TMF, UNDP, Others to Launch Inaugural Peace, Security Dialogue in South Africa 

Chiemelie Ezeobi

The Thabo Mbeki Foundation (TMF) is set to launch its inaugural Annual Peace and Security Dialogue (APSD), on October 4–6, 2024, in Gauteng, South Africa.

The dialogue, which was organised with the Institute for Global Dialogue, the Human Sciences Research Council, and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) will gather 150 African leaders, scholars, and policymakers.

Themed “Towards a Peaceful and Secure Africa: Challenges and Opportunities,” the APSD will address the critical peace and security challenges facing the continent and provide a platform to proffer practical solutions to peace and security challenges in Africa. 

According to former South African President and TMF Patron, Thabo Mbeki, the dialogue aims to enhance leadership capacity, foster cooperation, and inspire action on these pressing issues with special focus on regions like the Sahel and the Horn of Africa. 

THISDAY gathered that it would also explore African-led solutions to internal conflicts, terrorism, and organised crime, while promoting collaboration between regional and international partners.

Mbeki said: “Africa faces numerous peace and security challenges that have undermined our efforts to achieve development goals and eroded trust in leaders and institutions.

“While many countries on the continent still wrestle with economic hurdles, conflict, and governance issues, the APSD will seek to address these issues by enhancing the capacity of African leaders, fostering a culture of dialogue and co-operation, and harnessing the TMF’s convening power to catlayse action.”

 The APSD will feature keynote speeches, panel discussions, and invitation-only roundtable sessions with participation from African country leaders, policymakers, scholars, business and civil society organisations.

Also, there will be a special focus on the Sahel and the Horn of Africa, regions that have experienced some of the most complex and protracted conflicts in recent years.

In the kitty too is the exploration of current peace and security challenges, including internal conflicts, terrorism and transnational organised crime; and discussion of African-led solutions and the role of regional and international partners.

According to the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, addressing the root causes of conflict and crisis requires a comprehensive and holistic approach that encompasses political, security, humanitarian, human rights and development dimensions. 

Thus, the APSD will provide an opportunity for the participants to examine the various factors and dynamics that contribute to conflicts and insecurity in Africa, such as poverty, inequality, exclusion, marginalisation, governance deficits, human rights violations, environmental degradation, climate change, and external interference.

 In a release by Syreeta van Rooyen, Senior Consultant ByDesign Communications, TMF said the APSD will also enable participants to explore the existing and potential tools and instruments for addressing these factors and dynamics, such as the African Peace and Security Architecture, the African Governance Architecture, the African Continental Free Trade Area, the African Peer Review Mechanism, and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance.

“The APSD is expected to generate practical solutions, promote collaboration among African stakeholders, and raise awareness about the impact of ongoing peace and security challenges on Africa’s economic, political, and cultural environment,” they added. 

The Thabo Mbeki Foundation is a non-governmental organisation that aims to support the achievement of Africa’s Renaissance through the promotion of democracy, good governance, human rights and regional integration. 

Established in 2010 by former President Thabo Mbeki, the foundation seeks to foster a culture of critical thinking and intellectual engagement among African leaders, scholars and citizens on issues of continental and global importance.