The signing of the historic cooperation agreement between the Cairo International Centre for Conflict Resolution and the SADC Regional Peacekeeping Training Centre marks a milestone in building peacekeeping capacity in Africa. The agreement, signed by Ambassador Ahmed Nihad Abdel Latif and Rear Admiral (JG) Gottlieb Pandeni, demonstrates the unwavering commitment of the two African centres of excellence to collaborate in ensuring quality training for personnel engaged in United Nations and African Union peacekeeping operations.
The signing ceremony, which took place in Cairo in the presence of ambassadors from several SADC Member States, underscores the importance of regional cooperation in consolidating peace and security on the continent. Ambassador Abdel Latif stressed that this agreement demonstrates the Cairo Center’s commitment to building strong partnerships with its African counterparts and regional economic communities, which are key players in Africa’s peace and security architecture.
He also highlighted the Center’s continued collaboration with the African Union, including its co-chairing of the African Network of Think Tanks for Peace (NeTT4Peace). Ambassador Abdel Latif stressed that this agreement illustrates Egypt’s unwavering commitment to strengthening cooperation with African countries, regional organizations and groupings.
The agreement establishes a framework for cooperation between the two centres to organise training programmes tailored to their areas of expertise, including peacekeeping, peacebuilding, preventing violent extremism and terrorism, promoting the roles of women and youth in peace and security, disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR), as well as addressing the interconnected challenges of climate change, peace, development and transnational threats.
This initiative aims to strengthen the capacities of African personnel engaged in peacekeeping and peace support operations on the continent. In addition, the agreement establishes a mechanism for regular consultations between the two centres on common priorities, facilitating the exchange of expertise and good practices to achieve common objectives.
In conclusion, this enhanced cooperation between the Cairo International Centre and the SADC Regional Centre is a testament to the willingness of African actors to come together to address the complex challenges of peace and security in Africa. This agreement marks a significant step forward in the consolidation of regional cooperation and collaboration between peacekeeping training institutions on the continent.