From the 24th of May to the 4th of June 2021, ACCORD/TfP attended the African Standby Force (ASF) Civilian Foundation Course (CFC) pilot training that was hosted by the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in Accra. The CFC is a mandatory basic course designed to expose, educate and prepare members of the African Standby Capacity (ASC) for multidimensional Peace Support Operations (PSO) in Africa.
Seventeen participants from the West, Central, East and Southern Regions of Africa attended the training. The professions of the participants ranged from social-worker, to lawyer, to Peace Operations active members, which created a healthy blend of experts and experienced individuals. Knowledge was shared on the legal and authorising frameworks of Peace Operations, and the difficult environments in which these operations are deployed. It was also clarified in the training, that unlike the military component that is usually deployed for a specific duty, the civilian component’s responsibility tends to be long-lasting, lapping from conflict management to peacebuilding.
The purpose of the CFC pilot training was to test and review the redesigned CFC curriculum, and assess whether the content of the curriculum was appropriate for meeting the training objectives of the CFC. In doing so, the CFC pilot training tested the relevance of the various modules of the CFC curriculum to the current and emerging needs of civilian actors in contemporary AU PSOs and the logical flow of the course content.
During the review process, the facilitators identified minor changes that needed to be made in the redesigned CFC curriculum, which should be effected in 2021. The CFC curriculum will thereafter be shared with the Regional Economic Communities, Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs), the Training Centres of Excellence and Training Institutions (TCEs/TIs) for CFC trainings.
Through the TfP Programme, ACCORD’s participation and support to the CFC pilot training is in line with one of the institution’s overall strategic objectives to strengthen the capacity of the AU and REC/RMs to respond to peacekeeping in conflicts with a focus on the civilian dimension of Peace Operations.
The TfP Programme at ACCORD is an initiative funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
