HL/Retreat/YoPS.Decl.(I) Annex 3 Page 1 CAIRO CALL FOR PEACE 1. At the initiative of the African Union (AU), and within the framework of the Year of Peace and Security (YoPS) programme of activities, a High-Level Retreat on the Promotion of Peace, Security and Stability in Africa took place in Cairo, Egypt, from 26 to 28 August 2010. The gathering aimed at giving further impetus to efforts to bring to an end the scourge of armed conflicts and political crises in the African continent and to consolidate peace where it has been achieved. 2. The Retreat was organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Cairo Centre for Training on Conflict Resolution and Peacekeeping in Africa (CCCPA) and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD Centre). It brought together senior officials and Special Envoys/Representatives of the AU, the Regional Economic Communities/Regional Mechanisms for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution, the United Nations, the European Union, the League of Arab States, the International Organization of La Francophonie and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, as well as representatives of the permanent members of the UN Security Council. Malawi, in its capacity as Chair of the AU, and Djibouti, Chair of the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) for August 2010, also participated in the meeting. 3. Our Retreat was energized by the common commitment to Make Peace Happen throughout Africa without delay. More specifically, we were motivated by the cry for peace emanating from the African people and the pledge made in Tripoli, a year ago, by the continent’s leaders, to deal, once and for all, with the scourge of conflicts and violence. The first of its kind, our Retreat represents an important high-level forum for reflection on the challenges of forging peace and security and holding ourselves accountable to our promises to help making peace a reality. 4. We applaud the important gains made over the recent years towards the promotion of peace, security and stability on the continent. This progress has been driven by African people and their leaders, with the support of international partners. At the same time, we remain gravely concerned about the continued prevalence of violent conflicts in different parts of the continent, with their attendant humanitarian, political and economic consequences, as well as the fragility of a number of countries that have recently emerged from conflict. We also note with deep concern the immediate threats posed by terrorism, drug trafficking, illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons, piracy and other associated scourges, such as illegal fishing and dumping of toxic wastes, and the long-term challenges arising from climate change and enduring poverty. 5. In the course of our deliberations, we devoted particular attention to cross-cutting issues relevant to conflict prevention and resolution and peace-building. These included: (i) unconstitutional changes of government, bearing in mind the renewed determination of the AU to effectively address this scourge through a “zero tolerance” policy for coups d’état, as well as for transgressions of democratic norms whose repetition and persistence could lead to unconstitutional changes of government; (ii) election-related