Introduction

The African Union Commission (AUC), through the Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS), invites submissions for the third edition of the AU Journal on Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD).

As a flagship platform for policy-relevant research and dialogue, the Journal contributes to advancing knowledge and strengthening peacebuilding practice across the continent. Building on previous editions, the third volume focuses on the theme:

"Maritime Security and Peacebuilding in Africa."

This edition seeks to reposition maritime governance as a critical, yet under-integrated, dimension of peacebuilding, recovery, and resilience in Africa.

Strategic Context

Africa's maritime domain has become a key arena where security, governance, and development intersect. Coastal and maritime spaces across the continent continue to face complex threats, including piracy, trafficking, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, environmental degradation, and contestation over marine resources. These dynamics undermine economic growth, weaken state legitimacy, and exacerbate fragility, particularly in post-conflict and transitional contexts.

At the same time, evolving geopolitical dynamics and growing reliance on maritime trade routes-especially across the Red Sea, Gulf of Guinea, and Western Indian Ocean-have heightened the strategic importance of maritime security. The expansion of port infrastructure and maritime-land corridors has further positioned maritime domains as central to regional integration, including under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

These developments underscore the need to situate maritime security within the broader peace-security-development nexus, moving beyond narrow enforcement approaches toward integrated and sustainable peacebuilding strategies.

Conceptual Focus

This edition advances the view that maritime governance is not only a security concern, but a structural component of sustainable peacebuilding.

In particular, it highlights the importance of examining:

• The relationship between maritime insecurity and conflict dynamics.
• The role of governance deficits and illicit economies;
• The contribution of maritime systems to economic recovery and regional integration.
• and the potential role of local actors in shaping resilience and legitimacy.

Contributions are encouraged to critically assess how, and under what conditions, maritime governance can contribute to peacebuilding outcomes, including stability, institutional legitimacy, and socio-economic recovery.

Thematic Areas

The Journal invites interdisciplinary and policy-relevant contributions across the following priority areas:

1. Governance and Law
2. Socio-Economic Dimensions and Integration
3. Security and Conflict Dynamics
4. Peace Operations and Security Architectures
5. Local Resilience and Risk
6. Environment and Ecological Peacebuilding
7. Regional and Continental Frameworks

Please refer to the TOR for more specific information on the thematics.

Target Audience

The Journal targets policymakers, practitioners, academics, civil society organisations, and international partners engaged in peacebuilding, governance, and development in Africa and globally.

Type and size of contributions

• Full-length articles.
• Policy Papers.
• Debate Pieces.

-        Consult the style guide for more information.

Submission Guidelines

• Manuscripts should be 6,000 to 7,000 words, Policy papers should be 2000 - 3000 words, and debate pieces should be 800 -1200 words  (including bibliography)
• Include a 200- 300-word abstract and five keywords
• Font: Times New Roman, Size 12; single spacing; footnotes size 10
• Submissions must follow the AU PCRD Journal style guide

Important:

• All submissions will be screened using Turnitin. Papers with plagiarism or AI similarity scores exceeding 10% will be disqualified at the initial screening stage.

Publication Timeline:

The development phase of the Journal will span six (6) months (from May to October), covering conceptualisation, content development, publication, and launch.

• Call for Papers: 12 May
• Deadline for papers: 30 June
• Review and selection of Papers: 1 - 15 July
• Outcome of the submissions: 15 July

For selected papers

• First round review:1 - 14 August
• Submission of revised paper: 28 August
• Second round review: 1- 7 September
• Submission of final paper: 15 September

Paper submission:

Authors should submit their papers to Mr Adil El Badmoussi, Principal Policy Advisor on Peacebuilding, AU PAPS Department, via email: BadmoussiA@africanunion.org and copy Dawit Yohannes at dyohannes@issafrica.org and Emmaculate Liaga at eliaga@issafrica.org.

Authors should submit their papers no later than 15 June 2026, 17:00 EAT, with the subject line ‘3rd AU PCRD Journal.’

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