ABSTRACT
In 2002, the African Union (AU) adopted the Protocol relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the AU (‘PSC Protocol’) which launched the creation of the Peace and Security Council (PSC), the African Standby Force (ASF), the Continental Early Warning Mechanism (CEWS) and the Panel of the Wise. This institutional framework, also referred to as the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), is designed to oversee the successful implementation of the continental peace and security strategy. This chapter briefl y outlines the peace and security challenges that are confronting the African continent, and how they informed the emergence and genesis of the AU and APSA. The chapter then examines the APSA’s role in implementing Art 4(h) of the AU Constitutive Act. The chapter also undertakes a critical prognosis of the present status of implementation of the APSA, and concludes with an assessment of the future prospects for this framework.
