The African Union Commission (AUC) and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Regional Mechanisms (RMs) have been developing a civilian standby roster since its conceptualisation in 2010. To date, significant progress has been made to improve the roster in order for the RECs and RMs to initiate the population of the roster to allow full operational capability. To achieve this, the AUC, the RECs and RMs in close collaboration with the German Center for International Peace Operations (ZIF) are further working on key priority areas regarding the development of the roster.
These priority areas include, finalisation and submission for approval of the Human Resources Policy Framework; finalisation of development of the roster database; testing and simulation exercise of the database; capacity building and support to personnel in charge of operating the roster; and outreach and marketing of the roster.
The AUC supported by TfP/ACCORD and other partners have organised an ‘African Standby Capacity (ASC) Integrated Human Resource and Database Training Course’ held from 23 – 31 March 2015 in Nairobi, Kenya. As part of its engagement and support, TfP/ACCORD also contributed towards achieving the aims and objectives of the training. The training led to increase in capacity of roster and human resources focal points as well as training officers on advanced human resources skills for the planning and management of the roster. Furthermore, it aimed to train the personnel on advanced features of the database and ensure their effective usage; and practical training on combining the database and human resources aspects in managing the roster. This was following on a ‘Roster Introductory and an Introductory Human Resources Training’ courses held in Harare, Zimbabwe in 2014. The introductory courses presented rostering as a concept, as well as the fundamental human resources concepts underpinning rostering.
The advanced training course was attended by 20 participants. Each REC and RM was represented by the Rostering Officer and a Human Resources Officer working closely with the roster project. The participants included the AU Commission which comprised of the Peace Support Operations Division (PSOD); the Mediation Unit, the Post Conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD) Unit and the Administration and Human Resource Management (AHRM). The RECs/RMs were the Eastern Africa Standby Force Coordination Mechanism (EASFCOM); the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS); the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS); the Southern African Development Community (SADC); and the Northern African Regional Capability (NARC). The advanced training was also attended by the training centres such as the Kofi Anan International Peacekeeping Training Center (KAIPTC); the International Peace Support Training Center (IPSTC); and the SADC Regional Peacekeeping Training Center (SADC RPTC).
The training was able to present advanced features of the roster database and it focused on the roster recruitment and deployment cycles and their interaction with the database. Participants were able to screen Curriculum Vitae (CVs) based on the Standard Manual Guidelines (SMG) and were able to make decisions following the screening of the CVs. Furthermore, they were equipped with competence based interview techniques and communication skills in order to appreciate the roles and responsibilities of the various stakeholders. Amid the focus of the training, participants were involved in practical training of the database and what pertinent information is needed to populate it. As part of its engagement to the roster development, TfP/ACCORD further assisted to strengthen the practical understanding of the interview approaches and techniques regarding the roster recruitment stages which will assist to recruit the qualified personnel for the roster database.
