PSC Program of Work for the Month of May 2019

Automatic Heading TextDate | May 2019

Rwanda assumes the role of the monthly chairpersonship of the African Union (AU)
Peace and Security Council (PSC) for the month of May. The provisional program of work includes two country specific briefings and five sessions on thematic issues. During the month, the Military Staff Committee (MSC) and the Committee of Experts meetings are also scheduled to take place.

On 2 May the MSC is expected to meet with the Peace Support Operations Division (PSOD) to prepare the report on the challenges faced by AU-led Peace Support Operations (PSOs) and
on ways to address them. The following week on 7 May the PSC will meet to consider the renewal of AMISOM mandate which was renewed in July last year for a 10 month period and will be ending on 27 May. In May, the UN Security Council is also expected to meet under the presidency of Indonesia to extend the mandate of AMISOM. On the same day the PSC is expected to consider and adopt the draft PSC provisional program of work for the month of June.

On 9 May the PSC will consider the report of the AU Commission on the peace process in the Central African Republic and the implementation of the Peace Agreement. The AU led peace process has culminated in the signing on 6 February 2019 0f the agreement between the government of CAR and 14 recognized armed groups. This was followed by peace talks in Addis Ababa in March.

On 14 May the PSC is scheduled to have two agenda items. The fist is the consideration of the report prepared by the MSC and PSOD on the challenges faced by AU-led PSOs and on ways of addressing them. The second agenda item is the monthly report of the Commission on the harmonization of ACIRC within the ASF framework.

The second thematic session of the month is expected to take place on 16 May. The session will focus on mitigating the threat of health epidemics to peace and security in Africa with a particular focus on Ebola. This is within the framework of the PSC’s increasing interest on new forms of security threats with African Centre for Disease Control expected to provide briefing to the PSC.

The Committee of Experts will convene on 17 May for a full day consultation to consider the draft manual of the PSC working methods. The third thematic issue of the month focusing on another new form of security threat is expected to take place on 23 May. During this meeting the PSC will discuss mitigating the threat of cyber security to peace and security in Africa.

On 24 May, the PSC will have a session on the inaugural consultative meeting of the PSC and the peace and security decision-making bodies of the Regional Economic Communities/Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs). It is anticipated that this meeting will facilitate agreement between the PSC and the organs of RECs/RMs on mechanisms for consultations and coordination of actions in the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts in accordance with the conclusions of the September 2015 Abuja retreat of the PSC.

The last session of the PSC, scheduled to take place on 30 May, will consider the draft manual of PSC working methods. This is expected to bring together and presents the conclusions of the ten retreats of the PSC on its working methods in a format that will allow ease of reference and proper implementation.

In addition to these agenda items, the provisional program of the month also envisages in footnotes a few additional items that may be added in the course of the month. One such tentative item is the report of the military staff committee on the field mission to Duala, where the Continental Logistics Base is located. The second agenda item is the meeting of experts to finalize monitoring and evaluation framework for the master roadmap on Silencing the Guns in Africa. The Council plans to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the PSC, which is on May 25 however the date of the commemorative session is yet to be confirmed. The PSC is also expected to hold an interactive session with the AUC Chairperson.