The European Commission is funding with €300 million to replenish the African Peace Facility (APF), to support African peace and security. With this additional contribution, the European Union reaffirms its support to peace and security in this continent. The African Union and African Regional Organisations will have the funding for the period 2011-2013 in order to support initiatives in the area of conflict prevention, management and resolution, and peace building.

€300 million will be replenished to the African Peace Facility (APF) by the European Commission in order to support African peace and security actions both at regional and continental levels. With this contribution, the Peace Facility will provide substantial and predictable funding to African-led peace support operations and relevant capacity building activities for African organisations. The African Peace Facility (APF) constitutes the major financing instrument of the Africa-EU strategic partnership in Peace and Security.

It is estimated that in Africa more than 200 million people currently still live in conflict zones, which prevents efforts to alleviate poverty, according the EU Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs. He added that security and stability must be ensured to lay down the foundations for sustainable development in Africa. In this context, Kristalina Georgieva, the EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response requested at the African Union meeting more help from the African governments in order to fight against the current situation of hunger in the Horn of Africa.

In addition to peace operations, the APF supports the African Peace and Security Architecture, which focuses on the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts. Approximately €100 million have been earmarked since 2004 for activities aimed at strengthening capacities of African institutions at the continental and regional level.

The EU support enables the African Union and African sub-regional organisations to plan and conduct peace support operations: €840 million have been earmarked for Peace Support Operations (PSO) (€400 million under the 9th EDF and €440 million under the 10th EDF). Nowadays, ongoing operations, financed through the APF, are the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) Mission for the consolidation of peace in Central African Republic (MICOPAX) and the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM).