South Africa has been a supporter for the peaceful resolution of disputes, evident in its own negotiated process of transition from apartheid to democracy. The country’s process of social cohesion, reconciliation and nation building further reflects that a locally-driven, locally-owned process and fully inclusive process remains an important marker for communities and nations to build resilience and deal with complexities. It is against this background that ACCORD conducted a targeted training designed to link mediation, facilitation and negotiation, and provide an understanding of its professional practice in diplomacy on the 28-30 January 2019, for the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO).
The objective of the training was to enhance the understanding of conflict management and mediation within the context of Africa and to contribute to the strengthening of skill-sets which are essential in carrying out effective and sustainable peacebuilding processes, programmes and activities. The training focused on understanding the nature of Africa’s conflicts, analysing conflict, intervention processes, early warning and early action, strategy design and local and national capacities for peace. These skills are very essential to the South African diplomatic staff in ensuring effective implementation and sustainability of mediation processes and interventions in Africa.
ACCORD through the DFID project remains committed in strengthening the capacity of local and national actors for peace across Africa and working towards strengthening capacity of relevant ministries in national governments to respond proactively to prevent and manage local and national level conflicts.
