PAC recognizes the importance of continental integration being spearheaded by AU and its regional communities such as SADC and COMESA. Since 2006 PAC has been involved in the development and implementation of ECOSOCC, CSO Peace and Security, political affairs initiatives of the AU – having been accredited for 4 years. The organization has been engaged in several AU Summits and preparatory meetings including being an observer in Permanent Representative Committee, Executive Council and Summit sessions. At regional level, PAC has been serving in CSO Peace and Security Steering Committee of COMESA. The organization has participated in Joint Africa – EU Development Strategy since 2007. PAC has traditionally been part of COMESA, AU and SADC International Observation Missions in various countries. This has further built capacity at secretariat in the field of international observations.
Public Affairs Committee is a chapter for Religions for Peace and member of Africa Council for Religious Leaders —RfP platform in Africa. ACRL—RfP’s Vision is Sustainable peace and Justice in Africa. It mobilizes religious leaders and their communities to build peaceful, just, hopeful and harmonious societies in Africa. ACRL-RfP has a youth desk called Africa Interfaith Youth Network (AIYN) in which PAC participates since its formation. In October, 2015 Religions for Peace (RfP) came up with a competition on Innovative Approach to Multi-religious Collaboration for AIYN members. The competition had three prizes, each consisting of up to US$5,000. The RfP Interfaith Youth Prize for Innovative Approach were to be awarded to the most creative and sustainable projects that would encourage dialogue and strengthen collaboration among young people of diverse religious traditions to take concrete actions in three issue areas: Violent Religious Extremism, Refugee Crisis and Climate Change . PAC participated and proposed a project on Climate Change called “Environmentally Conscious Religious Young People in Lower Shire Valley in Malawi”. The project was among the three that won the prizes.
In 2015, PAC entered into collaboration on the question of religion, gender and power from an intersectional perspective. The networking initiative explored how religion, gender and power intersect and interact with other factors such as social, economic, psychological and political to produce gender inequalities and injustices at various levels.
As part of capacity building initiatives , PAC has been networking with Grail Centre (RSA) on a project of training for transformation. Since then the centre has been engaging PAC in facilitating the diploma courses in various countries.
International Networking
PAC participated in the following AU events:
The primary objective of the workshop was to develop a Comprehensive Strategy for the Mobilization and Promotion of Investment into Africa. PAC made contribution on Dispute Settlements in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which is one of the flagship projects of the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063.
At its 491st and 659th meetings in 2015 and 2017 respectively, the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) recognised the role of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the promotion of peace and security in Africa, urging Member States to ensure that women and gender related issues are adequately addressed. The AU PSC called upon CSOs to engage in advocacy, reporting infringements on women and children’s rights, and ensure that all gender related issues are sufficiently tackled. The importance of inclusion of women as equal players at all levels in conflict prevention, management and resolution, as well as in post-conflict reconstruction and development was also underscored. Hence the meaningful participation of women became a condition sine qua non to building sustainable peace and security on the continent. In response, the African Union Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC), an advisory organ of the Union designed to serve as a policy development interface that harnesses civil society expertise to the work of various Departments of the Commission and through it to its Union at large, impressed upon itself to develop an Advisory Opinion on WPS. Through the ECOSOCC Advisory Opinion Group on Woman Peace and Security (WPS), ECOSOCC undertook five (5) online consultations in the East, Central, North, West and Southern Africa of the AU regions in October 2020. Several CSOs, Women’s Groups, Centers of Excellence, Think Tanks, Universities, RECs, ECOSOCC members and independent Women, Peace and Security (WPS) experts were reached during consultations in a bid to generate diverse views on WPS.
The African Union has established several policy frameworks to address, manage, and promote migration and mobility due to the pronounced nature of intra- and interregional, continental, and global migrant flows within and out of Africa. The Migration Policy Framework for Africa (MPFA) and Plan of Action (2018-2030), as well as the AU Free Movement Protocol (FMP), are examples of these policies. The FMP, in particular, was established to lower and eventually eliminate, barriers to Africans crossing regional borders to visit, trade, live, work, and establish businesses in other countries on the continent. As such, achieving the protocol’s goals ultimately translates into less restrictive mobility practices in Africa, as well as an economic growth spur on the continent as a result of improved entry, establishment, stay, and exit procedures for African citizens across the continent.
The Executive Council Decision EX.CL1143(XL) of the 40th Ordinary Session of February 2022 called upon the ECOSOCC Secretariat in collaboration with the relevant departments of the AU Commission to launch the call for applications of the 4th Permanent General Assembly of ECOSOCC and ensure strict compliance with eligibility criteria of ECOSOCC membership as provided for in the Statutes of the Organ. Following the General Assembly, the ECOSOCCSecretariat had the immense honour to present its compliments to the Embassy of the Republic of Malawi in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia that the Executive Director (PAC) (Malawi) was elected as Deputy Presiding Officer (Southern Africa Region) at the 4th Permanent General Assembly of ECOSOCC and took an oath to serve AU ECOSOCC.
Malawi Mind-Heart Dialogue Training of Master Training- Public Affairs Committee (PAC) in partnership with the African Council of Religious Leaders –Religions for Peace (ACRL-RfP) with the Inter Religious Council(IRC), Unicef (Communication for Development Section- C4D) and the Joint Learning Initiative partnered and implemented the approaches of faith engagement in the development work through motivating and addressing the Faith and Positive Change for Children and Families (FPCC) initiative. Using the Mind Heart dialogue strategy, helps to identify type of very rooted beliefs in order to strengthen the practices and transform lives (mindset change). And also aim to influence as well as create positive behavior change that protect the vulnerable groups from being victimized. The 10 Master Trainers in Mind- Heart and Faith dialogue trained facilitators drawn from PAC membership and other FBOs trained in 2021, conducted trainings in 2022 addressing issues of Covid-19; Cholera; Polio and Gender Based Violence as well as encouraging school going age groups to continue with their education.
The strategy helped in identifying tips on how to combat false and misleading information on Covid-19 vaccine. It also helped to address misinformation, beliefs and rituals about vaccination from social media by digging deeper to assess the source, question the source, compare with other sources; identify authors; check dates of information; timing and context that clarifies meaning, examine evidence check own biases, be cautious and get resolution to never share false information as well as choosing carefully what one can share on social media. The other issue was on how to collaborate in addressing issues that affect children, by considering who to engage to identify issues and resources.
The Mind –Heart Dialogue training helped to resurface the deep rooted harmful behaviours, social norms, practices that causes violates in the communities. It helped to reflect on deep reflection on positive social and behavior change to protect the affected and empower the victims to be able to take action. During training sessions, participants were able to relate to real life situations and exercises gave true reflection of the issues. Facilitators to the training of the Master training was engaged through PAC by the Inter Religious Council Secretariat in Kenya namely Steffie James Kemp and Victor Mughogho.