Editor's note: Bereket Sisay is a commentator of international affairs, with a special focus on Africa. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

The Global Security Initiative (GSI), proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping on April 21, 2022, in a bid to construct a global security community with a shared future for humanity, has issued its concept paper. It has put forward major priorities as well.  

The GSI works to eliminate the root causes of international conflicts, improve global security governance, encourage joint international efforts to bring more stability and certainty to a volatile and changing era, and promote durable peace and development in the world. 

This is a huge move by China as a responsible global actor to bring lasting peace across the world. In particular, for Africa, which faces a wide range of cross-national security threats, establishing such multilateral approaches to conflict prevention and perpetual peace is critical and goes beyond pacifying the continent. Its positive implication will advance the economic growth, as well as push forward the social and economic development of Africans.  

The GSI familiarizes itself with a new agenda for peace that fits with the reality on the ground as the existing mechanisms of peace have fallen short. It proposes to focus on conflict prevention at the expense of post-conflict peacebuilding, peacemaking, and rebuilding efforts.  

Accordingly, the GSI stated that all actors must formulate a New Agenda for Peace and other proposals put forth in Our Common Agenda by the UN Secretary-General. Support UN efforts to enhance conflict prevention and harness the peace-building architecture to assist post-conflict states in peace-building. Africa constitutes over half of the ongoing UN peace operations, the GSI is restructuring them along with their basic mission and conducting operations with respect to the rules of engagement. It's solving the root cause of instability, especially through political dialogue, before drifting into full-blown violent conflict.  

The GSI supports the UN to enhance capacity for implementing its peacekeeping mandate, upholding the three principles of "consent of the parties, impartiality, and non-use of force except in self-defense and defense of the mandate" for peacekeeping operations, prioritizing political solutions, and taking a holistic approach to address both the symptoms and root causes, and provide peacekeeping operations with adequate resources. 

The GSI has advanced African solutions to African problems and granting African ownership of peacemaking efforts. Accordingly, the GSI supports addressing African problems in the African way and promotes peaceful settlement of hotspots in the Horn of Africa, the Sahel, the Great Lakes region, and other areas.  

By implementing the Outlook on Peace and Development in the Horn of Africa, promoting the institutionalization of the China-Horn of Africa Peace, Good Governance and Development Conference, and launching pilot projects of cooperation, it's imperative to strengthen the financial inflow into the Africa Union (AU) peacemaking operation as it strives to support the provision of sufficient, predictable, and sustainable financial assistance to the AU for carrying out autonomous peacekeeping operations. 

The GSI will take stock of the need and augment international financial assistance to Africa that is commensurate with the vast peace mission operations on the continent. The security blueprint supports African countries, the AU, and sub-regional organizations to resolve regional conflicts, fight terrorism, safeguard maritime security, call on the international community to provide financial and technical support to Africa-led counter-terrorism operations, and support African countries in strengthening their ability to safeguard peace independently. 

The GSI promotes the proliferation of international platforms for exchanging views and experiences on security in order to create a peaceful Africa. It's firmly set on creating a new platform for international actors to contribute their fair share toward a better rule-based global security system.  

The GSI supports the China-Africa Peace and Security Forum and other international dialogue platforms in deepening cooperation on security, promoting the establishment of more global security forums to provide new platforms for governments, international organizations, think tanks, and social organizations to leverage their advantages and participate in global security governance. 

The GSI offers Africa an excellent opportunity to strengthen ties with China to address its security challenges. It promotes the provision of mechanisms for conflict prevention and efficacy of ongoing and future peace-building operations in light of international norms and standards. It also sought sustainable international financial support for Africa's peace activities while advocating for African ownership of its peace process.  

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