After two years of intense consultations around the world, the Principles for Peace Initiative has developed the Peacemaking Covenant that provides a framework for action to negotiate sustainable peace. The Geneva-based Principles for Peace initiative is a global participatory initiative that was set up to develop new principles, standards, and norms to fundamentally reshape peace processes and chart a path to sustainable peace.
With an aim to provide new norms and guidance around peacebuilding, people affected by conflict and organisations were consulted. A coalition that includes actors across political, diplomatic, academic, defense and security, civil society, and multilateral organisations then launched this new Peacemaking Covenant in Geneva.
"Taking part in this process over the last two years has been an incredibly rewarding and informative experience, not only enabling myself and the rest of the International Commission on Inclusive Peace to better understand the challenges that those experiencing conflict face across the world, but also in giving me the genuine belief that peace is possible," said Frederic Gateretse-Ngoga who is serving as Focal Point for Partnerships, AUBP & Regional Security Mechanism Office of the Commissioner for Political Affairs and Peace and Security, Political Affairs and Security Department at the African Union (AU)
Gateretse-Ngoga said the consultations were not without challenges.
"Across our consultations, we continued to see that impunity was marginalised as an issue despite being one of the major obstacles to peace and so had to develop a framework that established accountability in peace processes.
"Similarly, I think we underestimated how important it is to have a responsive government that can address day-to-day challenges, you have to create an environment where even once peace is achieved it can be maintained through sound governance," Gateretse-Ngoga said.
According to the Principles for Peace, more than 50 conflicts are occurring worldwide, impacting the lives of more than two billion people. While there are many complex reasons countries find themselves in conflict, poor governance, corruption, lack of respect for human rights, socio-economic and political inequity and poverty are some contributors. In Africa, poor governance and leaders that cling to power after their presidential terms have expired have caused unrest in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Sudan.
"The first thing to say here is that this is not an issue confined to our continent's borders. Across the world, we continue to see undemocratic measures leading to insecurity, and it's certainly one of the major challenges the global community currently faces.
"When it comes to the Covenant, I believe it can be an important tool in addressing this issue. The Covenant is not just about ending conflicts but maintaining peace. It is as important in countries where conflict exists as in those where it does not, and critical to maintaining peace is having legitimate political institutions that create trust between governing bodies and the population. This is a central feature of the principle of Humility.
"Furthermore, if you take the principle of Enhancing Legitimacy, any state that supports the Covenant is agreeing to establish transparently and agreed-upon laws, institutions, and power holders, to ensure the effective participation of all groups in public life. This means leaders must go beyond just accepting the basic tenants of democracy but take responsibility for the wider effective governance, including free and fair elections, social inclusion, and the delivery of public goods," he said.
Why Inclusion Matters
At the heart of the Peacemaking covenant, there are eight core principles for peace, followed by the four shifts for peace. The eight core principles are accountable security, adopting subsidiarity, dignity, enhancing legitimacy, embracing integrated and hybrid solutions, humility, and promoting pluralism and solidarity.
Aiming to find practical, long-term, and equitable partnerships involving all necessary partners, the Peacemaking Covenant outlines four shifts in approach to peacemaking. The first shift encourages a move from focusing on negotiated settlements to end violence, to creating a more inclusive and adaptable process.
Gateretse-Ngoga recalls that throughout the two-year consultation process, the disproportionate impact of conflict on women and children was regularly cited.
"There is no way a peace process can be legitimate if it excludes women, children, or marginalised groups, and addressing this issue is one of the central features of both the principles and the four shifts outlined in the Covenant. By adopting the Covenant states and other relevant stakeholders will be agreeing to empower the participation of all actors -- irrespective of communal, political, social, economic and gender divides -- within peace processes.
"I should also add that participation goes beyond just the negotiating table but is also about ensuring fair and equal participation in public life and providing equitable access to institutions and services," he said.
Not only are women and youth left out of peacebuilding processes, but their ideas and solutions are also often overlooked. The second shift outlined in the covenant put emphasis on the change that is needed in a way local and international work together.
Locals usually just want real partnerships that embrace their opinions and solutions. They also want Inclusivity to feel represented during peacebuilding processes.
"Locally led solutions is one of the central facets of the Peacemaking Covenant. Alongside the eight principles we have also outlined four shifts needed in the approach to peacemaking, one of which is how local and international actors work together. It is right to say that in Africa, and in countries all over the world, international actors have undue influence on peace processes and the result is that they often break down as they aren't grounded in the local context.
"Through the Covenant, we are looking to implement this shift, so that peace processes embrace a partnership compact that supports the co-creation of locally-led solutions. This isn't to say that the West or other international actors do not have a role to play, but rather that they embrace a role of a reliable partner that is responsive and accountable to local communities and recognises the primacy of local leadership. The principle of Adopting Subsidiarity would ensure such an approach is adhered to," Gateretse-Ngoga said.
Financing Peace
In 1993, the AU established the Peace Fund to cover operational activities like mediation and preventive diplomacy, institutional capacity, and peace support operations.
Despite these efforts, financing peacebuilding initiatives remains a critical challenge in Africa.
"This is an issue that the African Union is already doing a lot to tackle. We have multiple initiatives including the Youth for Peace, FemWise Africa, and YouthWise, amongst others. All of these initiatives focus on mediation and help to ensure that the voices of women and youth are taken into account. We are continuing to mobilise resources both internally and with partners for these sorts of initiatives, where we are seeing a lot of enthusiasm to tackle the issues. This year the African Union will be rolling out a lot more in this space," he said.
Silencing the Guns in Africa by 2020 was launched by the African Union in 2019 in an effort to promote the prevention, management, and resolution of conflicts in Africa. In addition, the AU identified amnesty month in September 2020 where those with illegally-acquired guns could hand them in to the authorities without penalty. The truth is that most of the weapons in Africa are imported and they end up in the wrong hands.
"When it comes to ending violence and ensuring security, the key here is the principle of Accountable Security because peace simply isn't possible without security. All peace processes must end hostilities and reduce the risk of cyclical violence returning or - as has happened in certain parts of Africa - arms falling into the hands of malevolent actors. Doing this requires accountable security institutions to provide security as a public good, to respect human rights and humanitarian law and to follow agreed principles governing the use of force in society," Gateretse-Ngoga said.
Conflict and Climate Change
Studies show that climate change does contribute to increased conflict but along indirect pathways. The Sahel is experiencing intense droughts and sometimes heavy rains causing flooding in Mali and Niger in 2019. When these natural disasters happen the land deteriorates losing its fertility. This forces people to migrate to places where there is good land for their livestock to survive thus causing conflict between farmers and herders as they compete for grassing land.
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"The Covenant is not a silver bullet for all the drivers of conflict but rather has been established to help guide the peace process to deliver legitimate, inclusive peace. That said, when we look at some issues that emerge from forced migrations and clashes over resources, this can often be traced back to poor governance and weak institutions that do not allow states to effectively manage issues such as climate change, something that the Covenant addresses in the four shifts which call for a transformation of state-society relations through inclusive governance and political institutions that are accountable to society," he said.
Gateretse-Ngoga believes that for the covenant to be more than a document of Principles for Peace - all the parties involved in developing it need to get states, multilateral institutions, and other stakeholders to pledge their support for the adoption and implementation of the principles. Central to this effort will be the Principles for Peace Foundation as custodian and curator of these principles.
"When it comes to implementation, we will work with actors from across the peacemaking space –– mediators, security forces, governments, civil society, and businesses –– to develop bespoke roadmaps that translate these principles into practical action. We will then develop a built-in oversight and accountability mechanism as part of each of these roadmaps to ensure the principles are implemented and adhered to," he said.
The two-year period saw over 150 consultations with people from 61 countries and the review of more than 700 academic and practitioner studies, with input from international partners and stakeholders, including Interpeace, the United Nations Development Programme, the United States Institute of Peace, and the governments of Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, and Robert Bosch Foundation amongst others.
AllAfrica's reporting on peacebuilding is supported by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York.
