The African Union Commission through the Peace Fund Secretariat has signed an Agreement with the World Food Programme of the United Nations (WFP), to scale the existing technical and financial support to various peace and security activities in the thematic areas of operation under the AU Peace Fund. Under the Agreement, the Peace Fund Secretariat and WFP jointly identified the areas of strategic engagement to scale activities in early warning, conflict prevention and mediation.

Under the Agreement, Peace Fund Secretariat and WFP will on among other matters, scale efforts in advocacy on the nexus between conflict and food security as a call to action to address the root causes of conflict; strengthen institutional support of the Peace Fund Secretariat; enhance collaboration on preventive diplomacy and mediation; share of periodic reports on thematic areas; enhance joint resource mobilization; collaborate on engagements on the ongoing review of the Global Financial Architecture; and enhance collaboration with think tanks and Regional Economic Communities on the Peace Fund thematic areas.

Reflecting in the linkages of conflict and development, AU Peace Fund Secretariat Director, Dagmawit Moges underscored the importance of mutual collaboration with development partners to ensure the gaps on preventive interventions to avert crisis and instability are strengthened, as well as the deployment of prompt and sustainable responses whenever crisis emerge on the continent.

She stated, “our Agreement today reaffirms the intertwined nature of peace and development.  Without peace and security, we cannot have sustainable development and we will not make much progress in poverty eradication. Similarly, without sustainable development we cannot adequately prevent conflicts. By signing this Agreement, it is our commitment to strengthen our efforts and synergy in timely crisis-alleviating measures such as early warning parameters and the deployment of durable conflict resolutions and post-conflict reconstruction measures when need arises”.  The Director placed greater emphasis on silencing the guns in Africa for durable peace and inclusive development to bolster Africa's development goals in order to achieve Agenda 2063.

The African Union Peace Fund is in the final stages of operationalization. The funds are set to be utilized for the first time in 2023 on several programmes including interventions in the Sudan crisis, the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), and East African Community Regional Force. Read more here.

The Supplementary Agreement strengthens the existing partnership between the African Union Commission and WFP in other areas of cooperation including humanitarian affairs, emergency preparedness, and response, post-conflict recovery; rehabilitation of infrastructure and economic and social recovery; food security and agriculture; and fight against poverty and hunger.