By: GOSHU MELISEW
The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) has launched a 10-year Advocacy Strategy for Peace and Stability in the Horn of Africa, spanning from 2023 to 2033. The Horn of Africa continues to grapple with a complex web of challenges, marked by instability.
Election-related violence, fueled by deep political divisions, has shaken both governments and communities. Climate-driven conflicts, including droughts, floods, and resource scarcity, have further exacerbated tensions over land and water. These crises have created a volatile environment, threatening peace and development across the region.
In response to these challenges, the AFSC and Brot für die Welt (Bread for the World) have introduced this decade-long advocacy strategy, with key stakeholders gathering in Addis Ababa to discuss its implementation. The strategy incorporates five key pillars: evidence-based advocacy, inclusion, transitional justice and healing, good governance, and climate and environmental justice.
Christoph Schneider, the Regional Representative of Brot für die Welt (Bread for the World) , highlighted that the strategy was designed to address numerous irregularities in the Horn of Africa. Advocacy groups stressed that the inclusion of marginalized communities is critical to ensuring lasting peace in the region. They further emphasized that since peace building is a long-term process, regional governments must prioritize peace and stability to effectively implement the strategy.
Moses Chasieh, Director of the Horn of Africa Regional Advocacy and Policy Program, described the strategy as a holistic approach to securing peace. Various civil society organizations and stakeholders participated in discussions on peace, underscoring that the development and implementation of the advocacy strategy will be closely monitored.