The African Peacebuilding Coordination Programme (APCP) hosted a two-week Joint Peacebuilding Training and Study Tour in South Africa from 19 – 30 October 2009. The 18 participants who attended the training were high-level government and civil society representatives from the four focus countries of the Programme (Burundi, DRC, Liberia and Sudan), as well as Mr Moshood Olatokunbo, the African Union Expert on Peacebuilding and Post-Conflict Reconstruction.
The first week of the training was held in Durban and facilitated by internal ACCORD staff, and focused broadly on conflict and peacebuilding. During the second week, held in Johannesburg, the participants were challenged to critically examine key peacebuilding issues, such as security sector reform (SSR), disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR), transitional justice and reconciliation and development. The training was supplemented by practical site visits to the Apartheid Museum, Constitution Hill and the Constitutional Court and Soweto. These site visits and presentations from South African experts on the various peacebuilding issues allowed the participants to gain a deeper understanding of the South African experience and derive best practices and lessons learned to take back to their own countries.
The diversity and richness of the training would not have been possible without the valuable contribution of a number of friends of ACCORD, including the Institute for Security Studies, the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, the International Centre for Transitional Justice, the South African Human Rights Commission and the United Nations Development Programme. The participants were also greatly enriched by the opportunity to spend an evening with Mrs Mary Burton, former Commissioner of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The participants also enjoyed some social occasions during the two weeks, including a performance by the Connection Zulu Choir and a cocktail function hosted by H.E. Mrs Myllyntausta, the Ambassador of Finland to South Africa. The APCP is funded by the Government of Finland.
The training closed on Friday 30 October 2009 with comprehensive and thought-provoking presentations by the country groups on the status, challenges and prospects for peacebuilding in their countries.
The Programme will continue to support the peacebuilding processes in Burundi, the DRC, Liberia and Sudan on an ongoing basis. For more information please contact dorcas@accord.org.za.
