Assembly/AU/6(XVI) Page 6 IV. PROGRAMMATIC ACTIVITIES 22. The Year of Peace and Security was not only about symbolic and outreach activities. It also included substantive efforts aimed at ending conflicts and sustaining peace and security. In my January Report, I highlighted some of the areas where the Commission intended to invest further efforts, in order to achieve tangible results on the ground. Within this framework, a number of initiatives were undertaken. These include the following: (i) AU High-Level Retreat on the Promotion of Peace, Security and Stability in Africa 23. At the initiative of the AU Commission, and within the framework of the 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 first of its kind, 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), with the objective of giving further impetus to the efforts aimed at bringing to an end the scourge of armed conflicts and political crises on the African continent and consolidating peace where it has been achieved. It brought together senior officials and Special Envoys/Representatives of the AU, the RECs/RMs, the United Nations, the European Union, the League of Arab States, the International Organization of La Francophonie and the Organization 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 the month of August 2010, also participated in the meeting. 24. During the meeting, the participants 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 violence and disputes, with their potential to undermine the democratization processes underway on the continent; (iii) peace, justice and reconciliation and the need to ensure that these three objectives are pursued in a holistic and mutually reinforcing way; (iv) disarmament, demobilization and reinsertion, as well as security sector reform, which should be designed to suit local conditions and whose successful completion is critical to the consolidation of peace; (v) management of natural resources and wealth sharing; and (vi) challenges linked to the implementation of peace agreements. 25. The participants also reviewed the situations on the ground, identifying the challenges being faced, as well as how to strengthen current efforts to advance peace, security, stability and reconciliation. Particular attention was paid to: (i) Somalia, Sudan (Darfur, implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement -CPA and democratic transformation) and other related issues; (ii) the Great Lakes Region and countries