On 22 November, the Founder and Executive director of ACCORD, Vasu Gounden, participated in a workshop in Brussels entitled “Conflict Prevention – Creating a Leading Role for the European Union ‘Co-operation with Regional Organisations,'” under invitation by the Madariaga European Foundation and the Folke Bernadotte Academy.
The aim of the workshop was to strengthen the mechanisms of collaboration between regional and sub regional organisations in conflict prevention, and it was organised in cooperation with the Portuguese Presidency, and with the support of the Council of the European Union (EU) and the European Commission. It was the fourth and final part of a two-year common learning programme seeking to further enhance the conflict prevention capacity of the EU through improved internal coordination, and better cooperation with external actors.
A further aim of the workshop was to create an informal network of experts in the field of conflict prevention. Participants were asked to share their experiences in order to develop a common approach to conflict prevention. The workshop consisted of presentations and interactive workshops.
In 2006 Vasu Gounden was a resource person at two of the Folke Bernadotte Academy’s leadership workshops – “Facilitation of Dialogue Processes and Mediation Efforts” in March in Sandö, Sweden and their course on “Dialogue and Mediation for the UNDPA” in Bear Mountain, New York (USA).
