The need for including women in peace processes is widely acknowledged, yet, most mediation processes have nonetheless not offered enough scope to encourage the voices and representation of women. In response to this challenge, ACCORD, under its Peacemaking Unit's African Union (AU) Mediation Support Capacity Project and in collaboration with the AU Peace and Security Department, convened an African Women Mediators Seminar in Johannesburg, South Africa from 2 - 3 May 2012.

On 10 May 2012, at a ceremony at USAID's Ronald Reagan Building in Washington D.C, ACCORD presented a citation of appreciation to USAID in recognition of support that ACCORD has received over its twenty years of existence. The citation was received on behalf of USAID by Mr. Earl Gast, the Assistant Administrator for the Africa Bureau. The citation was awarded by ACCORD in recognition of USAID's twenty year partnership with ACCORD in pursuance of ACCORD's mission "to encourage and promote the constructive resolution of disputes by the peoples of Africa and so assist in achieving political stability, economic recovery and peaceful co-existence within just and democratic societies".

ACCORD has hosted a two day public consultation on the draft 2012 South African Defence Review in South Africa. The consultations aimed to enrich the current work of the Defence Review Committee (DRC) on South Africa's defence policy by including perspectives from non-state-actors based in Kwazulu-Natal.

ACCCORD senior researcher, Dr. Martha Mutisi, has delivered a paper on the role of the media in democratisation and peacebuilding at the International Studies Association's (ISA) Annual Convention on "Power, Principles and Participation in the Global Information Age." An influential and highly respected organisation, the ISA is at the forefront of bringing together scholarly thought on international affairs, and ACCORD's involvement in this platform further enhances our drive towards influencing debate and policy development on global peace, security and development issues.

The Training for Peace Programme (TfP) at ACCORD, in collaboration with the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (UN DPKO), has published and launched a UN Civil Affairs Handbook. The handbook serves as a reference guide for both newly recruited and experienced Civil Affairs Officers (CAOs), by providing clearer guidance on their role, functions, and the implementation of their daily tasks in the field.

ACCORD, through its Training for Peace in Africa (TfP) Programme, attended and participated in the International Forum for the Challenges of Peace Operations, held in Geneva earlier this year. The forum brought the international community of leading policymakers, practitioners and academics in peace operations together in a dynamic, strategic and broad-based platform to discuss and provide insight on the many challenges in modern multidimensional peace operations.

On 02 May 2012 ACCORD hosted an EXCOM and a full Board of Trustees meetings in Gauteng. These were the first meetings for both EXCOM and the Board for 2012. The second meetings for the year for both forums will take place in the last quarter of the year.

ACCCORD's Manager for the Interventions Department, Dr. Martha Mutisi, has represented the institution at the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Stakeholders' Roundtable on Gender and Development. As one of the few civil society organisations represented, ACCORD is well placed to continue to influence the development of the SADC Gender Unit and contribute to regional initiatives towards gender equity and parity in peace and development processes.

ACCORD's Peacebuilding Unit, through its African Peacebuilding Coordination Programme (APCP), has conducted a national training in Monrovia, Liberia, to strengthen local peacebuilding capacity as the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) winds down. The training focused on the role of justice and security in peacebuilding as a means of equipping government and civil society sectors with a full understanding of the Liberia Peacebuilding Programme (LPP), which is seen as crucial to ensuring sustainable peace in Liberia.

On 10 April, ACCORD was pleased to host Dr Alejandro Bendana for a stimulating discussion on the current situation in Somalia. Dr Bendana holds an extraordinary political and academic background as a Harvard graduate, former Secretary General of the Nicaraguan Foreign Ministry and Ambassador to the UN, founder of the Centre for International Studies in Managua, and now the Programme Manager for the Rule of Law and Security within UNDP Somalia. As a professional in the field with such extensive experience, Dr Bendana offered a valuable external perspective on methods of conflict management to the staff of ACCORD. His recent work in Somalia provided the basis for his presentation entitled, "Which Way to Peace with Justice in Somalia?"