Assembly/AU/3 (X) Page 4 Djibouti, on 2 and 3 November 2007. The representative of Botswana co-chaired a working group on capacity building relating to peace support operations and acted as rapporteur to the plenary meeting. It should be recalled that the Africa Peace Facility (APF) was established by the European Union (EU), at the request of the AU Assembly, with a total financial envelope of € 300 million drawn from the 9th European Development Fund (EDF), to fund peace support operations conducted under the authority of the AU. Several AU-led peace support operations have been supported thus far by resources from the APF. 16. Furthermore, Cameroon, in its capacity as the Chairperson of the PSC for the month of January 2008, participated in the Brainstorming Retreat between the AU and the Regional Mechanisms for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution, in the promotion of peace, security and stability in Africa. The Retreat took place in Algiers, Algeria, on 5 and 6 January 2008. The objective of the Retreat was to consider the state of cooperation and agree on ways and means of strengthening and deepening the partnership between the two sides in order to promote peace, security and stability in our Continent, in conformity with the relevant provisions of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) Protocol. 17. The Retreat considered the draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the area of Peace and Security between the AU, the Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms, elaborated by the Commission within the context of Article 16 of the PSC Protocol. The MoU will be signed during the January 2008 AU Summit in Addis Ababa. More generally, the Retreat afforded an opportunity to take stock of the progress made in the establishment of the African Peace and Security Architecture. It reviewed the state of peace and security on the Continent, as well as the electoral tensions and disputes that frequently characterize electoral processes in Africa. The Retreat also discussed the funding of peace support efforts in Africa, stressing the need for Member States to contribute more significantly to the funding of the activities undertaken at regional and continental levels. The Retreat adopted a Declaration and requested that this document be brought the attention of the Assembly, for information and action as appropriate. The Declaration is, therefore, herewith attached. v) Briefings by Chairpersons of the PSC to the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) 18. Within the spirit of the Conclusions of the Dakar PSC Retreat on Working Methods, the PSC introduced a practice whereby the Chairperson of the PSC for each month briefs the PRC, at the end of the month, on the activities undertaken by the PSC during the month. Notably, the successive Chairpersons of the PSC for the period under review, briefed the PRC on the activities undertaken by the PSC during each month. VI. STATUS OF PEACE AND SECURITY 19. This part of the Report provides an overview of the conflict and post-conflict situations addressed by the PSC and/or the Commission during the period under review. It should be read in conjunction with the section of the Commission Activity Report on Peace and Security matters which is more detailed.