ACCORD's Training Unit Coordinator, Pascal da Rocha, has facilitated a three week lecture and mentoring programme on issues relating to peace and security in Africa, in Uppsala, Sweden, as the second phase of an 18-month, 5-phase international training programme to improve the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA). It is facilitated by ACCORD, in partnership with the Department of Peace and Conflict Research (DPCR) at Uppsala University, and Indevelop, a Stockholm based consultancy.

The 'International Training Programme on Peace and Security in Africa' resumed with phase four, training 27 participants selected from the various Regional Economic Communities in Africa. Following on from phase two, that took place in Uppsala Sweden in October 2011, participants once again met to further develop their change projects and expand their theoretical and practical knowledge on peace and security matters.

Under the Sudan Conflict Transformation Initiative (SCTI), ACCORD have conducted a high-level conflict management course in South Africa for ambassadors of the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Centre for Diplomatic Studies, Khartoum. The initiative is part of ACCORD's in-country programmes, and its goal is to strengthen national and local peacebuilding initiatives by providing technical assistance to partners in the governments and civil society of Sudan and South Sudan. Through these strategic endeavours, the initiative has contributed towards a consolidated approach to transforming the conflict environment in the Sudans, ensuring a sustainable and feasible peacebuilding approach and developing a culture of peace.

In late July 2011, ACCORD is to hold the second in a series of trainings on collaborative negotiation for agro-forestry education institutions in Francophone Africa. Given that natural resource conflicts have emerged as a key issue challenging local, regional, national and global security, ACCORD values the opportunity to bring our conflict management expertise and experience to this vital area.

ACCORD's Executive Director, Vasu Gounden, was invited to be a resource person at the 'Joint South African-German Training Programme for Diplomats from SADC Countries' that ran from 23 November to the 1st of December 2009. The training was organised by the diplomatic academies of the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation, and the Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany.

ACCORD Senior Trainer Pascal da Rocha has run an experiential and interactive training on methods and tools of conflict resolution for tackling environmental issues of climate change, and river basin management in particular. Based on ACCORD's work on climate change, this training cements ACCORD's expertise in providing tailored and customised training solutions, but also furthens ACCORD impact as a center of excellence in the critical areas of climate change and security.

In October 2011 in Stockholm, ACCORD, in partnership with the Department of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University and Indevelop, a Stockholm-based consultancy group, facilitated a three week lecture series on issues relating to peace and security in Sub- Saharan Africa. These lectures form part of an ongoing five-phase training programme for particpants from African IGOs and NGOs, to strengthen the peace and security architecture in Africa - a key strategic objective of ACCORD's overall institutional mission.

ACCORD Senior Trainer Pascal da Rocha ran an experiential and interactive Capacity Development workshop for the United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU) in September. The aim of the workshop was to develop and enhance capacity-building and mentoring skills of ASF/UNOAU/OCHA planning officers, to strengthen coordination and cooperation of key players from the UN and the AU.

In February 2011, ACCORD was invited to contribute conflict management expertise to the process of developing new curricula in natural resource management for agro-forestry tertiary education institutions across the continent of Africa. The control and management of natural resources is seen as a major future driver of conflict, and ACCORD was delighted to play a role in preparing the leaders of tomorrow to play an effective role in conflict mitigation and resolution.

ACCORD's Executive Director was invited to be a resource person at the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation’s diplomatic training, research and analysis conference hosted by DIRCO in Pretoria from 05-06 November 2009. The theme for the conference was “Closing the Gap Between Domestic and Foreign Policies”.