Eastern and Central Africa

GPPAC members in Eastern and Central Africa work across peace and security issues shaped by cross-border conflicts, governance challenges, and recurring electoral cycles. These dynamics often heighten tensions and can increase the risk of violence and political instability. 

Harmful gender norms also continue to limit inclusive participation in decision-making and reinforce inequalities. At the same time, climate change, through rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, and more frequent extreme weather events, poses serious and growing challenges to the region, including population movements linked to climate impacts.

Why our members’ work matters in Eastern and Central Africa
 

To address climate-induced mobility, members strengthen regional understanding of how climate risks intersect with displacement and insecurity. This includes mapping climate and mobility hotspots to identify emerging risks and support early response across the region. Members also raise public awareness of climate change and its human security impacts through accessible communication channels, including radio talk shows.

To address cross-border conflicts, members conduct situational and conflict analysis on issues such as cattle raiding, land disputes, and access to natural resources like pasture and water. Based on this analysis, they engage stakeholders in cross-border dialogue, community peacebuilding initiatives, and advocacy efforts, often working through Local Infrastructures for Peace, such as youth and community peace actors. Members also collaborate with regional early warning systems, including IGAD’s Conflict Early Warning and Early Response Mechanism (CEWARN), to support a timely response to emerging tensions.

To prevent and respond to electoral and governance-related violence, members map high-risk areas and engage communities in public awareness efforts promoting non-violence and peaceful participation. They work with youth and women peace actors as peer educators to discourage involvement in violence and support peaceful civic engagement. In several contexts, members also collaborate with initiatives such as the Women Situation Room, a women-led early warning and rapid response mechanism that helps prevent and de-escalate election-related violence before, during, and after elections.

Knowledge products
 

Selected publications from network members in Eastern and Central Africa include:

• Lessons Learned and Strategic Operationalisation of Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace in Eastern and Central Africa
• Operationalising the Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace Agenda in Somalia
• Localised Climate-Related Security Risk Assessment: Uganda Case Study
• Localising Climate Security Risk Assessment: An Inception Case-Study from the Kaabong District of Uganda