Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for EAC and Northern Corridor Development Hon. Peter Munya graces EAC High Level Retreat on Mediation, Negotiation and Dialogue in Mombasa, Kenya
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 12th June 2018: Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of East African Community and Northern Corridor Development, Hon. Peter G. Munya, has said that Mediation, Negotiation and Dialogue remain the most prominent of the tools that exist in the international architecture for resolving conflicts and disputes.
He said in Africa, mediation, negotiation and dialogue processes had been used in several instances with degrees of success, citing several case studies including the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement for Burundi of August 2000; end of apartheid rule in 1992 in South Africa which was a result of negotiations and dialogue; the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement in South Sudan; the 2008 Global Political Agreement of Zimbabwe, and the peace agreement reached after the disputed elections in Kenya in 2007.
Hon. Peter G. Munya said this on Tuesday 12th June when officiating and giving a keynote address at the four-day High Level Retreat themed Reflections on Experiences, Best Practices and Lessons Learned in Mediation, Negotiation and Dialogue Processes in Mombasa, Kenya.
The Cabinet Secretary noted that the theme of the Retreat was a powerful indicator that though EAC may encounter conflicts and disputes in the pursuit of the integration agenda, the Community had chosen the path of mediation, negotiation and dialogue to resolve such differences.
“The High Level Retreat speaks to the priorities of the African continent, which include a call to action to strengthen peace and security architecture. Through this Retreat, EAC, together with other key stakeholders will encourage a culture of reflective practice on mediation, negotiation and dialogue processes,” asserted Hon. Munya.
The Guest of honour observed that the adoption of the Constitutive Act of the African Union in 2002 was important in shifting from the norm of non-intervention of OAU to that of non-indifference. “Indeed, Africa became very decisive and proactive in placing its role on the global peace and security agenda and this has contributed to the continent being increasingly recognized as an active player and a key partner in maintaining global peace and security”, affirmed the Cabinet Secretary.
At the same occasion, the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Political Federation, Mr Charles Njoroge informed the delegates that the Retreat was part of a series of capacity-building initiatives undertaken by the EAC Secretariat to strengthen its role in preventive diplomacy and mediation roles through its Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution (CPMR) Mechanism.
He disclosed that a number of measures had been put in place over the past ten years in the region to define a framework for durable Peace and Stability and these include conclusion of a Protocol on Peace and Security, a Protocol on Cooperation in Defence, a Protocol on Foreign Policy Coordination, a Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution Mechanism; which provides for Early Warning, Preventive Diplomacy, Peace Support Operations and a Peace Fund to support all these initiatives.
The EAC Official commended the European Union (EU) and the African Union (AU) for their support and ECOWAS, COMESA, IGAD, SADC for allowing the EAC to learn best practices from them.
The Deputy Secretary General also disclosed that the EAC was currently in the process of negotiating two key enablers to the stability of the region i.e. the EAC Mutual Defence Pact and a Rapid Peace and Security Decision Making Mechanism and noted that the conclusion of these two will place the EAC Region in a pedestal to contribute in a timely and effective manner to responding to Peace and Security challenges the region may be exposed to.
Her Excellency Dr. Specioza Wandira, Former Vice President of the Republic of Uganda and Member of the AU Panel of the Wise; the Right Hon. Justice Joseph Sinde Warioba, Former Prime Minister and Former Chief Justice of the United Republic of Tanzania; Representatives from the African Union and Regional Economic Communities; Members of the EAC Mediation Standing Group Resource; Religious Leaders; Peace and Security Academicians; Political and Senior officials from the Partner States and the EAC Secretariat are attending the Retreat.