The African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD), together with the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Department (PSD), held the African Union Mediation and Post-conflict Reconstruction Staffing, Rostering and Training Workshop in Durban, South Africa on 14-15 April 2011. The workshop brought together the AU, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), policymakers, mediation and post- conflict reconstruction experts, and civil society actors to inform the development of, and assist, the AU in identifying and articulating clear and specific needs of the mediation and post-conflict reconstruction and development (PCRD) pools of the PSD Civilian Standby Roster.
The PSD Civilian Standby Roster will encompass three pools: the civilian dimension of the African Standby Force (ASF); mediation; and post-conflict reconstruction and development. Having one common platform will allow the different pools to have access to a wide range of cross-cutting expertise, ensure inter-operability and reduce the cost of developing and maintaining the database, making the overall process more effective and efficient. Significant progress has already been made towards the development of the civilian dimension of the ASF pool of the PSD Civilian Standby Roster. The development of both the mediation and PCRD pools of the PSD Civilian Standby Roster is still at an initial stage and requires further consideration, specifically in relation to the processes of staffing, recruitment, deployment and training. These critical processes are integral to the successful development of the PSD Civilian Standby Roster and in solidifying its capability to deploy rapidly.
The workshop focused on the technical aspects of the mediation and PCRD pools and the staffing, recruitment, deployment and training requirements for it to function fully.
