Mr Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, Special Representative of the Secretary General and Head of the United Nations Office to the African Union,

Mrs Niagale Bagayoko, Chair of the African Security Sector Network (ASSN),

Mr Sean Tait, Director of the African Policing Civilian Oversight Forum,

Dear all other Representatives of Specialized Think Tanks partnering with the AU Commission on SSR ,

Distinguished international partners,

Dear colleagues,

Ladies and gentlemen,

1. It is my pleasure to welcome you all to this Fourth Africa Forum on Security Sector Reform (SSR).

2. As you are all aware, Security Sector Reform (SSR) remains a vital component of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) and is recognized as an essential precondition for good governance, conflict prevention, post-conflict reconstruction, and peacebuilding.

3. SSR also constitutes a critical pillar in the collective efforts to “Silence the Guns” and to build the peaceful and secure Africa envisioned under Aspiration 4 of the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

4. This Fourth Forum comes at an opportune time, coinciding with the Fifth Edition of the African Union Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD) Awareness Week.

5. The Awareness Week offers a valuable platform for the exchange of experiences, best practices, and lessons learned in PCRD and peacebuilding, particularly in security governance, which is one of the key pillars of the AU PCRD Policy, originally adopted in 2006 and revised in 2024 to better respond to the evolving needs of our people.

6. The (re)establishment and strengthening of the capacity of national security institutions, through Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) and Security Sector Reform (SSR), remain core priorities of the AU PCRD Policy.

7. The critical role of effective DDR and SSR in peacebuilding paved the way for the adoption of the AU Policy Framework on SSR by the 20th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union, held in January 2013.

8. The AU Policy Framework on SSR mandates the AU Commission to provide comprehensive implementation support to Member States, including facilitating a continental platform for dialogue and the exchange of national SSR experiences.

In line with this mandate, the Commission convened the First Africa Forum on SSR in November 2014, followed by the Second Forum in October 2018, and the Third Forum in October 2022, all held at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa.

9. The theme of this Fourth Africa Forum, “The Role of Security Sector Reform/Governance in Conflict Prevention: Focusing on a People-Centered Approach” builds on the continuity of security governance initiatives that the AU Commission remains strongly committed to advancing, while providing a valuable opportunity to further explore and deepen this critical subject.

10. It is recalled that the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union, at its 1278th meeting held in May 2025 on AU Support to Member States on SSR, underscored the importance of people-centered and gender-responsive approaches to security governance.

11. The Council further emphasized the need for Member States and RECs/RMs to map formal and informal networks, including hybrid actors and processes that influence decision-making, to build trust and confidence among national security actors.

12. Such efforts are essential for more responsive SSR implementation and for preventing conflicts before they escalate into violent atrocities that undermine social cohesion, an unfortunate reality in some regions of our continent today.

13. The theme of this Forum provides a timely opportunity to share experiences from diverse contexts on how to operationalize the guidance of the AU Peace and Security Council. It encourages reflection on how decentralized security governance, together with the engagement of traditional and other non-state actors, who have for centuries served as vital pillars of social cohesion in African communities, can contribute to conflict prevention and the consolidation of peace.

14. It is expected that this forum will provide guidance on the way forward to reinforce the complementarity of efforts between top-down and bottom-up approaches regarding SSR and Governance processes to bridge the gap between policy and practice in security governance.

15. On behalf of the African Union Commission, I wish to extend my sincere appreciation to the esteemed Member States Representatives and Experts who accepted our invitation to participate in this important Forum. Your commitment to sharing experiences and lessons learned significantly contributes to advancing the principle of finding African security solutions to African security challenges.

16. Our gratitude also goes to the United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU), the African Policing Civilian Oversight Forum (APCOF), and the African Security Sector Network, Just Future (ASSN–JF) for co-organizing this Forum and for their continued partnership.

17. We also express our thanks to all specialized think tanks partnering with the AU Commission, and to all our partners for their tireless efforts and steadfast collaboration in supporting the implementation of the AU Security Sector Reform Policy Framework.

18. I look forward to receiving practical conclusions from this Forum, which will enable us to provide enhanced technical and material support to Member States in advancing security governance initiatives that respond concretely to the needs of their populations and strengthen human security.

I thank you all.

 

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