ACCORD’s Peacekeeping Co-ordinator, Yvonne Kasumba will take-up a six month secondment to the African Union (AU) as the Civilian Liason Officer in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from the 1st April 2010.
Yvonne will be working directly with the head of the Peace Support Operations Division (PSOD) on all aspects relating to the civilian dimension of the African Standby Force (ASF). The secondment acknowledges the vast portfolio of work ACCORD’s Peacekeeping Division has done on the African continent.
“I am truly looking forward to this opportunity to work even more closely in support of the AU’s efforts towards peace and security in Africa,” says Yvonne, “The TfP Programme has a solid track record in support of civilian peacekeeping on the continent and this secondment is testament to the hard work and reputation of both TfP and ACCORD”.
Yvonne will be tasked with realising the recommendations from the ASF Staffing, Rostering and Training Workshop held in Kampala, July 2008, and with implementing the Policy Framework of the Civilian Dimension of the ASF, both documents the Training for Peace Programme (TfP) has been instrumental in drafting. Yvonne will also advise on aspects related to the civilian dimension in support of the planning processes within the PSOD and the ASF, facilitate the process of establishing the civilian standby roster for the ASF, identify training requirements for the civilian dimension of the ASF and provide support to the ASF exercises, including those undertaken by regional brigades, with advice on how best to integrate the civilian dimension.
Yvonne has been with ACCORD since October 2006. She has a BA Hons in International Relations from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa (2000); and an MA in International Relations from the Graduate School for International Development and Cooperation, Hiroshima University, Japan.
ACCORD wishes Yvonne every success over the next 6 months, and trust that her appointment will assist in increasing the momentum on the civilian dimension of the ASF.
