This retreat serves as a follow-up to the retreat from 09-14 July 2018, wherein the Central African government’s negotiating team was hosted by ACCORD at its headquarters in Durban, South Africa.
Since the first retreat held in Durban in July, members of the government negotiating team have had time to familiarise themselves with some of the concepts in their preparation work presented at the time. By their achievements, it proved useful to delve into certain practical aspects which are essential during any negotiation. In this regard, ACCORD’s Head of Mission in the CAR – Ambassador Sebastien Ntahuga, conducted a presentation to aid in capacity building. Elements of the presentation included negotiation techniques, classical communication and nonverbal communication, techniques for making compromises and approaches to respond to the demands of armed groups. Further presentations were made by representatives from the Centre for Human Dialogue and Sant ‘Egidio (both of whom are involved in efforts in CAR) on various thematics including transitional justice, transhumance and the strengths and weaknesses of the African Initiative. Reflections after the retreat affirm that the importance of capacity building and preparation for negotiations cannot be understated. As such, ACCORD will continue to provide trainings and support to the various stakeholders and the government negotiators team in CAR with the support of the European Union.
