The new partnership for Africa's security: The United Nations Regional Organisations and future security threats in Africa: seminar report.

Pursuant to its vision and mission objectives of promoting peaceful conflict resolution in Africa, the Centre for Conflict Resolution (CCR) Cape Town. South Africa. In collaboration with the Friedrich Ebert Sifting (FES) Offices in South Africa and Mozambique, and the United Nations Foundation (UNF) office in New York; Organised a three day policy seminar from 21-23 May 2004 in Cape Town. The meeting focused specifically on the interrelated and vexing issues of political instability in Africa and international security. Participants deliberated the merits of institutional reform of the United Nations (UN) a pivotal actor in Africa’s security architecture- and considered a possible restructuring of its relationship with the African Union (AU) and Africa’s sub-regional organizations. Specifically the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Seeking practical solutions and policy recommendations to these problems, participants discussed these issues based on a solid historical foundation and concrete case studies.From the deliberations during the Cape Town seminar. It became clear that African conflicts have many causes, which have roots in economic, political and religious processes, as well as ethnic divisions. The lack of social development and poverty are indeed the major causes of conflict on the continent, and in order to offset this, there is a pressing need for large – scale investment in human resources. At a political level. the “winner – takes all election system in many parts of Africa and the luck of democratic accountability also contribute to tensions and conflict. A long-term solution to African conflicts and the building of durable peace requires that the root causes of these conflicts be urgently addressed. A wide range of policy recommendations was proffered by participants at the Cape Town seminar for consideration by the UN High Level Panel set up in November 2003 by UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, to assess present and future security threats and to deal collectively with these threats. Contained herein is a summary of these recommendations – the Cape Town Declaration of the New Partnership for Africa’s Security (NEPS)-their rationale and possible ramifications. In contrast to the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), which was devised by Africa’s Heads of State. NEPAD’s, NEPAS is a civil society-driven process that seeks to define a new division of labour in Africa’s security and governance architecture and to complete NEPS’s efforts in the development field.Africa and the United Nations In addition to discussions on the UN and Africa’s regional organisations, participants at the Cape Town meeting expressed concern over the new American doctrine of the unilateral, pre emptive use of force. They deliberated on related threats to present and future security that are posed by weapons of mass destruction (it was noted that the five permanent members of the UN Security Council–the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France, now possess the largest stockpiles of these weapons) International terrorism, and International organised crime. The institutional reform of the UN Security Council, as well as the relationship between the UN, the African Union, and Africa’s subregional organizations was a recurrent theme of the seminar. It was felt that Africa needs stronger and more permanent representation on the 15–Member UN Security Council. On which the continent currently has three seats which rotate among African states. Effecting change in the UN General Assembly and the Security.