African initiative pledges to support countries emerging from conflict

Abstract

As the AU Summit came to a close in Addis Ababa this week, African countries rallied under the banner, “Africa helping Africa” to pledge assistance to countries emerging from violent conflict and undergoing reconstruction. The initiative stems from a 2012 decision by African Heads of States to organize a pledging conference aimed at expanding intra-African collaboration and mutual self-help, and consolidating the notion of African solidarity. Speaking at the Conference, Carlos Lopes, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, hailed the initiative and said, “It is an encouraging signal that Africa is moving to the forefront of mobilizing support for post-conflict reconstruction and development in the continent.”