Provisional Program of Work for the Month of December 2019

Program of Work

Date | December 2019

Angola assumes the role of the monthly chairpersonship of the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) for the month of December. Prepared under the leadership of Angola’s Permanent Representative to the AU, Ambassador Francisco José Da Cruz, the provisional program of work includes some five substantive sessions, including one country specific session and a ministerial meeting.

The monthly PSC program of work starts with the ministerial meeting that will be held from 4‐6 December in Luanda under the theme ‘National Reconciliation, Restoration of Peace, Security and Rebuilding of Cohesion in Africa’. The meeting is expected to provide a platform to discuss countries’ experience in national reconciliation and in building inclusive and stable societies. Non‐PSC member states are also expected to participate at the ministerial meeting.

On 10 December the PSC will consider the two reports that will be presented to the Assembly in February 2020: the draft Report on the Activities of the PSC and the State of Peace and Security in Africa and the Draft Report on the Implementation of the AU Master Roadmap on Silence the Guns in Africa by 2020. On the same day the PSC will consider and adopt the Provisional Programme of Work of the PSC for January 2020.

On 12 December the PSC is expected to be briefed on elections in Africa. Following that, the PSC will hold a session in preparation to the High Level Seminar on Peace and Security in Africa. The annual seminar, which is planned to take place in Libreville in January 2020, is expected to look at the relationship between the PSC and the three African members in the UNSC, the A3.

The PSC will be briefed on two agenda items on 13 December. First, it will receive a briefing on the situation in Somalia and African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) activities. The last time the PSC held a meeting on Somalia and AMISOM was on 7 August 2019. The session scheduled on 13 December will be part of the quarterly reporting and review mandated by the communiqué of 848th session of the PSC.

During the second session of the day, the Council is expected to be briefed on Conflict Prevention, Early Warning and Mediation in Africa. This presents an opportunity for the AU Peace and Security Department to present to the PSC its horizon scanning briefing on changes to existing conflicts or new emerging conflict situations.

From 16‐19 December, the Military Staff Committee of the PSC will attend the 12th Ordinary Meeting of the Specialized Technical Committee on Defence, Safety and Security and the 15th Meeting of African Chiefs of Defence Staff and Heads of Safety and Security, in Cairo. In addition to these agenda items, the provisional program of the month also envisions in footnotes a possible briefing on the situation in Sudan, meetings of the Committee of Experts and Military Staff Committee for which the dates are yet to be set.


Provisional Programme of Work for the Month of November 2019

Program of Work

Date | November 2019

For the month of November 2019, Algeria will assume the role of chairing the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC). The provisional program of work of the PSC for the month envisages about seven substantive sessions, two of which will be open sessions. The Council will also be having a
retreat during the month.

On 5 November, the monthly programme of work of the PSC will start with an open session on Living Together in Peace, an agenda adopted by the UN General Assembly Resolution 72/130. On the same date, the PSC may consider a briefing on the situation in Guinea Bissau. It is to be recalled that the PSC had initially scheduled a meeting on 29th October and was postponed a day before its convening.

The PSC is scheduled to have a retreat on the AU Peace Fund in Addis Ababa on 7 and 8 November. The retreat is expected to bring clarity on the mechanisms in which contribution will be made to
the Peace Fund by member states and on ways of its utilization.

On 11 November, a briefing by the Office of the Peace Building Commission of the UN Political Affairs Department to the PSC is expected to take place. The following day, on 12 November, the PSC is scheduled to address two agenda items. The first one is the interactive session with the AU Commission. The PSC held its first interactive session in September and may use this space to strengthen coordination with the relevant departments of the Commission. The second agenda will focus on the preparation for the High‐ Level Seminar on Peace and Security in Africa expected to be held in Libreville (Gabon) on 16 and 17 December 2019.

On 14 November, the Council is scheduled to have three of its sessions for the month. The first one will be a briefing on the situation in South Sudan. This session is taking place two days after the deadline of the formation of the transitional government in South Sudan. The second session will be a
preparatory meeting for the PSC Ministerial Meeting taking place in Luanda in December 2019. The presentation of the provisional programme for December 2019 is scheduled as the last item for deliberation scheduled for the day.

The second open session of the month is scheduled to take place on 15 November and will be convened under the theme ‘Youth, Peace and Security in Africa’. It is to be recalled that the last PSC session on this agenda took place in November 2018. From 20 to 26 November, PSC members will attend the AU‐League of Arab States Partnership Summit. The last session scheduled to take place on 28 November has two agenda items. The first agenda item is expected to consider the renewal of the mandate of Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF). The second is on the preparation for the PSC Ministerial Meeting taking place in December 2019. In addition to these agenda items, the provisional program of the month also envisions in footnotes a meeting of the Committee of Experts, and a meeting of the Military Staff Committee, all of which are to be confirmed during the course of the month.


Provisional program of work for the month of October 2019

Program of Work

Date | October 2019

Liberia will take over from Morocco the role of being the monthly chairperson of the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) for the month of October. The provisional program of work for October, prepared under Liberia, includes six sessions with substantive agenda, a preparatory session, an informal joint seminar and the 13th annual consultative meeting between the PSC and the United Nations (UN) Security Council (UNSC). No open session is scheduled for this month.

On 7 October the PSC will convene a preparatory session focusing on two joint annual consultative meetings. The first concerns the 12th annual consultative meeting between the PSC and the European Union (EU) Political and Security Committee, the 4th informal joint seminar, and their joint planned filed visit. These are all expected to take place in November. The other focus of the preparatory meeting is the 13th annual consultative meeting of the PSC and the UNSC and the 4th informal joint seminar. Hosted by the PSC, the informal seminar and the consultative meeting are scheduled to take place in Addis Ababa on 23rd and 24th October respectively.

The second session of the month taking place on 8 October is expected to focus on consideration of the report of the AU Commission Chairperson on Post‐Conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD). It is to be recalled that consideration of this report was initially scheduled for 29 May 2019. The session is expected to take stock of the state of operationalization of the PCRD Policy as well as its institutional structures. It will also present the activities undertaken in supporting peacebuilding in countries in transition and regional stabilization efforts.

On 10 October, the PSC is expected to receive a briefing from Smail Chergui, the Commissioner for Peace and Security, and Jean‐Pierre Lacroix, the UN Under Secretary‐General for Peace Operation, on their joint mission to the Central African Republic and Sudan, expected to take place during 6‐9 October 2019.

The next session is on 15 October covering two agenda items. The first is consideration of the report of the Chairperson on South Sudan. After the initial deadline of 12 May 2019 for the formation of the government of national unity was unmet, a decision was taken to extend this timeline to 12 November 2019. This session presents an opportunity for the PSC to review the progress being made in the implementation of the peace agreement and the prospects for the formation of the government of national unity in the light of the first face to face meeting between President Salva Kiir and the leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement‐In Opposition (SPLM‐IO) Riak Machar on 9 September 2019. The second agenda item of the session focuses on follow up on the preparation for the 4th informal seminar and the 13th annual consultative meeting between the PSC and the UNSC.

On 17 October the PSC is scheduled to hold a session commemorating the 19th anniversary of UNSC Resolution 1325. It is one of the occasions for the PSC to review the women, peace and security thematic agenda but within the framework of Resolution 1325. On 21 October, the provisional program of work envisages that the PSC will have a session to consider the situation in Darfur and the activities of UNAMID. Apart from reviewing recent developments, this is an opportunity for the PSC to consider how the AU can help the plan of the new government of Sudan under Prime Minister Abdela Hamdok including the announcement he made on 6 September on the formation of a committee tasked with the responsibility of laying down the ground work for the constitution of a Peace Commission.

The 4th informal joint seminar of the PSC and the UNSC is scheduled to take place on 23 October. This is expected to address three thematic issues including financing of peace and security in Africa and silencing of the guns. The following day on 24 October, the PSC and the members of the UNSC are expected to hold their 13thannual consultative meeting. The focus of the consultative meeting would be country situations including Libya and South Sudan.

On 29 October, the PSC is scheduled to have the last session of the month. The agenda of the session is to consider the Report of the Chairperson of the Commission on Counter‐terrorism in Africa.

In addition to these agenda items, the provisional program of the month also envisions in footnotes meetings of the Committee of Experts and of the Military Staff Committee. Also, in footnotes is a briefing on the situation in Sudan that has yet to be confirmed.


Provisional program of work for the month of September 2019

Program of Work

Date | September 2019

Morocco assumes the role of the monthly chairpersonship of the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) for the month of September. The provisional program of work includes some seven meetings, which includes two open sessions, one country specific session and a ministerial meeting on the margins of the UN General Assembly.

On 3 September the PSC is expected to hold its first session of the month and it will consider three agenda items. First, the PSC is expected to interact with the AU Commission particularly the Departments of Peace and Security and of Political Affairs. Second is the initial preparatory meeting for the PSC ministerial session on the margins of the 74th UN General Assembly in New York. Third, the PSC is also expected to adopt its program of work for the month of October.

The first open session of the month is scheduled to take place on 5 September. Convened as part of commemorating the annual Amnesty month, the open session is expected to discuss the ‘Progress
made on the implementation of the AU Master Roadmap on Silencing the Guns by 2020: challenges and perspectives, with a particular focus on the Security Sector Reform (SSR) in Africa.’

The second open session of the month is expected to be held on 10 September. It is expected to focus on climate change and its impact on island states in Africa. On the same day, the PSC is expected to hold a preparatory meeting for both the annual joint AU PSC and EU Political and Security Committee meeting and AUPSC and UN Security Council meeting.

On 12 September, the PSC will consider two agenda items. In the first part of the session it is expected to receive an update on the situation in the Central African Republic with the particular focus on transitional justice. In the second agenda, the Council is scheduled to receive a briefing on mediation and prevention of conflicts in Africa.

The following day on 13 September the PSC is expected to have a session with three agenda items. First it will consider the return of foreign terrorist fighters and the threat to peace and security in Africa. Following this, it is expected to consider the report of the AUC Chairperson on the harmonization of the ACIRC within the ASF. And lastly it will have a review of the preparation for the ministerial meeting of the PSC expected to take place on the margins of the UNGA.

The 74th session of the UNGA is expected to take place from 17-29 September and on the 25 September the PSC will hold a ministerial meeting on the ‘Interdependence between peace, security and development: towards a pact of collective responsibility’.

The last session of the month will be held on 30 September. The agenda of the session is the fight against the recruitment of children in armed groups in Africa.

In addition to these agenda items, the provisional program of the month also envisions in footnotes a videoconference of the PSC Troika with the Chair of the Security Council in preparation for the annual consultative meeting between the PSC and the UNSC. Moreover, meetings of the committee of experts and military staff committee are also expected to take place in the course of the month.


PSC provisional program of work for August 2019

Program of Work

Date | August 2019

For the month of August 2019, Zimbabwe will assume the role of chairing the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC). Prepared under the leadership of Zimbabwe’s Permanent Representative to the AU Albert Chimbindi, the provisional program of work of the PSC for the month envisages some six sessions. The sessions have thematic focus including one open session planned for the month.

On 6 August, the monthly PSC program of work starts with the open session of the month on ‘Natural and Other Disasters and Peace and Security in Africa: Beyond the Normative Frameworks’. This puts spotlight on the role of the PSC with respect to humanitarian action and its operationalization. On the same day, the PSC is expected to consider and adopt the draft provisional program of work for the month of September 2019.

On 8 August the PSC is scheduled to hold the annual consultative meeting with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR). This is in line with the protocol establishing the PSC, which under Article 19 requests the PSC to establish close working relationship with the ACHPR.

The third session of the month taking place on 13 August is expected to review the institutional relationships and partnerships between the AU Commission, non-African states and/or organizations and their impact on the implementation of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) and the African Governance Architecture (AGA).

The following day on 14 August the PSC is expected to consider the state of foreign military presence in Africa particularly the implications on the implementation African Common Defense and Security Policy. There have been instances in which concerns have been expressed in the AU on the militarization of some parts of the continent with the presence of foreign military bases, particularly the Horn of Africa and the Sahel.

On 20 August the PSC is scheduled to have three agenda items. First it will deliberate on the cooperation, coordination and collaboration of the AU PSC and Regional Economic Communities/Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs) on Peace and Security Related Matters on the Continent. It may be recalled that the PSC had its inaugural meeting with the peace and security decision-making organs of RECs/RMs in May. Since then, at the Niamey summit the AU has adopted detailed framework for division of labour between the AU, RECs and member states.

The second agenda item is the monthly update on the harmonization of ACIRC into the ASF Framework. Finally, the PSC will receive a briefing from SADC on the Construction of SADC Standby Force (SADC SF) Regional Logistic Depot (RLD).

The last session of the month is expected to be held on 22 August which will be a brainstorming session on the concept of popular uprisings and how it impacts peace and security on the continent. In addition to these agenda items, the provisional program of the month also envisions in footnotes a briefing on the situation in Sudan that may be added in the course of the month.


PSC provisional program of work for July 2019

Program of Work

Date | July 2019

For the month of July 2019, Togo will assume the role of chairing the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC). The provisional program of work of the PSC for the month envisages some six sessions including three preparatory meetings and two open sessions. During the month there is also a planned PSC mission to the Gambia. Other than those indicated in the footnotes, the provisional program provides for one country/regional situation during the month.

Given the ongoing AU-RECs coordination meeting taking place in Niamey, in the first two weeks of the months there are no planned sessions. The PSC is scheduled to hold its first session of the month on 16 July on the state of implementation of the decisions of the Lomé Summit on Maritime Security and Safety held on 15 October 2016. Among others, this will look into the development of Annexes to the African Charter on Maritime Security, Safety and Development in Africa. It is to be recalled that the last PSC session on maritime security and peace and security took place in March.

The following day on 17 July, the PSC will hold the first open session of the month on the protection of civilians against the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. The PSC held its last session on protection of civilians at its 755th session.

On 18 July the PSC is expected to deliberate on two agenda items. First it will consider the Mapping Study on Illicit Arms Flows in Africa prepared by the Commission. It is worth noting that this is one of the major priority areas identified as part of the AU Master Roadmap for Silencing the Guns. In the second agenda item, the PSC is expected to receive the monthly briefing on the harmonization of the ACIRC into the ASF Framework.

On 22 July, the PSC is scheduled to have four agenda items. These include three preparatory meetings: for the Mission to The Gambia, for the Joint AU PSC-UNSC and AU PSC-EU meetings. The fourth and substantive agenda item of the session involves consideration of the state of the AU Liaison Office in Liberia.

The second open session of the month is scheduled to take place on 23 July on sexual violence in armed conflicts in Africa. On July 25 the PSC will hold the last session for the month of July and will consider two agenda items: the situation in Mali and the Sahel and preparatory meeting on its mission to the Gambia.

From 29-31 July the PSC is scheduled to undertake a field mission to the Gambia. The PSC reviewed the situation in The Gambia at its 844th session when another West African member state, Nigeria, was chairing the PSC. In addition to these agenda items, the provisional program of month also envisions in footnotes additional items that may be added in the course of the month. These include update on two country situations in Sudan and DRC.

Additionally, the Committee of Experts and Military Staff Committee may also convene their meetings.


PSC provisional program of work for June 2019

Program of Work

Date | June 2019

For the month of June 2019, Sierra Leone will assume the role of chairing the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC). Prepared under the leadership of Sierra Leone’s Permanente Representative to the AU Brima Patrick Kapuwa, the provisional program of work of the PSC for the month adopted on 7 May envisages some nine sessions. These includeeight closed sessions and one open session.Two of the closed sessions will focus on two country situations. During the month there is also a planned PSC retreat.

On 4 June, the monthly PSC program of work starts with a session deliberating on two agenda items. The first is the preparation for the African Amnesty month within the context of the AU Master Roadmap to Silence the Guns by the Year 2020 and building momentum for the effective implementation of the Agenda 2063 goals. Among others, this is expected to review the state of continental and regional efforts for effectively addressing illicit movement of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW), one of the major drivers of conflict in Africa.

The following day on 5 June the committee of experts will meet to engage in preparatory works for two planned PSC activities. The first preparatory meeting is on PSC retreat that is planned to take place in Rabat, Morocco in the last week of June and is expected to work on the agenda and working documents of the retreat. The other is the preparation for the 13th Annual Joint Consultative Meeting with the UN
Security Council.

On 6 June, the PSC is scheduled to have two agenda items. It will have the first country specific session on the situation in Guinea Bissau. As a major country of concern for West Africa it was initially on the agenda when Nigeria was chairing the PSC, however the session could not be held. Guinea Bissau is brought back on the agenda for June under Sierra Leone. The PSC is expected to receive update on the political stalemate in the country following the March 2019 parliamentary election that prevented the formation of a new government, exacerbating the existing precarious political and socio-economic situation.

The second agenda of the day is a briefing on elections in Africa. This is the periodic briefing that the AU Department of Political Affairs regularly presents to the PSC. It is expected to give update on elections held since the last briefing and on the upcoming elections. On 11 June, the PSC will have its second session on a country situation, focusing on South Sudan. This will focus on the steps being taken and challenges faced in the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement, including where the process for the formation of the national unity government stands.

On 13 June, the PSC will deliberate on three agenda items. First, it will consider the renewal of UNAMID mandate which will end on 30 June. The session is expected to provide clarity on the kind of conditions under which the mandate will be renewed in the context of the contested transition under way following the military coup in Sudan. Subsequently, building on the preparatory work of the committee of
experts undertaken earlier in the month, the PSC willconsider two preparatory activities, namely the preparations for the 13th Annual Joint Consultative Meeting with the UNSC and for the PSC retreat expected to take place in Rabat at the end of the Month.

On 14 June, the PSC is expected to receive and consider the report of the Chairperson of the AU Commission on the implementation of Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development Policy, including the institutional and operational developments.

The one open session of the month is planned to take place on 20 June to commemorate the African Refugee Day. It is expected to be held under the theme ‘Advancing Refugee Protection in Africa in the Context of Human Rights’. The operationalization of the African Humanitarian deliberations.

On 21 June, the PSC will receive an update on the AU peace support operations doctrine and the monthly briefing on the harmonization of the ACIRIC within ASF.

After the retreat from 24-26 June, the last activity of the month will take place on 28 June on the briefing by the Chairperson of the PSC to the PRC on the activities of the PSC during the
month of June. In addition to these agenda items, the provisional program of the month also envisions in footnotes additional items that may be added in the course of the month. These include the three-week update by the Chairperson of the AU Commission on the situation in Sudan. Additionally, meeting of the Military Staff
Committee may also take place.


PSC Program of Work for the Month of May 2019

Program of Work

Date | 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.


PSC program of work for April 2019

Program of Work

Date | April 2019

The Peace and Security Council’s (PSC) provisional program of work for the month of April, under the chairmanship of Nigeria, envisages some eleven sessions. There will be nine closed briefings (including two country specific updates) and two open sessions.

On 2 April, the monthly PSC program of work starts with a session where the Military Staff Committee considers the report of the Office of the Legal Counsel on the review of all legal frameworks between African Union Commission and African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises (ACIRC). This will be followed by the first open session of the month, which will convene on 3 April with focus on prevention of the ideology of hate, genocide and hate crimes in Africa. It is to be recalled that as part of the annual commemoration of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, the PSC held a session on this thematic issue exactly a year earlier in April 2018 during its 761st session. On 4 April the PSC will hold a sensitisation session on international disarmament with focus on the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (Ottawa Treaty) and Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

The following week, on 9 April the Council will meet to discuss on two agenda items. The first agenda will be on counter terrorism and violent extremism in the Lake Chad and the Sahel regions. This will have a focus on strengthening AU support to the Multinational Joint Task Force (MJTF) and G5 Sahel Joint Force. The second session will consider the renewal of the mandate of the G5 Sahel Joint Force.

The second open session of the month is scheduled to take place on April 16 with a focus on children
affected by armed conflicts in Africa. This is in line with the decision of the 21st Ordinary Executive Council Session held in Addis Ababa in June 2012, EX.CL/Dec.712 (XXI) in which it requested the PSC to take into consideration the rights of the child in its agenda and to actively work with the African Committee on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.

On 17 April, the PSC will have a session on a proposal towards the practical utilization of the AU Peace Fund (in support of conflict prevention and mediation; capacity building and AU Peace Support Operation). This follows the launch of the revitalized Peace Fund on 17 November 2018 to which AU member States have contributed $89 million as at January 2019. On the same session, the PSC is expected to adopt the provisional program of work for the month of May.

The following day on 18 April, the PSC will have a briefing session on durable solutions to internal displacement in Africa with a specific focus on humanitarian action through the incoming African Union Humanitarian Agency (AUHA). This thematic focus resonates with the rising challenge of displacement and falls under the AU theme of the year.

On April 23, the PSC will have a session on the evolution of the working methods of the PSC and next steps on the reform of the PSC as an AU organ. The second session aims to finalize and adopt the draft conclusion of the PSC retreat focusing on the reform of the PSC and African Peace and Security Architecture study held in Cairo, Egypt, October 2018. The other event that is anticipated to take place on this day is an informal lunch meeting hosted by the chairperson of the month, Nigeria, to have a discussion on the enhanced role of the PSC subsidiary committees. At various times, the PSC provided for the establishment of various subcommittees including the committee of experts, the military staff committee, the sub-committee on terrorism, the sanctions committee and the committee on post-conflict reconstruction and development.

On April 25, the Council is expected to receive a joint briefing on transnational organized crime, peace and security in Africa by the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services in Africa (CISSA), AU Mechanism for Police Cooperation (AFRIPOL), International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC). The second session of the day is expected to provide the regular briefing on the update on the operationalization of the African Standby Force (ASF) Harmonization of ACIRC and legal framework/doctrine.

On the last week of the month on April 29 there will be a briefing on the progress of the Security Sector Reform in the Gambia. The second agenda of the day will emphasize on updating the Council on the situation in Guinea Bissau. As the last session of the month, on April 30, the Council is expected to discuss the preparation for the 13thAnnual Joint Consultative Meeting (AJCM) with the UNSC and the 12th AJCM with the EUPSC.

In addition to these agenda items, the provisional program of the month also envisions to have two additional items in the course of the month. The first will be a presentation of the report on the visit by the Military Staff Committee of the AU to Continental Logistics Base in Douala, Cameroon. The second item aims to focus on a briefing on AU Country Structural Vulnerability and Resilience Assessment (CSVRA)- Consolidating conflict prevention in Africa.


PSC Program of Work for the Month of March 2019

Program of Work

Date | March 2019

Kenya assumes the role of the monthly chairpersonship of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) for the month of March. The provisional program of work includes five main sessions on substantive issues including one country specific update and one open session. During the month, the PSC is scheduled to undertake a field mission and convene an induction retreat with the newly elected and returning PSC members.

The March PSC program of work starts on March 4thwith a briefing on the situation in Somalia. The second agenda item for the day is dedicated for the preparation of the field mission to South Sudan taking place on March 5-8.

After the four day field mission to South Sudan, the PSC will convene on March 12 to adopt the provisional program of work for April and to prepare for the induction of the PSC new members. It is to be recalled that at the recently concluded African Union (AU) Summit, three new members namely Lesotho, Burundi and Algeria have been elected to join the PSC and two, Kenya and Nigeria have been reelected for another term. The new members are expected to commence their three-year term in the PSC on 1 April. They will however start attending the PSC meetings from March 18.

On March 14 the PSC is scheduled to have a briefing on the proliferation of small arms and light weapons and its impact on the AU plan for Silencing the Guns in Africa by the Year 2020.
This theme forms a major part of the AU Master Roadmap for Silencing the Guns by 2020.

The only open session of the PSC is planned on March 19 and it will focus on the role of women in conflict prevention and post-conflict peace building. The meeting will receive a briefing from the Special Envoy of the AU Commission Chairperson on Women, Peace and Security as well as from AU member states, representative of RECs, UN, non-AU member states and civil society organizations.

On the same day, the PSC will again discuss the preparations for the induction of the PSC new members scheduled to take place by the end of the month.

The next PSC session is scheduled for March 21, where the Council is expected to receive a briefing on the nexus between maritime security, safety and development of the blue economy in Africa. The session is expected to examine the link between peace, security and development within the context of maritime domain and the overall Africa’s economic growth. The session may receive briefings from the Commission in line with instruments such as the existing Charter on Maritime Safety and Security and Development in Africa adopted in October 2016 and the 2050 Africa’s Integrated Maritime Strategy (2050 AIMS) adopted in 2014.

On March 26 the PSC will have a monthly update on the implementation of the harmonization of ACIRC into the ASF in line with the PSC decision of its 821st meeting held on 9 January 2019. The PSC tasked the Chair of the month and the Commission to provide monthly updates on the harmonization until July 2019. The Commission is also expected to report on the completion of the harmonization of ACIRC within the ASF by February 2020 at the Ordinary Session of the Assembly.

In the last week of the month, on 27-30 March the induction of the PSC new members is scheduled to take place in Zanzibar.

In addition to these agenda items, the provisional program of the month also envisages in footnotes three items that may be added in the course of the month. The first is the meeting of the committee of experts which the exact dates are yet to be confirmed. The second one is the briefing by the Chairperson of the PSC to the PRC on the activities of the PSC during the month of March. The last footnote provides the timeline for the visit of the Military Staff Committee to the Continental Logistics Base in Doula, Cameroon, on 19-22 March.