On 6 March 2008 the Founder and Executive Director of ACCORD, Vasu Gounden, was invited to meet with Mr. Frydenlund at the Norwegian Embassy in Pretoria. Mr. Frydenlund is the Head of the Department responsible for the Horn and Central Africa (including Burundi) at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The main focus of the meeting was ACCORD’s work in Burundi.
ACCORD has worked in Burundi since 1995 and Mr Gounden has played an active role in ACCORD’s contribution to the Burundi Peace Process. This has included working with former President Nelson Mandela in facilitating the role of civil society in the peace process and with the South African Government in preparing rebel groups for the negotiation process. In 2003 ACCORD opened an office in Burundi. This is ACCORD’s first office on the continent outside of South Africa.
The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs funds ACCORD’s Training for Peace (TfP) in Africa programme, which it has done since 1995. It is the largest Norwegian Funded Project in Africa.
