The Training for Peace (TfP) Senior Programme Officer, Karishma Rajoo, recently participated in the University for Peace (UPEACE) (www.upeace.org) short course in Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution (CPMR). The course, held from 3-7 April, was coordinated through the UPEACE Africa Programme, and its local partner, the Centre for Human Rights (www.chr.up.ac.za) based at the University of Pretoria.
The University for Peace (UPEACE) officially launched its Africa Programme in January 2002, under the leadership of Dr. Graça Machel, Chancellor of UPEACE, and Ambassador Mohamed Sahnoun, Special Advisor to the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General. With strong interest expressed by the Secretary-General of the UN, the overall goal of the Africa Programme is to strengthen African capacity for education, training and research on issues of peace and security, including the prevention, management and resolution of conflict. A key objective of the UPEACE Africa Programme is the linking of African scholars and institutions of higher learning.
The course brought together a total of 27 participants, mainly academics and some NGO representatives from universities across Africa. Sessions of the course included definitions and theories of conflict, African, local and non-formal mechanisms for CPMR, and the relationship between the UN, African Union (AU) and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs). Participants also visited the Pan African Parliament (PAP) and were addressed on the role of PAP in Peace and Security issues on Africa.
