High-level Symposium on Peace and Development Problems of Conflict in Africa

1. Background

The end of the Cold War has brought a new international political and economic era. While we have witnessed healthy new trends through political and socio-economic reforms in some African countries, such as democratization, national reconciliation and renewed efforts for nation-building, as demonstrated recently in the Southern African region, other countries have been suffering from increased and persistent internal conflicts which are generating a flow of refugees out of their national boundaries, and are hindering the stability and development of surrounding countries. The nature of these internal conflicts extends from ethnic conflicts to civil strifes and political instability. There is a great need to prevent the occurrence of such conflicts, to tackle properly and timely the root causes of conflicts, and to restore stability and security if development is to take place. The Tokyo Declaration which was successfully adopted at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in October 1993, underscored this imperative, and stated in its paragraph 27 that "stability and security are prerequisites to sustainable development".

The international community, including the United Nations, has been active in management and resolution of conflicts in Africa and has increasingly been paying attention to the prevention of conflicts. A number of initiatives have been undertaken including the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution established in 1993 by the Organization of African Unity, the primary objective of which is the anticipation and prevention of conflicts.

It is against this background that the Government of Japan, the United Nations and the United Nations University are planning to hold a "High-Level Symposium on Peace and Development: Problems of Conflict in Africa" in cooperation with the Organization of African Unity (OAU), UNESCO, UNHCR, the United Nations 50th Anniversary National Committee of Japan, the Global Coalition for Africa (GCA), the International Peace Academy (IPA) and the Yomiuri Shimbun Company. The High-Level Symposium is not only a direct follow-up action to TICAD but also an important event in the celebration of the 50th and 20th anniversary of the United Nations and the United Nations University respectively.