To further their contributions towards peace and development in Lesotho, the Moshoeshoe I Institute for Peace and Leadership (MIPL) invited ACCORD to host a conflict management training. University staff and students, with diverse areas of expertise and different levels of experience, as well as experts previously trained by ACCORD were brought together during this training that was took place from 10 – 12 November 2021, in Maseru, Lesotho.
Strong emphasis was placed on changing the mind-set of the participants towards focusing on creating collaborative spaces conducive to peace, rather than the competitive space that many participants felt was typical of politics in Lesotho. The participants, representing student governance, government, military and civil society, were also given the opportunity to cross-share, and learn from, their different experiences of conflict management and peacebuilding.
This initiative comes in the midst of the Lesotho National Reforms process, which aims to improve governance and accountability in the country. MIPL, as part of the National University of Lesotho (NUL), successfully advocated for the promotion of peace as a priority area for the National Reforms Authority (NRA). The MIPL views the promotion and sustainability of peace as crucial to changing the political culture in Lesotho and achieving the nation’s economic and development goals. Capacitating members of MIPL can improve the quality of their contributions to the NRA and help position them as a key institution in Lesotho’s long-term peacebuilding infrastructure.
ACCORD has identified the strategic importance of building local and national capacities for peace, and has previously conducted trainings in Lesotho. This training, serves part of ACCORDs broader, long–running relationship with the MIPL, as an institute seeking to promote peace and leadership in the country.
