Addis Ababa, Ethiopia-19 March, 2024- The African Union Commission, in collaboration with key partners including JICA, UNESCO, and Education International, hosted a Symposium on the vital role of education in promoting peace and stability in the Sahel region. The symposium, themed around "Learning for lasting peace" took place on March 18, 2024, at the AUC Headquarters in Addis Ababa. The Symposium brought together AU Member states Ambassadors, senior officials from education, academics, UN agencies, diplomats, civil societies, and other stakeholders intervening in the Sahel region to share experiences, analyze the current situation, and suggest concrete actions for the future.

The Sahel region is currently experiencing significant challenges due to conflicts and instability. The Symposium was one of the spotlight activities in implementation of the roadmap for AU theme for 2024 where peace education is a pillar under objective 6 on promoting healthy and conducive learning environments.

Key Objectives of the Symposium were, among others, taking the Sahel region as an example, to raise awareness about the pivotal role of education in peacebuilding, to share best practices and success stories from other conflict-affected regions, to highlight challenges and opportunities for promoting peace and stability through education, and to establish networks and collaborations among stakeholders for enhanced knowledge sharing.

In his keynote address, H.E. Prof. Mohamed Belhocine, ESTI Commissioner mentioned that Education should break or rupture the societal conditions that lead to inequalities and violence. The path to lasting peace requires investments in addressing societal inequities and dismantling systems that perpetuate poverty and marginalization. It calls for political will and strong leadership committed to fostering dialogue and resolving conflicts peacefully.

Ms. Sandra Adong Oder, speaking on behalf of H.E. Amb. Bankole Adeoye Commissioner, PAPS, highlighted the endorsement of the AU post conflict and development policy building and sustaining peace by the Assembly in February this year 2024. She mentioned that this will expedite the implementation and realization of the four pillars notably 2 on security governance, 4 on social economic development, 7 on youth inclusion, and 8 on child protection. She added that these pillars resonate with the theme on education. 

H.E. Tsutomu Nakagawa, Ambassador of Japan to the African Union stated that Japan was committed to the promotion and improvement of the education sector in central and western Africa, including the Sahel region, notably through a financial support worth US$ 4.3 million.

Expected Outcomes of the Symposium were to increase awareness of the role of education in peacebuilding, establishment of networks among stakeholders, identification of best practices, and promotion of inclusive and equitable education systems tailored to the Sahel region. The Symposium also covered a range of themes, including the role of education in preventing conflict, promoting inclusive education, peace education in curricula, teacher training for peace education, higher education's role in peacebuilding, youth engagement in peacebuilding, utilizing technology for peace education, and delivering quality TVET for employment in the Sahel.

For further information, please contact:

Ms. Hiba Mohamed |

Advocacy Officer| Department of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation| African Union Commission| E-mail: hibae@africa-union.org| Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

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