The African Union Commission (AUC) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have announced the launch of the Africa Facility to Support Inclusive Transitions (AFSIT).
Development Diaries reports that the launch happened on the sidelines of the fifth African Union Mid-Year Coordination Meeting, in Nairobi, Kenya.
AFSIT, it is understood, aims to provide support to countries undergoing complex political transitions and countries at risk.
In its report on Managing Political Transitions in Africa, the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) stated that elections in Africa have been shown to be violent about 25 percent of the time.
The report also stated that political transitions – ranging from elections to peace agreements after civil war – have often served as triggers of violence.
In a UNDP statement issued in May 2023, AU member states reiterated a zero-tolerance stance against unconstitutional changes of government.
They also called for collective action in developing a robust mechanism for deepening democracy and collective security in Africa.
‘AFSIT is a practical and pragmatic mechanism that is geared towards boosting the capacity of all actors in the democratic governance space’, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Bankole Adeoye, said.
‘It is a Facility to capacitate those who will stand as watchdogs for democracy’.
The AU noted that the primary objective of AFSIT is to assist in the development of credible, inclusive and legitimate transition roadmaps, mechanisms and institutions, ultimately leading to the restoration of constitutional rule, democracy and stability in relevant countries.
In a UNDP statement issued in May 2023, AU member states reiterated a zero-tolerance stance against unconstitutional changes of government (UCG). They also called for collective action in developing a robust mechanism for deepening democracy and collective security in Africa.
Photo source: UNDP
