On 08-09 October 2026, the Founder and Executive Director of ACCORD, Dr Vasu Gounden, participated as a resource person at a Consultative Forum hosted by the African Union (AU) on Strengthening the Functional Performance of the AU’s Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) in Abuja, Nigeria.
The Forum brought together policymakers, practitioners and experts to reflect on the growing peace and security challenges facing the African continent and to develop recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of APSA.
Africa is currently facing a sharp rise in instability and complex conflicts across its five regions, with terrorism becoming an increasingly pervasive threat. The traditional peace and security architecture established when the AU was formed is under growing strain due to the speed, multiplicity and evolving nature of contemporary crises. Fragmentation, severe underfunding and intense geostrategic competition have further challenged the ability of existing mechanisms to effectively respond to emerging threats.
In response to these realities, the AU Assembly mandated the development of recommendations to reinvigorate the functional performance of the continent’s peace and security architecture, with a particular focus on mediation and preventive diplomacy, counterterrorism, early warning and response, and peace support operations.
As part of the 2-day consultation, Dr Gounden served as a panellist during Session 1 titled “Rebooting Africa’s Peace and Security Architecture in an Era of Fragmentation and Normative Collapse.” The session explored how multilateralism is under increasing pressure amid a retreat from international law and normative frameworks, and examined the implications of global fragmentation on Africa’s peace and security landscape. Discussions highlighted the urgent need for Africa’s peace and security architecture to adapt to a rapidly changing global and continental context.
Dr Gounden joined a distinguished panel comprising Dr Donald Kaberuka, AU High Representative for Financing the Union; Dr Mohamed Chambas, AU High Representative for Silencing the Guns; Ms Hanna Tetteh, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Libya and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya; and H.E. Ambassador Ahmed Rufai Abubaker, former Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The Forum provided a platform for dialogue, fresh thinking and the development of innovative, high-impact recommendations for consideration by the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government in January 2027. The outcomes are expected to contribute to strengthening the effectiveness, responsiveness and sustainability of Africa’s peace and security architecture in addressing current and future challenges across the continent.
