Dr. Donald Kaberuka High Representative for the AU Peace Fund
The African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC) has endorsed its peace fund project proposal designed by Rwanda’s Dr. Donald Kaberuka.
The PSC is African Union’s decision-making body responsible for maintenance of continental peace and security. It is based in Addis Ababa – Ethiopia.
During the 27th African Union summit in Kigali last year, Dr. Kaberuka – a former President of African Development Bank and currently High Representative for the AU Peace Fund proposed the Union to institute a levy of 0.2% on eligible imports.
The money is meant to address financial challenges the African Union has faced since its inception.
From the levy, Dr. Kaberuka suggested that Africa’s five regions – North, South, East, West and Centre should raise $65 million per year each, a sum that is expected to increase to $ 80 million per region by 2020.
The money will be dedicated to financing 25% of the cost of African Union peace support operations.
At the meeting that endorsed his project on Tuesday, Kaberuka urged AU member states, to “make significant contributions; to show Africa’s readiness to Silence guns by 2020.”
Kaberuka’s Peace Fund concept has three windows, namely Preventive Diplomacy and Mediation, Institutional Capacity, and Peace Support Operations.
It also comprises non-financial aspects, including the decision-making process for seeking funding from United Nations assessed contributions for the remaining 75% of the cost of peace support operations, and the human rights and code of conduct compliance framework for Peace Support Operations.
During the AU PSC meeting, African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki told member states to “take financial ownership of their Peace and Security activities.”
Last year, Rwanda was elected to join the AU PSC which is made of 15 member states from across all the five regions of the continent.
Five members are elected to three-year term, and ten to two-year terms renewable in both cases.
The East African region is represented in the council by Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and Kenya.
Other members are South Africa, Togo, Zambia Sierra Leone, Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Niger, Egypt, Chad, Botswana and Algeria.
