China: Experts discuss paths to bring peace and stability in Africa

Titled as "Humanitarian-Development-Peace: Joint Action towards a Better Future in Africa", the event brought together around 50 experts from the Chinese authorities, African embassies, think tanks, academia, development banks and humanitarian organizations.

Building on the momentum of the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), the roundtable seeks to foster in-depth discussions on the pressing security and humanitarian challenges in Africa and to generate broader reflections on how humanitarian and development actors could collaborate more effectively to contribute to peace and stability in the continent. 

Balthasar Staehelin, Personal Envoy of the ICRC President to China and Head of ICRC Regional Delegation for East Asia, in his opening remarks provided a global humanitarian picture where the world is facing heightened turbulence with 120 armed conflicts and a particularly dire humanitarian situation in Africa.  

“Africa is facing the challenges caused by complex drivers such as conflicts, climate change, health hazards, particularly in protracted conflicts, making collaboration within the humanitarian-development-peace triple nexus essential to prevent service collapse and adapt to conflict pressures.” said Staehelin.

Patrick Youssef, ICRC Regional Director for Africa who is on a visit to China, in his keynote address briefed the participants about the current humanitarian situation in the continent including Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia. He updated the audience about ICRC’s efforts to address some of the pressing humanitarian challenges in the continent. Concluding his remarks, Patrick stressed, "To achieve the right synergy between humanitarian, development and peace, we have to work together, including and especially with the people affected by war.”

During the panel discussion chaired by Balthasar Staehelin, H.E. Siyabonga Cyprian Cwele, Ambassador of the Republic of South Africa, Yuan Wu, associate researcher from the Security Research Division of China-Africa Institute, Yuan Xiaohui, Deputy Director of the Institute of West Asian and African Studies of Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, Wang Jinjie, Deputy General Secretary of Peking University Center for African Studies, Ma Hanzhi, assistant researcher from the department of Developing Countries Studies of China Institute of International Studies and Patrick Youssef, engaged in thoughtful reflections and debates on key humanitarian and development challenges facing Africa. They delved into the root causes behind prolonged humanitarian crises and discussed the operational difficulties faced by humanitarian organizations like the ICRC in addressing protracted conflicts while promoting sustainable solutions. 

The panel also elaborated on the specific efforts of China and African countries in advancing peace and development. Additionally, panelists deliberated on how humanitarian responses can align with broader peacebuilding and development initiatives and identified ways for principled humanitarian organizations to collaborate with Chinese and African partners.

The roundtable concluded with a reinforced emphasis to strengthening collaboration across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus. As the ICRC and its partners continue to address the multifaceted challenges facing Africa, events like this serve as vital platforms to foster innovative approaches and promote partnerships to find durable solutions for communities affected by conflict and instability.