The Founder and Executive Director of ACCORD, Vasu Gounden, was invited by the Folke Bernadotte Academy to be a resource person at their “Capacity Building in Dialogue and Mediation through Experience Sharing” workshop that took place in Debre Zeit, Ethiopia, from 3-8 October 2008. The training was held for senior AU and UN Staff.
Under their 10-Year Capacity-Building Programme, the African Union (AU) has identified mediation as a key priority area. The “Capacity Building in Dialogue and Mediation through Experience Sharing” initiative is an important part of a larger framework of cooperation between the United Nations Department of Political Affairs (DPA) and the AU in the area of mediation and mediation support. The Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA) has been engaged to design and deliver the capacity building programme in close collaboration with the AU and the DPA.
Mr. Gounden was asked to provide an overview for participants of the current environment on the Continent and internationally, as well as look at future possibilities.
In 2007 Vasu Gounden was a resource person at two workshops co-hosted by the Folke Bernadotte Academy – in Sweden in collaboration with the Swedish National Defence College focusing on Security Sector Reform and Governance and in Brussels in collaboration with the Madariaga European Foundation focusing Conflict Prevention – Creating a Leading Role for the European Union “Co-operation with regional Organisations”. In 2006 he was a resource person at two of the Folke Bernadotte Academy’s leadership workshops – “Facilitation of Dialogue Processes and Mediation Efforts” held in Sandö, Sweden and their course on “Dialogue and Mediation for the UNDPA” held in New York, USA.
