Let me congratulate Ato Mulugeta Gebrehiwet of IPSS and Dr Buttera of UPeace Africa Office (both at AAU) as well as their colleagues on this wonderful initiative:

"As indicated above, making and sustaining peace and security in Africa is also an intellectual challenge and requires efforts to build the capacity of African universities and research institutes. Taking up this challenge, the Commission has, jointly with the Institute of Peace and Security Studies (IPSS), Addis Ababa University, embarked on a project aimed at bringing together a number of academic institutions on the continent to provide advanced training and undertake applied research in the area of peace and security, with the view to strengthening the capacity of the AU, the RECs and other relevant stakeholders in the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts."

Article 36 - Report of the Chairperson of the Commission on the Year of Peace and Security in Africa,

Executive Council, Sixteenth Ordinary Session, 25 - 29 January 2010, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia