The Southern African Development Community Regional Peacekeeping Training Centre (SADC RPTC) planned and conducted an Integrated Mission Planning Course (IMPC) at the Riverside Hotel in Lilongwe, Malawi from 28 May to 08 June 2018. ACCORD, a long standing partner of the RPTC was invited to participate in the course and contributing to the training by availing its Civilian dimension expert knowledge aspects of peacekeeping and Peace Support Operations (PSOs) to benefit the course participants.
The course was an SADC region-focused programme that was attended by eleven of the sixteen member states that sent representatives for the Civilian, Military and Police and included personnel from the regional Corrections/Prisons services. The course is of two-weeks duration and targets all components of the multidimensional PSOs approach; the civilian, military and police components. The course was also designed for middle managers within the component structures and is complimenting the SADC Standby Force Planning Elements’ agenda to prepare for the CPX that is further aimed at preparing region’s readiness to standby in line with the AUC continental roster arrangements scheduled for 01 January 2019. The participants were introduced to the importance and relevance of integrated planning and functioning in contemporary PSO missions to ensure collectiveness in all aspects of missions operations aiming at attaining the mission mandate.
Participation in activities such as this peace operations training is in line with ACCORD/TfP Programme’s strategic goal of supporting efforts at strengthening the AUC and regional capacity and capability to plan, manage and implement PSOs on the continent through the enhancement of the ASF capacities. This initiative also seeks to contribute to improved sustainable capacity for the conduct of peace operations on the continent through ensuring effective planning, management, execution of missions task aiming at improving operational capability and functioning of organizational systems in the UN/AU/RECs/RMs mission structures.
The Training for Peace Programme at ACCORD is an initiative funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
ACCORD/TfP was represented by Brig. Gen. James Machakaire, Coordinator, Peacekeeping Unit and Ms Precious Ngcobo PKU Programme Administrator.
