The GPPAC Network in Southern Africa is coordinated by Regional Secretariat the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD). For more information on GPPAC in the region, contact:

Walter Lotze

c/o ACCORD 

Private Bag X018,

Umhlanga Rocks,

4320,

South Africa

Tel: +27 (31) 5023908
Fax: +27 (31) 5024160

e-mail: walter@accord.org.za

You can also visit the GPPAC section of ACCORD's website at http://www.accord.org.za/gppac/gppac.htm to read about the GPPAC process in Southern Africa in detail.

• November 2007: The GPPAC Global Action Agenda calls for greater engagement between civil society working for conflict prevention, and regional intergovernmental bodies. The Treaty of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) commits the organisation to involve key stakeholders, including civil society, in regional integration. GPPAC Southern Africa seized upon the opportunity provided by this convergence of objectives, and held exploratory talks with SADC representatives in November. Regular informal consultation was agreed upon, with a view to developing a formal partnership framework in the future. Please click here to read more about the meeting and outcomes.   

Compared to other regions in Africa; Southern Africa has enjoyed relative peace and stability. However, there are a number of issues, which pose limited yet unacceptable threats of violence. These conflicts are largely characterised by: internal political, social and economic disputes, regional conflict systems, the role of civilians as perpetrators and principal targets, humanitarian disasters and human rights abuses.

It is in this context that civil society and non-governmental organisations already exist and are co-operating within the region on issues related to peace and security. These valuable CSOs are important to the region as they represent a coalition meaningfully engaging governments in the region and building mutual trust for effective peace building and prevention of violent conflict.

The GPPAC initiative in Southern Africa locates itself within the regional setting as a timely and relevant project. The GPPAC process provides participating civil society organizations in the region with an opportunity to strengthen existing capacities to deal with unique challenges in the region. The process is also seen as a crucial step towards ensuring that issues of conflict prevention and the challenges that are faced by different regions are collectively shared at an international level in order to seek for and find joint solutions.

GPPAC Southern Africa is made out of a network of civil society organisations & individuals involved in conflict prevention and peace-building. The process, which is now in its third year, is led by a core group of networks and organisations referred to as the regional steering group. This fifteen member body draws representatives from each of the ten countries partnering on GPPAC Southern Africa.

The Southern African Regional Process for GPPAC got underway with a Regional Conference that was held in Pretoria, South Africa, from 16 - 18 February 2005, hosted by the Regional Initiator for Southern Africa, the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD). Forty-five civil society actors from ten southern African countries met under the theme, ‘Civil Society in the Prevention of Armed Conflict and Peace building in Southern Africa: Towards a Southern African Action Plan'.

The conference was aimed at providing an opportunity for different CSOs to dialogue on the specific challenges facing the region with regards to issues of peace and security, conflict prevention and peace building. The Conference culminated in the drafting of a Regional Action Agenda (RAA), which is a document that is meant to further the aspirations, visions and recommendations of CSOs on what needs to be done to address conflict prevention issues affecting the region. The RAA had a deliberate focus on issues of human security in the regions.

Through a participatory approach the conference was able to achieve consensus on broad and overarching issues and challenges facing the region, which formed part of the RAA. The issues and challenges identified included governance and constitutionalism; the proliferation of small arms; the scourge of HIV/AIDS which, among other things, affect the social foundations of a state; challenges of consolidating democracy and the respect for the rule of law in some countries; as well issues relating to poverty and food security.

Apart from the above, the RAA also contains specific recommendations for relevant stakeholders in the region such as, governments; the private sector; the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD); the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the United Nations (UN). One of the highlights of the conference was the presence of the representative of NEPAD Secretariat, who was able to engage with the participants on the work and progress that the NEPAD is making in the area of peace and security in the continent, as well as its focus on post-conflict reconstruction challenges in Africa.

The key outcomes of the conference were consensus on the key challenges facing southern Africa and the subsequent development of these into a RAA; and the nomination of a Regional Steering Group which is tasked with taking forward the GPPAC agenda in the region and to consider strategies for the implementation of the RAA. The process has been strengthened by the formation of this Regional Steering Group comprising of existing networks in the area of peace building and conflict prevention in the region as well as one CSO per country, which serves as country focal points. Among other things, the Regional Steering Group is engaged in measures aimed at identifying appropriate strategies to engage with relevant stakeholders, primarily governments and the UN system, around specific recommendations raised in the RAA.

Following the participation of the Southern African regional delegation in the GPPAC Global Conference at UN headquarters in New York in 2005, the regional network began the process of drafting its Regional Work Plan.

The Southern Africa work-plan builds upon the global framework in its efforts toward building a concerted regional process to prevent violent conflict arising out of issues specific to the region, and for broad based peace-building where appropriate.

Thus, through a unique application of the global framework, the region will address six broad areas which have and continue to contribute to regional instability and conflict. These areas are: Governance and Constitutionalism; Socio-economic Instability; Vulnerable Groups; Proliferation of Small Arms; HIV/AIDS

In working towards preventing violent conflict the region will seek partnerships with and between all relevant stakeholders, recognising the primary role of Southern African civil society in conflict prevention and peace building in the region. The approach is informed by an understanding that there is a need to build partnerships between the state and non-state actors in order to secure peace in the region. Partners include:- CSO's; Private Sector; Governments; NEPAD Secretariat; SADC; The African Union (AU) and the United Nations System.

The first phase of implementation of the (four year) work-plan will focus on building capacity of regional partners and ensuring the effective operation of the regional network which will hold the region in good standing to move forward with the conflict prevention agenda. The first year will also be used for conceptual refinement, research and strategy development for interaction with relevant stakeholders.

• Experts Meeting on Early Warning and Response Mechanisms

Work-plan conceptual frame: Early Warning and Early Response- Developing, strengthening and carrying out early warning and early response activities in relation to situations in critical danger of moving towards armed conflict

• Regional Meeting & United Nations International Day of Peace

Work-plan conceptual frame: Awareness Raising, Network Building, Advocacy and Interaction- Networking building in civil society and with other allies, to build allegiances and coalitions for effective joint action to prevent violent conflict.

• Production & Distribution of Regional Annual Newsletter, including dissemination of lessons learnt and recommendation from regional activities

Work-plan conceptual frame: Knowledge Generation & Dissemination and Awareness Raising