Peace, Security and Stability within the Africa Region

Governance	Peacekeeping  Mechanisms	Human Rights and       Equal Opportunities

Among the main principles of the Abuja treaty establishing the African Economic Community are the peaceful settlement of disputes amongst member states and the promotion of peace as a prerequisite for economic development. The African Union, established the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, and Resolution in 1995.

Though limited, recent initiatives reinforce the potential for Regional Economic Communities to serve as vectors for peace and stability in their communities. Such efforts deserve all the support that can be mustered to consolidate, expand, and strengthen them.

Objective principles for peace and security include:

• Establishing and strenghtening mechanisms for the timely prevention and resolution of intra-state and interstate conflicts
• Promoting peace, security and stability among member states
• Fostering peaceful coexistence and good neighbourliness
• Encouraging peaceful settlement of disputes
• Advancing good governance, including principles of democracy, rule of law, accountability, transparency,social justice and promotion and protection of human rights and equal opportunities
• Adhering to the fundamental rights defined in the 1948 universal declaration of Human rights and the 1981 African Charter on Human Rights and People's rights.

Efforts By Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to foster Peace, Security and Stability

Regional economic communities have begun to establish formal institutional frameworksand to develop peacekeeping mechanisms.  Peacekeeping mechanisms in some Regional Economic Communities (RECs) are relatively new or evolving. Each of the links below, tracks the developments in and of peacekeeping mechanisms withinthe regional Economic Communities (RECs)

	Arab Maghreb Union (AMU/UMA)
	Community of the Sahel-Saharan States (CENSAD)
	Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA)
	East African Community (EAC)
	Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS)
	Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
	Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD)
	Southern African Development Community