IPSS Policy Dialogues

Policy Dialogues is part of the African Peace and Security Programme (APSP), a joint collaboration between the IPSS, the African Union (AU), and GIZ. It is a platform for African leaders, stakeholders, and thought leaders to collaboratively engage in exploring and exchanging ideas on African-led solutions to security challenges. It also aims to contribute towards enhancing the capacity of the Peace and Security Unit (PSD) of the AU. As an institution mandated by the AU to find, define and discuss African solutions in peace and security, IPSS convenes various types of platforms on current or emerging peace and security issues in Africa including briefing sessions, lecture series, and indaba sessions.

Briefing Sessions

IPSS briefing sessions intend to draw attention to current or emerging peace and security issues and thus deepen policymakers’ understanding of peace and security in Africa. They aim to support the “intellectual challenge” of finding African-led solutions to peace and security issues on the continent. Furthermore, the briefing sessions, held in panel discussion formats, encourage policymakers to implement agreed-upon policies in their respective countries or regions (“from policy to practice”).

Lecture Series

IPSS Lecture Series aim to raise awareness in the academic community, especially students, on relevant peace and security issues in Africa. Lectures at IPSS involve an experienced academic or expert making a presentation on the topic of peace, security or development. Other types of lecture series include:

Book/Report Lecture Serie

The objective of the book or report lectures are to call attention to recent and relevant publications, released by individual authors or organizations, on specific peace and security issues in Africa and to foster academic debate and the exchange of ideas among the peace and security community in Addis Ababa.

Indaba Sessions

The expression of Indaba comes from the South African language Zulu and indicates an informal gathering of indigenous people to address a matter of concern for discussion. An IPSS Indaba Session involves the co-hosting of an event with an external organization. The main objective is to use the presence of prominent personalities or occasions in Addis Ababa as an opportunity to present their work to an interested audience. As a Pan-African think tank, IPSS is keen to host personalities willing to share first hand experiences related to the realm of peace and security, be it from an academic or a practical implementation side. The Indabas foster the intellectual debate and exchanges of ideas among the peace and security community and serve as an opportunity to invest in fruitful long-term partnerships for IPSS.