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* the State itself must be re structured in the face of the new challenges of the coming century;
* national reconciliation is a process from which no one must be excluded all must be actors if the obstacles are to be overcome.
Organization of African Unity
Meeting in July 1990, the member states of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) signalled Africa's determination to solve its own problems and stop reliance on foreign intervention: They dedicated themselves 'to work together towards the peaceful and speedy resolution of all conflicts on the continent'. The African leaders adopted the 'Declaration of African Heads of State and Government on the Political and Socio economic Situation in Africa and the Fundamental Changes taking Place in the World' which led to the creation of a Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution.
Underlying the adoption of the Mechanism is the recognition that peace and security are a prerequisite to development and that Africa's efforts at economic integration and many other issues such as refugees and the environment, will continue to be seriously undermined if armed conflicts and civil strife persist.
The first application of the OAU mechanism has been in Burundi where a mission has been deployed to help reestablish confidence and promote dialogue among all different parties in order to facilitate the process of national reconciliation. In addition to the mission, which was upgraded from 47 to 67 officers in June 1995, several ministerial level delegations of the OAU have travelled to Burundi to add their support to the peace process. In re-
sponse to the urging of the OAU, the President and Prime Minister of Burundi have engaged consistently in campaigns of public sensibilization for the promotion of peace and security.
In presenting the Burundi situation to the Annual Conference of Heads of State of the OAU in June 1995, Secretary General Salim called for a regional response 'to this unacceptable situation.' He indicated that the situation is aggravated by the large number of refugees in the region as a result of the genocide in Rwanda and past violence in Burundi, and he pointed to information that soldiers from the former Rwandan regime have been rearmed and threaten to intervene from refugee camps in neighbouring countries.
The UNESCO Culture of Peace Programme, along with a number of other international organizations, has contributed to consultations in Africa for the development of the OAU's Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution. Both at Cairo in May 1994 and in Addis Ababa in September 1994 at meetings sponsored by the International Peace Academy and International Alert, respectively, the culture of peace has been presented and discussed in relation to the OAU Mechanism
Commonwealth Secretariat
As exemplified by its actions in Lesotho, the Commonwealth Secretariat makes a unique contribution to a culture of peace. The maintenance of democracy and the avoidance of military rule in the small country of Lesotho in Southern Africa has been the concern of the British Commonwealth as well as its neighbouring countries since Lesotho held elections in 1993, marking the return to parliamentary democracy after 23 years of military rule.
The Organization of African Unity signalling Africa's determination to solve its own problems and stop reliance on foreign intervention, has created a Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution.