The Pilot Training on the Reviewed Protection of Civilians (PoC) Training Package for African Union (AU) Peace Support Operations (PSOs) was held from 26 – 30 August 2024 at the National Defence College (NDC) in Abuja, Nigeria. The training was co-hosted by the AU Compliance and Accountability Framework (AUCF) Project, the United Nations Human Rights Council (OHCHR), the European Commission and the NDC.
The AU Harmonised Training Standards on PoC was developed in 2018 to provide military, police, and civilian experts with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to protect civilians in AU multidimensional PSOs in the protection needs of civilians, especially vulnerable groups such as women and children, during conflicts and post-conflict situations. In line with the AU Training Policy for PSOs (2023), with support from ACCORD through the Training for Peace (TfP) Programme, the curriculum was reviewed to make it more relevant and responsive to current and emerging AU PSO needs.
Based on the reviewed curriculum, the objectives of the training were to provide participants with the knowledge, skills and competencies to protect civilians in AU PSOs; test the relevance of the various modules of the PoC curriculum to the current and emerging needs of AU PSOs; assess the logical flow of the course content as recommended in the reviewed curriculum; assess whether the time allocated for the various modules is adequate for covering the teaching points; and assess the training methodologies, exercises, and training aids recommended in the reviewed curriculum and enhancing them, where appropriate, to attain training objectives. The training was attended by civilian, military and police personnel who are preparing for deployment or have been deployed in AU-mandated and authorised PSOs, representatives from Regional Economic Communities / Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs), representatives from Training Centres of Excellence (TCEs) and African Standby Capacity (ASC) Roster members. ACCORD was represented by PSO Programme Officer, Ms Rumbidzaishe Matambo.
The AU-mandated and authorised PSOs have increasingly been charged with the task of protecting civilians, and their ability to deliver on this mandate is closely linked to their legitimacy and credibility. The AU Commission continues to emphasise that the PoC is a fundamental principle underpinning the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) and has ensured that the PoC is mainstreamed across the whole spectrum of the APSA. ACCORD’s participation in the training is in line with the institution’s strategic objective to enhance the institutional responses of the AU and RECs to complex conflicts.
