“The Fourth African Union (AU) High-Level Retreat on the Promotion of Peace, Security and Stability in Africa was held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire on 29 and 30 October 2013 under the theme ’50 Years of peacemaking in Africa: A critical retrospective of OAU/AU peacemaking’. This report aims to provide an entry point through which practitioners can further delve into peacemaking trends in Africa, based on past interventions, best practices, experiences shared, lessons learnt and future projections. Accordingly, it highlights the role of the AU in conflict prevention, management and resolution, while touching on its pertinent operational instruments and frameworks which are being implemented to enhance the body’s mediation capacity. These include the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Mediation Support and the Knowledge Management Framework (KMF) for Mediation Processes. Ultimately, this report refocuses discussions on the bigger picture painted by the AU’s quest to realise a war-free Africa by the year 2020. The objective of hosting the retreat was to provide a platform through which to foster greater understanding among stakeholders of the dynamics of mediation and conflict transformation in Africa, and to reflect on the AU’s Agenda 2063 and other related peace and security priorities.”
