Global Council for Tolerance and Peace President Addresses African Parliament: “Africa Does Not Wait for Peace – It Creates It.”

Johannesburg, 4 November –
H.E. Ahmed bin Mohamed Aljarwan, President of the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace, took part as the Guest of Honour in the sixth session of the African Parliament, held yesterday at the Parliament’s headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa. The session was attended by H.E. Chief Fortune Charumbira, President of the African Parliament, along with a number of national parliamentary speakers, African delegations, and representatives of diplomatic and institutional bodies from across the continent.

In his address to the plenary, Aljarwan affirmed that Africa has demonstrated throughout its collective-history that peace is neither imported nor imposed, but made — built by the will of its peoples and the strength of its institutions. He underlined the growing role of African parliaments as key actors in reconciliation processes, the consolidation of the rule of law, and the fight against hate speech and extremism.

Aljarwan expressed his appreciation to President Charumbira for his active participation in the 13th Session of the International Parliament for Tolerance and Peace, hosted last month in Chad with the participation of more than forty parliaments from around the world — a presence he described as a testament to the depth of the African partnership within the global peace architecture.

The GCTP President also addressed a number of priority international issues, stressing the urgent need to enforce the peace process in Gaza, begin reconstruction efforts, and establish an independent Palestinian State in line with international legitimacy. He further called for an immediate end to armed conflict in Sudan and a return to a civil state led by scholars, intellectuals, and the authentic will of the Sudanese people.

Aljarwan also welcomed the recent UN Security Council resolution supporting Morocco’s Autonomy Initiative in the Moroccan Sahara, describing it as a clear reflection of the international community’s confidence in Morocco’s stabilising role in North Africa.

He highlighted the central role of African parliaments within the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace, which today brings together over 100 parliaments from different continents, noting that parliamentary diplomacy has become a powerful tool for embedding tolerance, empowering youth, and advancing justice and sustainable development.

Addressing the youth of Africa, Aljarwan said:

“You are not only the sons and daughters of this continent; you are the architects of its renaissance and the guardians of its future. The world is watching the leadership you are capable of offering — not as recipients of peace, but as its makers.”

At the conclusion of the session, Aljarwan presented the Shield of the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace to the President of the African Parliament, in recognition of the institution’s efforts in promoting the values of peace and tolerance across Africa and beyond.