The African Union Commission (AUC) through the Peace Support Operations Division (PSOD) held the 9th African Standby Capacity (ASC) Annual Coordination Meeting from 27-29 June 2022 in Lusaka, Zambia. The MOU on Cooperation in Areas of Peace and Security between the AU and Regional Economic Communities/Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs) guides these meetings, which are aimed to enhance relationships with the RECs/RMs and to promote information exchange regarding the generation and preparation of civilian capabilities of the African Standby Force (ASF). The AUC, RECs/RMs, Training Centres of Excellence/ Training Institutions (TCEs/Tis), United Nations Office to the AU (UNOAU) attended the 9th ASC Annual Coordination meeting. Programme Officers, Ms. Rumbidzaishe Matambo and Mr. Wandile Langa represented ACCORD at the meeting.
As a platform that brings together Civilian Components from the AUC and RECs/RMs Planning Elements (PLANELMs) and other stakeholders, the meeting is critical in discussing the operationalization of the ASC roster, its challenges and operational plans. This year, the meeting focused on ways of integrating the roster into AU Human Resources policies to increase its utilization as a recruitment tool. This conforms 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 PSOs.
ACCORD is the AUC’s primary technical and implementation partner on the ASC Roster. Through the Training for Peace (TfP) Programme, ACCORD supports the AU’s concerted efforts towards building a pool of ready-to-deploy civilian experts, as well as the rostering and training of these civilian experts. The TfP Programme at ACCORD is an initiative funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
