The African Union Commission (AUC) through the Peace Support Operations Division (PSOD) and ACCORD conducted an Integrated Human Resources(HR) and African Standby Capacity (ASC) Database Training for the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Roster Focal Points from 09 – 12 April 2024 in Gaborone, Botswana. This capacity development activity builds on the results and outcomes of the 11th ASC Coordination Meeting held in Kampala in June 2023, following a request from the SADC Secretariat to train the Roster Focal Points (RFPs) and HR Focal Points (HRFPs) on the ASC Roster recruitment process and management of the ASC database, which remains the primary IT tool of the roster for its effective management.
The RFPs and HRFPs’ ability to manage the ASC Roster is crucial, especially after the recent deployments to the SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The mission area requires the deployment of trained civilians that form part of the civilian component of the African Standby Force (ASF) and these civilians will be recruited from the ASC Roster. This aligns with the decision of the 10th Ordinary Meeting of the Specialized Technical Committee on Defense, Safety and Security (STCDSS), which directed the “AUC and Regional Economic Communities/Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs) to use the ASC Roster as the first option for recruitment and deployment of civilian personnel in Peace Support Operations (PSOs). Three RFPs and HRFPs received training. The training linked HR and Database Components of the ASC rostering workflows and the RFPs and HRFPs were provided with an opportunity to exercise their rostering tasks within and outside the database.
The AUC and ACCORD also paid a courtesy visit to the Senior Management of the SADC Planning Element and the HR and Administration Directorate at the SADC Secretariat. Present in the meeting was the Director of the HR and Administration Directorate, Ms. Bodo Tantely; Acting Director of the Organ on Politics, Defense and Security Affairs, Mr Terry Rose; and Acting Head of the Planning Element, Brigadier General Raymond Ndwandwe. The Senior Management was sensitized about the civilian component of the ASF and were given a broad overview of the ASC roster, how it was conceptualized and where it is placed within the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA). The three trained officers indicated that the training equipped them to assume the responsibility of managing the SADC roster and preparing for the roster’s use for deployment. The Senior Management reassured the AUC and ACCORD of the SADC Planning Element and the HR and Administration Directorate of SADC’s involvement in the implementation and usage of the ASC going forward.
Through the Training for Peace (TfP) Programme, ACCORD continues to support the AU’s concerted efforts towards building a pool of ready-to-deploy civilian experts. The TfP Programme at ACCORD is an initiative funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
