The United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA), in collaboration with the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD), as well as with the African Union (AU) and its NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency, convened an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) themed “Peace, Security and Development Nexus – Sharing research and knowledge on managing transition from stabilization to long-term peacebuilding and development with African centres of excellence”. The meeting took place on the 28-29 September 2017, in Cape Town, South Africa.
The EGM brought together the research, policy and practitioner communities, including experts with current or recent AU peace support operations and post-conflict reconstruction and development experience. The overall objective of the EGM was to develop and refine recommendations to update the knowledge base of African peacekeeping and peacebuilding training centres, building from recent peace operations and post-conflict reconstruction and development experiences in Africa.
The objective was cognizant of the context of the AU– United Nations (UN) partnership, and the needs to build resilience, not only to prevent and reduce risks and vulnerability due to political conflicts, but also to avert crises that could result from violent extremism, economic shocks, intolerance, environmental risks and political conflicts, social tensions, droughts and famines. At the end of the EGM, an Expert Network was formed that will provide thematic and technical support to the work of OSAA. Two ACCORD staff members will be part of the international network of 15 members.
This initiative is in line with the ACCORD’s strategic goal of supporting efforts at strengthening the AUC’s capacity and capability to plan, manage and implement peace support operations on the continent through the development of the ASF. This initiative also seeks to contribute to improved sustainable capacity for the conduct of peace operations on the continent through ensuring effective functioning of organizational systems in the AU/RECs/RMs.
ACCORD was represented by Dr Cedric De Coning Advisor to ACCORD, Brig. Gen. James Machakaire, Coordinator, Peacekeeping Unit, Charles Nyuykonge Senior Researcher KPD, Ms Sibu Nkosi, Programme Officer Peacekeeping Unit.
