ACCORD held a Capacity Building Training in Maseru, Lesotho from 18-22 February 2019 with the aim of strengthening the capacity of local and national actors to mitigate conflict, towards sustainable peace, security and development in Africa.
The five-day training, hosted by ACCORD included a variety of stakeholders, ranging from government institutions to local Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and academia. The stakeholders were very enthusiastic and welcoming of the Capacity Building Training and its level of engagements that were crucial in supporting and contributing to the national sector reforms in Lesotho. The training involved the building of consensus and trust amongst government and civil society organizations which covered numerous crucial subjects such as defining a conflict and reviewing existing response mechanisms that respond to the Lesotho challenges and developing sustainable institutional strategies through dialogue. It was understood by the stakeholders that by first agreeing on the definition of a conflict through dialogue and consensus that would pave way for a cohesive and inclusive strategic response to any form of dispute or conflict in Lesotho. The training further provided the stakeholders with the opportunity to contribute and engage constructively with each other on matters that affect the Basotho people through well-planned exercises. The engagements informed each stakeholder of the role and position that they play in building and sustaining their society and communities through consensual dialogue, whether the stakeholders level of operation is at the national, local or grassroots level.
The stakeholders that operate in the different regions of Lesotho range from gender, youth, health, traditional leadership, women, peacebuilding, government, education, agriculture, children, livestock and human rights. Such a range of thematic focuses gave room for different views and lessons shared in respect of the Capacity Building Training. ACCORD’s role in the training was to facilitate the Capacity Building Training.
The Capacity Building Training is strategically connected with the ACCORD 2017-2021 pillars that are: Strategic Pillar 2, Effective Local and National Capacities for Peace; Strategic Pillar 3, Enhanced Role of Women in Peace Processes and; Strategic Pillar 4, Increased role of Youth in Peace Processes.
The training is part of the ACCORD and the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) funded project that aims to ‘Strengthen capacity of Local and National Actors to Mitigate Conflict, towards Sustainable Peace, Security and Development in Africa’.
