Support to the African Union for preventing and resolving violent conflicts and consolidating peace under the APSA

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, a service provider in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development and international education, has been cooperating with the African Union (AU) on behalf of the German Government since 2004. The GIZ AU Liaison Office is actively engaged in about 20 supra-regional projects in 33 African countries. The main office of GIZ AU is located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with a number of offices in other locations, including South Africa, Algeria, and Tanzania. GIZ cooperates with seven of the eight AU departments, with a focus on the following five areas: (1) peace and security, (2) good governance and migration, (3) regional economic integration, (4) education/youth/employment, and (5) agriculture and land governance. With the establishment of the AU in 2002, the institution was given an extended mandate in peace and security. Through the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), the AU has created a framework for the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts on the continent. Its core organ is the Peace and Security Council (PSC). The other APSA pillars are the Continental Early Warning System (CEWS), the Panel of the Wise (PoW), the African Standby Force (ASF) and the Peace Fund. The development of APSA is led by the African Union Commission (AUC), the executive organ of the AU, as well as the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Regional Mechanisms (RMs). The GIZ project "Support to the African Union for preventing and resolving violent conflicts and consolidating peace under the African Peace and Security Architecture" funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) aims to improve the capacity of the AU to use APSA instruments and the African Governance Architecture (AGA) coherently in its member states. To achieve this aim, the project works in four different fields of activity: 1. Strengthening the capacity of the AUC to implement APSA instruments at member states" level; 2. Piloting joint initiatives between the AU and civil society on synergies between APSA and AGA; 3. Support organizational development and change management processes to adapt processes and procedures to the objectives of the newly established Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS); 4. Strengthening the organizational and technical capacities for collaboration between PAPS and African think tanks. Service provision is ensured by regular joint planning processes with the partner. At the same time, the project is required to react flexibly to the political context.