The 2018 Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa (Tana Forum 2018)

EVENT: The 2018 Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa (Tana Forum 2018)
THEME: “Ownership of Africa’s Peace & Security Provision: Financing & Reforming the African Union“
DATE: April 21-22, 2018
VENUE: Hawassa, SNNPR, Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA–The Board of the Tana Foundation has chosen the theme for the 7^th Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa (“Tana Forum 2018”), set to take place on 21-22 April 2018 in Hawassa, Ethiopia. The theme: “Ownership of Africa’s Peace and Security Provision: Financing and Reforming the African Union” was carefully chosen by the 9-member board. The Secretariat, based at the Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS) of Addis Ababa University, is the organizing arm of the Tana Forum.

About the theme

The application of the principle of ownership in the field of peace and security faces many difficulties as local stakeholders might lack the sufficient will or capacity for peace-building and state-building. Understanding ownership helps to strategically examine the roles and functions of external actors in the goals of peace-building and state-building. Ownership has acute political significance when presented in the context of relationships between power-holders and others; between developed countries and developing countries; and between Western states and non-Western states.

In this regard, the role of the African Union (AU) is particularly vital. In a rapidly changing global policy environment, there is a clear need for more powerful and effective AU institutions that have the capacity to assume strong ownership on continental and global matters. The AU has a heavy and ambitious agenda that includes, among others, peace and security, trade liberalization, food security, the sustainable use of natural resources and energy, climate change and migration. These activities have resulted in the development of several reform initiatives, such as the new AU financing agenda. These reforms aspire towards a global peace and security architecture where Africa takes primary responsibility for its own region, as opposed to the status quo where there is a heavy dependence on external partners and actors.

Background documents on the theme and information about upcoming pre-forum activities will be released in the coming months. Visit the Forum’s website www.tanaforum.org for regular updates about Tana Forum 2018.

Source: Tana Forum
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