The African Union Commission (AUC) through the Peace Support Operations Division (PSOD) held the 10th African Standby Capacity (ASC) Annual Coordination Meeting from 27 – 30 June 2023 in Kampala, Uganda. In line with the Memorandum Of Understanding on Cooperation in Areas of Peace and Security between the AU and Regional Economic Communities/Regional Mechanism (RECs/RMs), the ASC Annual Coordination Meeting is held with the aim of enhancing the relationships among stakeholders of the ASC Roster and to promote information exchange regarding the generation and preparation of civilian capabilities of the African Standby Force (ASF). Additionally, the meeting contributes to improving the standardization of generating and training of civilian capabilities for the African Standby Force.
As a platform that brings together the Civilian Component from the AUC and RECs/RMs Planning Elements (PLANELMs) and relevant stakeholders, the meeting is crucial in addressing challenges in the implementation of operational plans, and in harmonizing the ASC rostering activities. This year’s meeting also allowed for discussions on mapping ways to integrate the ASC roster into the human resources policies of the AUC and RECs/RMs in order to increase its utilization as a recruitment tool. These discussions align with the decision of the 10th Ordinary Meeting of the Specialized Technical Committee on Defense, Safety and Security (STCDSS), which directed the “AUC and RECs/RMs to use the ASC Roster as the first option for recruitment and deployment of civilian personnel in Peace Support Operations (PSOs) with the aim of achieving 50% to 70% utilization”
The AUC PSOD and Human Resources Management Directorate (HRMD), the Civilian Component of the RECs/RMs Planning Elements, representatives from the Uganda Ministry of Defense and Veteran Affairs and the AUC’s technical partners on the ASC which include the United Nations Office to the AU and ACCORD, attended the meeting. ACCORD is the AUC’s primary implementation partner on the ASC. Through the Training for Peace (TfP) Programme, ACCORD continues to support the AU’s concerted efforts towards building a pool of ready-to-deploy civilian experts. The TfP Programme at ACCORD is an initiative funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
