Introduction
The Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS) of Addis Ababa University is a prominent institute for higher education, research and policy dialogues on peace and security in Africa. Established in 2007, it ranks among the top 50 think tanks in Sub-Saharan Africa according to the 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 Global Go-To Think Tank Index Reports. IPSS was also selected as the Centre of Excellence for Post Conflict Societies by the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) in 2017. Moreover, the Institute runs the Africa Peace and Security Programme (APSP), a joint initiative with the African Union, which is mandated by the African Union’s Executive Council to take up the intellectual challenge of finding African-led solutions to peace and security in Africa.
It is in this framework that the Journal on African-Centered Solutions in peace and security (AfSol) was launched by the Institute in 2016. The Journal is an inter-disciplinary African studies Journal focusing broadly on the fields of peace and security in Africa. It covers the interface between ‘academia and practice’ and ‘theory and policy’ in African societal and governance issues that have implications on the management of peace and security in the continent such as the current Covid-19 and the Ebola outbreaks.
Background
In December 2019, China witnessed the emergence of a novel coronavirus identified as the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 with its attendant illness as coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). Within weeks, the virus had spread across the country and to other parts of Asia, Europe, Africa, and the United States. This led the World Health Organization to declare Covid-19 as a pandemic on March 11, 2020.
It is too early to assess the economic, societal and political implications of Covid-19 in Africa. However, we also know that conflict-affected countries like Mali, Nigeria, Libya, Somalia, and South Sudan among others have all reported cases of Covid-19. On February 13, 2020, the African Union’s Peace and Security Council noted that the Covid-19 outbreak could constitute a threat to peace and security on the continent. In the economic realm, the kickoff of AfCFTA, which was due to come into effect on 01 July has been postponed. Moreover, the pandemic has not only disrupted electoral agenda in some of the countries on the continent such as Ethiopia, Gambia, South Africa and Botswana but the responses strategies like the state of emergency, curfews and the banning of bazaars are not also without risks for the democratization process. Therefore, there is an urgent need to engage a critical debate about the linkages between health security, peace and development in a continent already hosting states with multiple layers of fragility. It should be highlighted that health was identified in the 1994 Human Development Report as one of the seven core elements of human security. Though topics like climate change, food security and water security among others have received attention in academia and policy circles, how health security relates to peace and development still needs further scrutiny.
It is against this backdrop that this special volume of the AfSol is intended to provide a platform for intellectual exchange on the thematic area. It seeks papers from researchers, policy analysts, and practitioners working on issues at the intersection of health security, peace and development in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Objectives
This Special Edition of the AfSol Journal aims at bringing an interdisciplinary group of scholars and practitioners interested in producing academic papers on health security, peace, and development in Africa. The editorial team welcomes submission along but not limited to these topical areas:
- Pandemics and social cohesion
- Lessons from previous epidemics (Ebola Crisis)
- Public communication in times of pandemics
- Social media and Covid-19
- The role of ICTs during pandemics
- Public perception of pandemics
- The Humanitarian implication of pandemics
- Health security, education and youth.
- Pandemics and cross border trade
- Pandemics and public authority
- Traditional authorities and the management of public health in rural communities
- The securitization of public health in Africa
- Peace operations in times of pandemics
- Pandemics and elections in Africa
- Pandemics and human rights
- Innovation during pandemics
Proposed Timeline
- 31 August 2020: Submission of 1st draft
- 1 September – 14 September 2020: Completion of peer-review process
- 15 September – 2 October 2020: Final revisions by authors
- 3 October 2020: Submission of final drafts
Application Instructions
Interested applicants are expected send an article between 7,000 and 9,000 words including references and annexures (if any) with a clear subject line [Submission: Title of article] to the email address: journalsubmission@ipss-addis.org . Papers for this special edition should be submitted no later than 31 August 2020 for the expected date of publication in October 2020.