In supporting efforts towards the promotion for better understanding of security sector reform initiatives, ACCORD participated in the Association for Security Sector Reform Education and Training (ASSET) Annual General Meeting from 29-31 May 2013 in Accra, Ghana.
ASSET is an open and voluntary association of organisations and institutions engaged in Security Sector Reform (SSR) education and training. Founded in March 2008 and currently includes close to forty members, ASSET aims to support the development and delivery of education and training courses and teaching materials in order to meet the increasing need for highly qualified security sector reform practitioners, planners, trainers and policymakers. This shall be achieved through encouraging coordination, building coherence and strengthening the capacity of member institutions and organisations to provide quality, skills-based training and education.
Realising the misconceptions and vagueness surrounding the security sector principle, the meeting provided a platform for practitioners in the field to promote and exchange about planned and on-going activities in security sector reform to enable synergies. This platform allowed members to explore linkages between government reforms and civil society in the security sector allowing for policy impact. The meeting served as an opportunity for ACCORD to contribute towards addressing the gaps that exist with regards to SSR training around the world and also to explore initiatives of cooperation with other actors and the United Nations on SSR training needs and agenda. Security Sector Reform is a vital part of peacemaking, peacekeeping and peacebuilding and allows post-conflict societies to learn ways in which to promote and sustain peace in a post-conflict society. Furthermore, ASSET is a training platform which allowed ACCORD, and the Peacebuilding Unit, to learn from other organisation and share training methodology.
ACCORD looks forward to increasing possibilities for collaborative action and to integrating these lessons learned into its practice of working towards sustainable and thus, locally owned peace within the diverse African continent.
