The Founder and Executive Director of ACCORD, Vasu Gounden, was invited to be a resource person at “Challenges Facing an African Diplomat: Now and in the Future” conference hosted by the South African Foreign Service Training Institute in Pretoria, held on the 15th and 16th of July 2008.
The conference focused on three main topics, namely, economic diplomacy, security issues and possible scenarios for the future. Mr Gounden was asked to be the discussant to the session focusing on “Causes of Conflicts in Africa”. The session noted that Africa has witnessed significant decline in the incidence of conflict since the early 1990s, partly due to changes in global politics and partly as a result of continental peace diplomacy. However, in many cases inter-State tensions have given way to intra-State conflict, making conflict much more complex to resolve. The session therefore looked to highlight the root causes of this shifting conflict and the role of multi-dimensional peace diplomacy.
The conference was attended mainly by academics and diplomats. ACCORD has conducted trainings for cadets and Heads of Missions at the Foreign Service Training Institute since 1995.
