The Africa Governance Report in April 2018 decried numerous governance deficits, which could be attributed to the apparent lack of commitment by Member States to implement the shared values instruments. 5.9.2 Functioning of Institutions Involved in Implementation of the Objectives of “Silencing the Guns” Despite the existence of the APSA framework to prevent, manage and resolve conflicts in Africa, the continent continues to grapple with pockets of intractable and violent conflict.43 The functional relationship between the APSA and AGA needs to be strengthened. In particular, AGA needs nurturing and proactive support, especially in the strategic area of conflict prevention, and where necessary, conflict management such as peace-making, peace keeping and peace building. The establishment of the African Standby Force, highlighted below, illustrates some of the constraints the AU faces in the area of peace, security and governance. Box 5: The African Standby Force (ASF) The ASF is one of five efforts of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) that allows the AU to intervene within Member States. Such intervention can only be done under strict conditions, namely war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. The four other efforts that support this structure are: (i) the Peace and Security Council, (ii) Panel of the Wise, (iii) Continental Early Warning System, and (iv) the African Union Peace Fund.44 The establishment of the ASF was directed by the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, which was signed in July 2002 and entered into force in December 2003.45 This Protocol explicitly recognised the roles of RECs in promoting peace and security in Africa. For that reason, the final concept for the ASF, presented in the Maputo Report of July 2003, provided for five regional Standby Brigade Forces: North African Regional Standby Brigade (NASBRIG), Eastern Africa Standby Brigade (EASBRIG), Force Multinationale de l’Afrique Centrale (FOMAC), Southern Africa Standby Brigade (SADCBRIG) and ECOWAS Standby Brigade (ECOBRIG). The Protocol defined six ASF deployment scenarios. The organization agreed on troop levels of about 15,000 soldiers continentwide. The AU is expected to contribute 25% of the budget and the remaining 75% will come from the UN, EU and bilateral donors.46 The ASF Policy Framework and the Roadmap for the Operationalization of the ASF called for the establishment of a “Rapid Deployment Capability” (RDC) capable of intervening, within fourteen days, in cases of genocide and gross human rights abuses under Scenario 6. The RDC became an integral part of the regional Standby Forces to be deployed at the entry point, as a precursor to the deployment of a larger mission. At the end of 2013, the Expert Panel of the AU stated that the goal, recommended in Roadmap III, to test, evaluate and operationalise the RDC by 2012, had not been met.47 5.10 Recommendations for Peace, Security and Governance There has been significant progress in peace, security and governance in Africa. For example, interstate conflicts have declined in the last generation. However, more Member States need to sign, ratify, domesticate and comply with the relevant instruments. The harmonization and coordination the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) and the African Governance Architecture (AGA) are still not up to par. There is also need to improve cooperation and collaboration between the AU, the RECs and Regional Mechanisms, between the AU and the United Nations, and between the AU and other international entities. 43 ACCORD (2015) Silencing the Guns, Owning the Future: Realising a conflict-free Africa. 44 Institute of Security Studies (2015) ISS: Understanding the African Standby Force, Rapid Deployment and Amani Africa II (Media Toolkit). 45 “Protocol relating to the establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union” (PDF). peaceau.org. African Union. 46 Ibid. 47 African Union Independent Panel of Experts, October 2013. Assessment of the African Standby Force and Plan of Action for Achieving Full Operational Capability by 2015. Page 63 of 96