As current Civilian Chair of the International Association of Peacekeeping Training Centres (IAPTC) Executive Committee, the Training for Peace in Africa Programme at ACCORD (TfP/ACCORD) has participated in the 2015 IAPTC Executive Committee Meeting that brought together a small group of peacekeeping training practitioners and experts who are tasked with planning the 2015 IAPTC Annual conference.
The Executive Committee meeting was organised and hosted by the Brazilian Peace Operations Joint Training Centre (CCOPAB) from 18–21 May 2015 in Brasilia, Brazil. The members of the committee who attended the meeting include representatives from the following institutions: the host – CCOPAB; the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (UNDPKO) – Integrated Training Services; Crisis Management Centre, Finland – Pedagogical Chair; Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping, India (CUNPK) – IAPTC Secretariat; Folke Bernadotte Academy; Indonesia National Defence Force Peacekeeping Centre – IAPTC Presidency; ACCORD – Civilian Chair; CANADA – Police Chair; and Nigeria – Military Chair and Bangladesh Institute of Peace Support Operation Training (BIPSOT). The meeting was also supported by the IAPTC honorary member from Canada, David Lightburn who has been part of IAPTC since its inception in 1995. Ms Irene Limo, Senior Programme Officer, Peacekeeping Unit at ACCORD attended the meeting in her capacity of the Civilian Chair.
The core task for the meeting was to discuss the preparation and planning of the 21st Annual Conference of the IAPTC which will be hosted by CCOPAB from 28 September–2 October 2015 in Brasilia, Brazil. The executive meeting, after detailed discussions developed the agenda for the 21st Annual Conference. The theme for the 2015 IAPTC Annual Conference is “Enhancing the Effectiveness of Training through Partnerships, Integration and Evaluation”. This theme seeks to strengthen peacekeeping training through synergies and effective evaluation for impact in the current security dynamics.
As the 2015 Civilian Chair of the Executive Committee and the African representative in the Committee, the participation of the TfP/ACCORD enriched the discussions bringing to fore the civilian and African issues in peacekeeping training. This promotion of issues regarding Africa’s peace operations contributes to further broadening of the understanding of the civilian (and multidimensional) aspects of peace operations.
The Training for Peace in Africa Programme at ACCORD is an initiative funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
