SI AFRICA

Governance, Peace and Security Programme

(SGPSP) subscribes to the imperative of resolving Africa’s governance and security challenges, as a precondition of sustainable development and the well-being and prosperity of Africans. The Programme seeks to utilise knowledge generated through its policy-specific research to support operational activities through capacity building and technical support for practitioners in the field.

SGPSP draws from a vast pool of experts with policy development, implementation and research experience on critical issues relating to governance and peace and security in Africa to implement its projects and programmes.

In seeking to contribute towards advancing the continent’s governance, peace and security agenda SIA believes it can be most effective by working through a collaborative approach with local, national, regional and continental organisations, and proactively seeks partnerships/coalitions with a range of critical stakeholders. SGPSP has developed working relationships with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and is accelerating the process of developing similar relationships with other Regional Economic Communities (RECs)and the AUC as strategic stakeholders.

Below are the workstreams of the programme:

Providing Technical Support to African Inter-Party Dialogue Processes and Mechanisms

SIA has been designated to serve as the Secretariat of the African Inter-Party Dialogue Network (AIPDN), designed as one of the avenues for strengthening multi-party democracy and governance; and a platform to advance actions around the governance-peace security-development nexus.

Designing and Supporting the delivery of Initiatives for Women in Governance, Peace and Security:

The objective of the SGPSP’s Women in Governance, Peace and Security Workstream, is to reduce gender inequality and to empower and support women to actively participate in politics and the governance of their communities and countries. Also, millions of women, children, and youth in Africa face increasing threats to their safety and well being, including sexual and gender-based violence, exploitation, and separation from families, as a result of poor governance and the multiple conflicts plaguing the continent. As such, women, children and the youth are central to the overall strategy of the SGPSP in supporting the interventions of the AGA and APSA in contributing to the realization of Agenda 2063.

The SGPSP’s Women in Governance, Peace and Security Workstream focuses on providing training to women and women organizations, to effectively participate in governance, conflict prevention and resolution within the frameworks of AGA and APSA. Emphasis will be placed on the effective rollout, popularization and advocacy for the use of normative frameworks as instruments to advance the respect and entrenchment of human rights culture, gender mainstreaming, women, children and the youth adopted by both the UN and the African Union, through governance, conflict prevention and resolution, and peace and security advocacy lens. For instance, this workstream includes all activities related to elected women public officials beginning initially with women members of parliament at the national, regional and continental levels.

Providing Technical Support for Facilitation, Mediation, Conflict Prevention and Resolution

SGPSP will proactively serve as a resource for ongoing conflict resolution efforts on the continent. And as such it will on request support various initiatives at local, national, regional and continental levels by providing technical support to designated facilitators, mediators or negotiators as the case may be. Further, training and capacity building on peace instruments such as the AU’s PSC Protocol, and other regional mechanisms for conflict prevention and resolution, facilitation and mediation will be provided to elected officials (for example, members of parliament) and senior public officials to contribute towards the realization of the AU’s ambition of ‘silencing the guns’ by 2030.

Promoting and Advocacy for Inclusive and Accountable Governance Short-Term Executive Training and Workshops for Elected Officials and Senior Government Officials

The overriding aim of this workstream is to contribute to creating prosperous and peaceful societies through inclusive and accountable governance. One of the key drivers of conflict in Africa is the absence of inclusive and accountable governance in many instances. The African Union has a normative framework on governance the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG), and similar other instruments within the African Governance Architecture. Civic organizations and the population generally are ill-equipped with the tools to participate and hold elected officials and senior government officials accountable. Within the framework of the AGA, the SGPSP will thrive to contribute on request to context-specific activities designed to foster and advance inclusive and accountable governance. Contributions will be by way of accountable governance training and workshops, for instance on ethical leadership, public financial management, political accountability etc.

Undertaking Cross-cutting activities: Policy Research, Capacity Mobilization and Building, and Convenings for GPSA

This workstream is designed to service the foregoing four workstreams. It is, as such, a crosscutting activity. The context-specific research activities will be geared towards generating evidence to substantiate or elaborate on the existing normative frameworks as being implemented by and through national, regional and continental mechanisms. The convenings will be for information sharing or briefings with targeted groups, including on request and as appropriate.