The Principles for Peace initiative spent two years in consultations around the world to contribute to a set of eight 'Principles for Peace' to provide a framework to negotiate a peace that lasts. The 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. A coalition that includes actors across political, diplomatic, academic, defense and security, civil society and multilateral organisations have launched a new peacemaking covenant in Geneva, which aims to provide new norms and guidance around making peace at a time when the world is experiencing heightened conflicts and coups.
AllAfrica's Nontobeko Mlambo spoke to Ambassador Frederic Gateretse-Ngoga, a member of the International Commission on Inclusive Peace at Principles for Peace who is currently 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.
What has the process to develop the Peacemaking Covenant been, and what were some challenges you faced?
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.
This is not to say the process has been 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.
I would also just add that more than anything else, we want to ensure that what we deliver is not just another document that sits on the shelf and gathers dust. We knew we had to create something that was practical, that was applicable, and that truly understands the challenges of 21st-century conflict. I firmly believe that in the Covenant and the Principles for Peace, we have a means of delivering legitimate peace.
Most of the internal conflicts we see in Africa today are linked to the fact that leaders seem to accept democracy but not its principles. Rigged elections, hanging on to power after the expiry of their mandate, or simply changing the constitution to erase the limitation of mandate. Does the Peacemaking Covenant address and find solutions for such settings?
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.
There is the troubling role Africa sees in the way the West intervenes in African issues, does the Peacemaking Covenant give localized solutions for peace that allow local peacebuilders and affected people a voice and solutions that best suit them and their context or settings?
Locally led solutions are 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.
Women and children always bear the brunt in conflict settings. Could you expand on the eight Principles for Peace and the four shifts in approach to peacemaking and how they ensure inclusivity and accelerate the Women, Peace, and Security agenda?
This is absolutely right and throughout two your consultation process, the disproportionate impact of conflict on women and children was regularly cited. Simply put, 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.
Are you confident this covenant is designed to solve African conflict and its dynamics?
I am, yes, but not by itself. The Covenant has not been designed as a rigid framework but as a guide for ensuring that the process through which solutions are sought is legitimate and inclusive and reflects the desires of the people affected by conflict. So, when it comes to the African context, the Covenant is not designed to be a silver bullet for insecurity on the continent but instead will be the basis of a country-specific roadmap, that considers the regional and international context, and translates the principles into practical action within that environment.
One of the biggest challenges peacebuilding initiatives face is the lack of funding. What can the AU do to ensure that youth-led and women-led initiatives receive the attention and funding they deserve?
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.
Most of the weapons in Africa are imported, and the continent has more guns in the wrong hands than any other continent. How does this Peacemaking Covenant address this issue of arms that perpetuate violence?
I think to say the continent has more guns in the wrong hands than anywhere else is a bit of a lazy trope. This isn't an African-only issue but a global one.
Now, 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 process must put an end to 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.
Inequality in most countries is the source of most unrest. How will the Peacemaking Covenant address the corruption that is rife and the unequal distribution of resources in Africa?
It is true that inequality is a major driver of insecurity on the continent, and although the Peacemaking Covenant has not been set up to directly tackle issues like corruption and resource distribution, if peace is to be legitimate, the institutions, powerholders, and lawmakers that deliver and govern peace must have the trust of local populations. Eradicating corruption and ensuring that resources benefit all of society will be critical.
How does the Peacemaking Covenant address emerging conflict accelerators like the climate crisis that forces people to migrate and clashing for land and water in some parts of the Sahel and Africa as a whole?
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Here again, it is important to stress that 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 of the 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.
How will you bring this Peacemaking Covenant to life? How will you encourage global, regional, and local peacebuilders to implement these principles for Peace?
Launching the Covenant is really the first step in this journey. For it to be more than a document we 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.
On the last point regarding getting global, regional, and local actors to implement the Principles for Peace, there has to be a sense of mutual accountability. We want to work with stakeholders to bring authority to these principles, and we will do that through the shared ambition of achieving peace and demonstrating that it is possible.
Frederic is also currently 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.
AllAfrica's reporting on peacebuilding is supported by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York.
