CPPF Activities: Africa

2009

  • Sudan referendum, September 2009 (New York):An informal meeting on the 2011 Sudan referendum with comparative lessons learned from similar efforts in Eritrea, Timor-Leste, the Balkans, and Western Sahara.
  • Democratic Republic of Congo, September 2009:A paper on the politics of decentralization in Bandundu Province.
  • Democratic Republic of Congo, August 2009:A paper on the history of the Bundu Dia Kongo (BdK) movement in Bas Congo.
  • Democratic Republic of Congo, August 2009: A paper analyzing the mediation efforts at the Inter-Congolese Dialogue at Sun City.
  • Southern Africa, May 2009 (Cape Town):The second of two informal brainstorming sessions on the region’s capacity for conflict prevention and mediation and entry points for UN engagement in the region.
  • Democratic Republic of Congo, March 2009: A paper on lessons learned from “rule of law” programs in other peace operations that might be applicable or adapted to the situation in the DRC.
  • Burundi, March 2009: An informal consultation in advance of the Technical Assessment Mission (TAM) to Burundi to discuss a series of activities in support of peacekeeping operations.
  • Guinea, March 2009 (New York): An informal briefing and paper on current political developments in the Republic of Guinea and possible entry points for the United Nations following the December 2008 Coup.
  • Burundi, February 2009: A paper on Security Sector Reform (SSR)/Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) and the election process in Burundi.
  • Western Sahara, February 2009 (New York): A briefing for the incoming Special Representative of the Secretary General on Western Sahara.
  • Democratic Republic of Congo, January-March 2009: A series of informal consultations with the UN Mission in the DRC (MONUC) and the UN-AU mediation team.
  • Sudan, January 2009 (New York): An informal meeting on United Nations engagement in Darfur.

2008

  • Southern Africa, December 2008 (New York): The first of two meetings to discuss cross-cutting regional issues that threaten peace and security in Southern Africa and opportunities and priorities for UN engagement in the region.
  • Burundi, December 2008: A paper on the Burundi peace process and South African foreign policy.
  • Burundi, November 2008 (New York): An informal briefing to bring together the Burundi teams in the UN Department of Political Affairs (DPA), the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), and the UN Peacebuilding Commission (PBC).
  • Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), November 2008 (New York): A meeting convening leading experts on the DRC and high-level UN representatives to discuss the continued presence of the Forces Democratiques de Liberation du Rwanda (FDLR), in the DRC.
  • Sudan elections, October 2008 (New York): A meeting on the possible role of the United Nations in upcoming Sudan elections, held as a follow up to a CPPF meeting held in February and in preparation for a Policy Committee meeting on Sudan in November.
  • Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), October 2008 (Kinshasa): A meeting to assess long-term and strategic focus on United Nations engagement with the DRC and the Great Lakes region timed to coincide with a high-level visit to the region.
  • Zimbabwe papers, October-December 2008: A series of papers on long-term socioeconomic and political developments in the region.
  • Burundi, May 2008 (New York): A meeting to assess the peace process, timed to coincide with the New York visit of the Executive Representative of the Secretary-General of the UN Integrated Office in Burundi.
  • Sudan elections, May 2008 (New York): An internal stakeholder analysis to help the Under-Secretary-General of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations assess the viability and timing of elections in Sudan.
  • Central African Republic, May 2008 (New York): A meeting to examine the peacebuilding challenges in CAR, held one day prior to the departure of the Peacebuilding Support Office mission to the country.
  • Greater Horn of Africa, April 2008 (New York): A meeting to help generate a shared analysis across UN staff at headquarters and the field of the regional dynamics of various conflicts in the region.
  • Sahel, March 2008 (New York): A meeting to explore the nexus between climate change and conflict in the Sahel in anticipation of a high-level visit to the region.
  • Sudan, February 2008 (New York): A meeting to discuss the renewal of the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Sudan and options for the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

2007

  • Sudan, November 2007 (Addis Ababa): An informal consultation to address challenges facing the UN in Sudan in the medium and long term.
  • Guinea-Bissau, October 2007 (New York): A consultation to identify priorities for peacebuilding, in the context of a possible Security Council referral of Guinea-Bissau to the UN Peacebuilding Commission.
  • Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), July 2007 (Kinshasa): A consultancy for the UN Development Programme (UNDP)/Kinshasa by a former minister and decentralization expert from Mali.
  • Horn of Africa, July 2007 (New York): A meeting that followed the discussion of Sudan held the previous day (see below) with analysis of the conflicts between Ethiopia and Eritrea and in Somalia in the context of regional dynamics.
  • Sudan, July 2007 (New York): A consultation to address questions related to the future development of Sudan, including the elections and referendum foreseen for 2009 and 2011, respectively.
  • Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), May 2007 (New York): Following on from the April workshop, a meeting that sought to identify priorities for the United Nations in the wake of elections in the DRC.
  • Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), April 2007 (Kinshasa): A workshop to assist the United Nations Mission in the DRC (MONUC) to assess the risks and opportunities for decentralization.
  • Chad/Central African Republic (CAR), January 2007 (New York): A consultation to analyze options for UN engagement in Chad and the CAR, held one day prior to a Secretariat briefing of the Security Council.
  • Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), January-July 2007 (Ituri, DRC): A public opinion survey on attitudes towards justice and reconciliation in Ituri commissioned in consultation with the UN Mission in the DRC (MONUC) from a Congolese partner.
  • Sudan, January-June 2007: A series of papers commissioned from Sudanese and other experts on the prospects for peace in Sudan.

2006

  • West Africa, October 2006 (Dakar, Senegal): A two-day workshop to discuss peace consolidation and cross-cutting challenges in the region, jointly organized with the United Nations Office for West Africa (UNOWA).
  • Darfur, Sudan, July 2006 (New York): A two-day consultation to assess the lessons learned from the peacemaking effort that led to the Darfur Peace Agreement of 5 May 2006 and the challenges facing its implementation.
  • Somalia, July 2006 (New York): A consultation to assess the dramatic changes that took place in Somalia in the first half of 2006, and the prospects for international efforts to facilitate a political settlement.
  • Sierra Leone, June 2006 (Freetown): A two-day meeting organized in partnership with the UN Integrated Office in Sierra Leone (UNIOSIL) and the government of Sierra Leone to analyze the complexities of peace consolidation in Sierra Leone.
  • Sudan/Eritrea, May 2006 (New York): An informal meeting that sought to further understanding of Eritrea’s internal political dynamics, as well as the domestic and regional implications of its relations with Sudan.
  • Cote d’Ivoire, March 2006 (New York): A meeting to assess the prospects of the peace process in Cote d’Ivoire.
  • Chad, Sudan and the Region, February 2006 (New York): A meeting that built on CPPF’s earlier work on Darfur to explore the complex dynamics between Chad and Sudan, and the relation they bore to the ongoing attempt to find a political settlement to the conflict in Darfur.
  • Democratic Republic of Congo, January-March 2006: A sequence of short thinkpieces on post-electoral strategy commissioned for the consideration of the UN Observer Mission in the Congo, MONUC.

2005

  • Burundi, November 2005 (Bujumbura, Burundi): An evaluation of the UN’s Office in Burundi, ONUB, conducted by CPPF’s Associate Director at the request of the UN’s Department of Peacekeeping Operations. 
  • Somalia, October 2005 (New York): Briefings to assess the post-election scenario and the challenges facing the transitional federal government.
  • Guinea, June 2005 (Dakar): A meeting to assess the country’s political dynamics and brainstorm among members of the international community on possible policy options.
  • Sudan, April 2005 (New York): A meeting to brief senior UN officials about to travel to Sudan on local, national and regional dynamics affecting the country and the challenges to implementation of the Naivasha accord.
  • Côte d’Ivoire, March 2005 (New York): Two briefing meetings, one for the new Special Representative of the Secretary-General on the current situation in Côte d’Ivoire and strategies for the UN mission and another for the Special Advisor for the Prevention of Genocide.

2004

  • Darfur, Sudan, December 2004-June 2005 (multiple locations): In collaboration with Justice Africa, commissioned research into different dimensions of the Darfur conflict for partners in the UN and AU.
  • Côte d’Ivoire, December, 2004 (New York): A meeting to assess prospects for a return to the peace process envisaged by the Linas-Marcoussis and Accra III agreements.
  • Darfur, September and November 2004 (New York): Linked meetings to analyze the evolving crisis in Darfur and its impact on wider Sudanese political processes, including the north-south negotiations.
  • Liberia, October 2004 (New York): A consultation among UN representatives, experts on Liberia and on other cases of post-conflict reconstruction to analyze key constitutional-legislative issues in the context of elections scheduled for 2005.
  • Democratic Republic of Congo, June 2004 (New York): The second of two meetings held on the state of the political transition and options for UN engagement in the DRC given ongoing instability in eastern Congo (Goma, Bukavu and Ituri) and Kinshasa, and attacks on the UN Observer Mission, MONUC.
  • Somalia, May 2004 (New York): A consultation to analyze the political context surrounding peace negotiations and the installation of a transitional federal government.
  • Youth Unemployment and Regional Crisis in West Africa, February 2004 (Dakar): An expert meeting in support of the UN Office in West Africa (UNOWA) that aimed to help develop strategies for addressing the relationship between youth unemployment and political instability by focusing on the inter-linkages of conflict, economy, and youth.

2003

  • Democratic Republic of Congo, April 2003 (New York): A meeting that brought together leading experts on the DRC and broader Great Lakes region from Africa, Europe, and North America and UN officials to examine short and medium-term trends and challenges to the peace process in the DRC.

"As a practitioner and policy-maker, I deeply appreciate CPPF’s role as a catalyst of dynamic debate and as a network builder. The events organized by CPPF provide useful for strategic level reflection -- a fundamentally important task which is often eclipsed by crisis management in peacekeeping settings."

-- Edmond Mulet, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations