will continue to dominate AU-UN relations for the foreseeable future.
During the signing of the Declaration on UN-AU Cooperation
Framework for the TYCBP for the AU, it was agreed to focus attention on peace and security for obvious reasons, at least for the first three years.
This Eleventh RCM takes on particular importance because of the
Review of the work done within the context of the TYCBP after the first three years.
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Desk-to-desk consultative meeting :
UN/DPA in close collaboration with the AUC, organized two Desk-to-
Desk meetings on the Prevention and Management of Conflicts in
December 2009 and June 2010 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Gaborone,
Botswana.
The meetings involved the participation of representatives of RECs, and identified the framework within which the cooperation between UN and
AU would be strengthened. Representatives from the DPKO, DFS,
UNHCR, OCHA, and OHCHR also participated in the meetings
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The Panel of the Wise:
DPA provided a consultant to contribute with the setting-up of the
Secretariat of the POW. The consultant is responsible for coordinating the activities of the Panel, and coordinating recruiting personnel for the secretariat of the Panel.
Electoral Assistance i) At the request of the Democracy and Electoral Assistance Unit
DEAU/DPA/AUC, EAD/DPA, provided a consultant to work on capacitybuilding. A second consultant is currently helping to develop and manage a database/rosters of African Technical Assistance and Election
Observers. A third consultant is expected to be deployed to train and assist a local database manager.
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Mediation: i) MSU/DPA, the AUC, and other Partners have finalized a Work
Programme for 2009-2011 :“Enhancing the AU Mediation Capacity”.
ii) The second joint AU/UN/REC course on "Capacity Building in
Dialogue and Mediation through Experience Sharing", organized jointly with the AU and the Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA) was held in
Nairobi from 1-5 October 2010. iii) The 2010 training AU-UN course on “Facilitation of Dialogue
Processes and Mediation Efforts”, organized jointly by the DPA and the
FBA took place from 6- 11 November 2010 in Sandö, Sweden.
The objective of the activities was to make AU-UN mediation partnerships more effective by identifying positive experiences, best practices and challenges in each case.
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Mediation with the RECs and AU
Joint preventive diplomacy and peacemaking initiatives between UN-
AU and RECs were undertaken with a view to achieving resolution of crises in Guinea, Somalia, Sudan, Guinea-Bissau, Niger, Madagascar and the Comoros, among others. The AU Mediation Strategy was finalized in early 2010 and is awaiting endorsement.
Climate change:
In June 2009, the Peace and Security Cluster agreed to create a working group, chaired by UNEP, that will help tackle the challenges of climate, address the effects of climate change, and its work on the continent.
This group includes UNHCR, AUC and UNOAU, and is expected to come up with concrete proposals on the issue.
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Gender Mainstreaming
The Peace and Security Department and the Department of Social
Affairs- Women and Gender Division of the AUC, in cooperation with
DPA organized a workshop on gender mainstreaming and implementation of Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. The meeting took place in Addis Ababa in June 2010 at the
African Union Commission Headquarters.
On 20 October 2010, the Peace and Security Cluster participated in the commemoration of the 10 th Anniversary of the UNSC Resolution 1325 on women peace and security. The event was organized by UNIFEM cochair of the Human and Social Development cluster. It was a true testimony of inter-cluster cooperation and collaboration.
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In terms of cooperation in crisis management, the Security Council
Affairs Division (SCAD) undertook a mission to Addis Ababa with a view to supporting the strengthening of the AU/PSC Secretariat.
The Peace and Security Cluster appointed a communication focal point who participated in the OSAA organized “First Brainstorming workshop for the mainstream of communication strategy in the RCM cluster system”, which took place in Dakar, Senegal, from 21 to 23 June 2010
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Co-chairs:
The AUC Peacekeeping Support Operations Department (PSOD) and
The former African Union Peacekeeping Support Unit/DPKO
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Sub-cluster on the Peace and Security Architecture of the AU (1 of 4)
Objective and methodology
The cooperation focuses on the operational development of the APSA and the African Standby Forces (ASF) and the AUC capacity to plan, deploy and manage complex and multidimensional peace support operations (PSOs), including financial and logistics management.
In collaboration with the former AUPST, OCHA continues to provide support to the AU PSD on protection of Civilians in PSOs with APSA
(including the ASF, the RDCs and Regional Centers of Excellence, SML training facilitation on humanitarian and related issues).
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Achievements of the Sub-cluster on the Peace and Security Architecture of the AU (2 of 4)
Cooperation focusing on ASF, the CEWS
i) Priorities for support remain the development of capacity for planning, deploying and managing peace support missions, including financial and logistics management.
ii) At the request of the AUC the UNOAU has been providing support towards the development of the ASF Rapid Deployment Capacity
(RDC), police capacity, and the logistics support concept manual,
Strategic Air, Sea and Ground lift, Continental Logistics Base (CLB),
Medical Manual, ASF Evaluation Manual, and Civilian dimension concept.
iii) In addition to that, UNOAU has been facilitating training requirements such as senior Mission Leadership Training. A number of specific projects focusing on the three AU’s priority areas were planned
(planning, mission management and logistic and resource management).
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Sub-cluster on the Peace and Security Architecture of the AU (3 of 4)
iv) Former DPKO-AU/PST, on behalf of the sub-cluster, continues to work closely with the AU for ASF development, a main feature of which is a major assessment of progress in 2010 AMANI AFRICA .
The Amani Africa Cycle is a collaborative efforts between the AU and EU in the context of AU/EU Strategic Partnership. UNOCHA supported the AUC PSOD in the EX AMANI AFRICA that was concluded on 30 November 2010.
Amani Africa is expected to culminate with the AU Peace and Security
Architecture reaching its objectives by providing an assessment and validation of its multidimensional peace operation integrated management capacity, notably in terms of structures, procedures and available means.
v) DPKO has also contributed to the development of the Continental Early
Warning System (CEWS) through cooperation between its Situation Centre and the AU’s Situation Room.
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Sub-cluster on the Peace and Security Architecture of the AU (4 of 4)
The UNSG report on Support to AU Peacekeeping Operation authorized by the UN deals with modalities for support to African
Union peacekeeping operations, including the following:
i) Concrete steps to be taken by the UN and the AU to strengthen their mutual relationship and develop a more effective partnership when addressing issues on their joint Agenda:
Members of the Sub-Cluster discussed the content of the report during a meeting on 14 October 2009, chaired by a Representative of the
AUPSOD. As part of the implementation process of the SG Report, former AUPST has engaged the AUPSOD on specific areas of support and has facilitated DPKO/DFS and DPA consultations with the AUC,
Member States and AUC-Partners, to inform production of the SG
Progress Report on UN support to AU.
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Chair:
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR)
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The Office of the UNHCR, Co-chair of the PCRD Sub-Cluster, continues to provide the AUC with multi-faceted support through secondment of staff, policy research and development, mobilization of support and information sharing.
The sub-cluster members’ activities were aligned to the six indicative elements of the PCRD policy in the areas-- security, humanitarian/emergency assistance, political governance and transition, socio-economic reconstruction and development, human rights, justice and reconciliation and women and gender.
The members have also assisted technical staff to build the capacity of the AU to meet its strategic priority areas relevant to the work of the sub-cluster and the sub-cluster members’ organisation’s mandate and bilateral engagement with the AU.
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Sub-cluster on Post-conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD) (1 of 4) i) Support to the Launch of the COMMIT campaign
The sub-cluster, under the overall coordination of IOM, continues to provide technical, financial and human resources to the AU in the implementation of the Ouagadougou action plan. The launch of the
AU.COMMIT campaign in the various sub-regions jointly with the RECs and UN agencies is a major part of the initiative against human trafficking.
With support from IOM, UNICEF, UNIFEM, ILO, UNODC and
UNHCR, the AUC launched the AU.COMMIT campaign in Abuja,
Nigeria, in March 2010, for the ECOWAS region, and will soon launch the campaign in the IGAD and the EAC regions.
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Sub-cluster on Post-conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD) (2 of 4) ii) Development of a PCRD Policy
In terms of the three-pronged strategy adopted in 2005, which includes support to the AU in the development of a PCRD Policy, two of the
three objectives have been achieved to date.
These are:
1.) Publication of assessment reports on the status of post-conflict recovery in 12 countries emerging from conflict; and
2) Publication and dissemination of the AU PCRD Policy.
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Sub-cluster on Post-conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD) (3 of 4) iii) Support to the UNiTE campaign to end violence against women and girls
The UN Secretary General’s Africa-UNiTE Campaign to End Violence
Against Women and Girls was launched within the fringes of the
January 2010 AU Summit in Addis Ababa.
Further, the July 2010 AU Summit in Kampala, Uganda, called on governments and all stakeholders to promote actions to end genderbased violence. The UNiTE committee provides policy and technical guidance, and is also linked to the Year of Peace and Security in Africa.
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Sub-cluster on Post-conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD) (4 of 4) iv) Open Session of the Peace and Security Council
During the Open Session of the AU/PSC held on 30 th March 2010, with a focus on the “Situation of Women and Children in Armed Conflicts in Africa”, UNICEF, UNIFEM, UNHCR and ICRC submitted reports on the theme. The communications made by these agencies were well received and recommendations were included in the PSC final press communication. v) Support for 2010 as the Year of Peace and Security in Africa
Cluster members supported the commemoration of AU declared 2010
Year of Peace and Security on the Continent.
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Co-chairs:
The AUC Department of Political Affairs and
The Office of the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights
(OHCRH-RO)
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Sub-cluster on Human Rights, Justice and Reconciliation (HRJR) (1 of 3)
The sub-cluster promotes further harmonization of plans between AU and
UN in the field of human rights, justice and reconciliation (HRJR), and addressed health, gender, culture and regional integration issues as part of its activities. It is co-chaired by OHCRH and the AUC DPA.
It strengthened the alignment of cluster plans and activities with the
TYCBP for the AU, the UNGA Resolution 61/296, the strategic plans of the
AU and the NEPAD Secretariat and relevant decisions of the AU and RECs.
The HRJR sub-cluster provided the AUC with an international consultant who conducted a mapping exercise based on a preliminary assessment of the human rights laws and mandates of the institutions, and mechanisms that are building blocks for the implementation of human rights in Africa.
The consultant’s report along with the expert reviews was presented at an
Experts Meeting held in Arusha, Tanzania, from 26 to 27 November 2009 on the identification of core challenges and strategies in developing a comprehensive human rights strategy for Africa.
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Sub-cluster on Human Rights, Justice and Reconciliation (HRJR) (2 of 3)
In tandem with the event, three meetings had taken place in Banjul in
March 2010, and from 10-12 May 2010, including a consultation by the
Cluster on the Universal Periodic Review, the African Peer Review
Mechanism and the Right to Development and two meetings of the
AU organs with human rights mandate convened by the AU to carry out extensive consultations on the human rights strategy.
Meetings between OHCHR officials and representatives from the DPA of the AUC, including two meetings of the sub-cluster chaired by a
Representative of the Department of Political Affairs of the AUC have deepened the partnership.
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Sub-cluster on Human Rights, Justice and Reconciliation (HRJR) (3 of 3) i) A workshop entitled “Enhancing Cooperation between regional and international mechanisms for the promotion and protection of human
rights - a Consultation for Africa” took place in Addis Ababa from 30
November to December 2009.
ii) A second international workshop was held in 2010 in Geneva.
iii) The workshop was attended by 120 participants from UN and AU human rights organs, African national human rights institutions, AU member states, independent experts and NGOs.
OHCHR hopes to carry out regional consultations in Africa, the
Americas and Europe. This initiative is led by the OHCHR in close cooperation with relevant AU organs and has been discussed and developed through the sub-cluster .
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1.
Weak inter-departmental linkages in tackling issues of common concern among the UN, the AU and the RECs as well as within cluster work. Difficulties in bringing together other departments into cluster work. Departments not aware of cluster work and the TYCBP.
3. Weak or inexistent cluster to cluster cooperation.
2. Lack of resources to enhance both the human and financial cluster cochairs capacity. The coordination of the cluster is not the core business of cluster members.
3.
Lack of joint work plan.
4.
Absence of alignment of UN partners bilateral cooperation with the
AU and the work of the clusters. Difficulty to implement the One UN concept when the planning is not done as one .
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Need to re-instate quarterly cluster and sub-cluster meetings to achieve greater synergy, coordination strategy, inter-cluster communication and coherence;
To draft a joint business document on the part of the UN on one side and on the part of the AU and the RECS on the other side that will highlight the needs of the AU and RECs;
Need to harmonize and the align AU-UN cluster work ;
Mainstreaming human rights, gender, climate change and other cross cutting issues into the cluster activities;
Holding of an AU-UN-RECs Retreat in an effort to exchange views on how best to proceed with the effective implementation of the TYCBP.
For the AU to better articulate and disseminate the TYCBP to the RECs.
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The 18 September 2009 SG report on Support to AU peacekeeping operations authorized by the UN will introduce a new dynamic in the
AU-UN relations, within the context of the TYCBP for the AU
The just concluded review of the TYCBP will allow the UN-AU partnership: i) to agree on what the priorities should be for the next three years, and ii) to chart a new course to strengthen even further the strategic partnership between our two Organizations.
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In June 2010, the UNGA adopted a resolution approving the SG’s proposal to establish the
UNOAU. It came into existence on 1 July 2010.
The aim of the proposed integrated office is to enhance the partnership between the UN and the AU in the area of peace and security (at the political and strategic levels), and to provide coordinated and consistent UN support to the African Union on both long-term institutional capacity building and short-term operational support matters (within the framework of the
TYCBP and the 18 Sept 2009 Secretary-General’s report).
The integrated UNOAU has streamlined the various UN Secretariat presences in Addis Ababa working on peace and security matters, thus ensuring that UN assistance to the AU is more efficient and cost effective. In this regard, UNOAU integrates within its structure the following three entities:
- Former UN Liaison Office (UNLO)
- UN/AU Peace Support Team (UN/AUPST)
- UN Planning Team for AMISOM (UNPT/AMISOM)
In addition, UNO-AU also integrated the support component of UNAMID/JSCM. The substantive component of UNAMID/JSCM remains part of UNAMID but is currently colocated and supported by UNOAU.
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