• 21st Executive Council Decisions - Available in English, Arabic, French and Portuguese

To download the documents, click here...

Only a Transformed ANC can Lead South Africa to Prosperity

Hamadziripi Tamukamoyo, Researcher, Crime and Justice Programme, ISS Pretoria

The 4th ANC National Policy Conference failed to provide clarity on the direction in which the party will be moving on a number of critical challenges facing South Africa. This is partly a consequence of weaknesses in the ANC leadership and the manner in which it is selected.

Read more...

Dealing with Causes of Chronic Displacement in the Eastern DRC

Sandra Oder, Senior Researcher, Conflict Management and Peacebuilding Division, ISS Pretoria

The cycle of violence and displacement in the eastern DRC has again spilled over to the region as refugees flee to neighbouring Uganda and Rwanda. What can be done to end this vicious cycle?

Implications of Another African Case as Mali Self-refers to the ICC

Ottilia Anna Maunganidze and Antoinette Louw,  Researcher and Senior Research Fellow,  Transnational Threats and International Crimes Division, ISS Pretoria

The decision by the government of Mali to refer the situation in the country has several implications for the country, Africa and the ICC

Read more...

Why Monitoring of the UN Convention Against Corruption Matters

Shahnaaz Parker, Programme Assistant, Corruption and Governance Division, and Hennie van Vuuren, Director ISS Cape Town Office

The UN Convention Against Corruption should include oversight by ordinary citizens. If not, it risks entrenching a situation where corrupt regimes are merely given a slap on the wrist behind closed doors and told not to loot again. 

Read more...

Independence not Providing Dividends for Women in South Sudan

Refiloe Joala and Sandra Oder,  Research Intern and Senior Researcher, Conflict Prevention and Risk Analysis and Conflict Management and Peacebuilding Divisions, ISS Pretoria

Despite South Sudanese women`s notable contribution to the liberation struggle, their position in current policy and development discourse is muted, resulting in deteriorating development conditions. 

Read more...

Policy Brief No 33: The Election of Dr. Dlamini-Zuma as AU Chairperson

The election of Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission was a surprise. Importantly, it brought to an end the electoral deadlock experienced during the January 2012 AU Summit between Dr Dlamini-Zuma and the incumbent, Mr Jean Ping. This brief considers the hard-won victory of Dr Dlamini-Zuma, its implication for the global image of African states and the prospect of the new AU Commission leadership being able to promote a more effective AU.

Read More...

Policy Brief No 32: Draft South African Defence Review 2012, The Dichotomy Between Ambition and Reality

This policy brief provides an analysis of the draft South African Defence Review 2012 released for public comment on 12 April 2012. It finds that this document does not meet the requirements of a comprehensive defence policy and in particular does not provide guidance on the resolution of the impasse between policy and funding in which the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) finds itself. The draft pronounces on a long-term vision for the capabilities of the SANDF without any clear reasoning on how it got there, and fails to address the SANDF`s short- to medium-term force development and employment priorities. It also fails to mainstream gender as a matter of high priority for the SANDF. The policy brief ends with recommendations about how these shortcomings should be corrected.

Read More...

ISS Seminar Report: Regional Dimensions Of Conflict In The Great Lakes Region

To facilitate this continued analysis, the Conflict Prevention and Risk Analysis division of the ISS (CPRA-Nairobi) organised this seminar to deliberate on the regional dimensions of conflict in the Great Lakes, with a focus on Burundi, the DRC, Rwanda and Uganda. The seminar came at the tail end of a larger Great Lakesproject that was supported by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. The 6-month project started with a regional workshop on the same theme in September 2011, followed by the production of various publications, including a report on the aforementioned workshop containing five thematic papers, a regional strategy paper, a situation report on the DRC 2011 election polls and a policy brief on conflict minerals. The seminar on 19 July 2012 brought together 63participants to deliberate around three major presentations and the launching of key publications.

Read More...

ISS Seminar Report: Somalia, Approaching the August 2012 End of Transition - Progress, Challenges and Prospects

Somalia approaches a crucial milestone in its recent history and the quest for peace in the country, as the August 20deadline for the end of the transition draws near. More than ever before, a great deal of effort has gone into the process in an attempt to stabilise the country this time around.

Deliberations at the meeting pointed to the fact that the end of the transition provides the best chance of pacifying the conflict within Somalia and that the only way this will be a success is through the ownership of the Somali people. Despite the success that have been choked in recent times, the search for a stable and sustainable peace can only succeed with the establishment of effective political structures.

Read More...

ISS Roundtable Report: The situation between Sudan (South Kordofan and Blue Nile) and South Sudan

In his opening remarks, AmbassadorOlusegun Akinsanya, the ISS-Addis Ababa Office Regional Director, pointed out that the objective of the roundtable was to discuss humanitarian and civilian protection in the border areas of the Sudan and South Sudan, with specific emphasis on Southern Kordofan, Blue Nile and Abyei. He added that the roundtable aimed at providing a forum for the members of the AU PSC to engage with researchers, humanitarian workers and officials working in these areas, particularly Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile. The ultimate purpose of the roundtable was to inform the decision of the PSC to enhance civilian and humanitarian protection.

Read More...