As a member of IAPTC, the Training for Peace in Africa Programme at ACCORD (TfP/ACCORD) have participated at this year's IAPTC Annual Conference to further strengthen and broaden the understanding of the African peace operations issues as well as the civilian dimension of peace operations within the international peacekeeping training community.

The Training for Peace Programme at ACCORD has participated in the 2014 European Union Police Service Training (EUPST) session which focused on the development of a rapid deployment capability of police elements in crisis management operations, and to train and evaluate the preparation, planning and Tactics, Techniques and Procedures and the conduct of all necessary activities within the scope of EUPST.

ACCORD hosted the Minister of Communication and Reconciliation from the Central African Republic (CAR), H.E. Madam Antoinette Montaigne Moussa, from 30th May-2nd June, in Durban, South Africa. The visit was intended to explore possible collaborative activities and partnership between the Ministry and ACCORD in the areas of reconciliation and nation-building in CAR.

ACCORD is firmly involved in the peacebuilding and reconciliation process in Liberia through supporting local actors and building the capacity of implementing partners of the Reconciliation Roadmap. The most recent training, done in collaboration by the Peacebuilding Unit and Training Unit, successfully contributed to this long-term process by catalysing national peacebuilding actors with peacebuilding skills and project management tools.

ACCORD's commitment to support the mediation capacity of the African Union (AU) continues to be reinforced through the implementation of a three year project titled the AU Mediation Support Capacity Project and which is in its second phase. The project is jointly implemented by AU Conflict Management Division, ACCORD as well as the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI). This initiative is funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.

The Training for Peace (TfP) in Africa Programme and Africa Peacebuilding Coordination Programme (APCP) at ACCORD have participated in the 2014 Peace Capacities (PeaceCap) Network's Annual Partners Meeting. As the South Africa's representative in the Network, ACCORD's participation in the meeting sought to further develop and strengthen civilian capacities in peacekeeping and peacebuilding in Africa to respond to Multidimensional peace support operations.

As part of its efforts to mainstream gender into its activities, the African Union Commission Peace and Security Department (PSD) formulated and commissioned a Gender, Peace and Security Programme (GPSP) under the Peace and Security Department. The GPSP is a flagship programme for the integration of gender into the continental peace and security agenda as well as support to the implementation of global and continental framework for women's increased participation in peace and security.

Peace, rule of law and governance are measurable and a key component of development indicators in Africa. This was the conclusion of a workshop held from 11–12 June 2014 at the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Hosted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), this workshop sought to consolidate the African position on the inclusion of peace, rule of law and governance, as part of the development indicators for the post-2015 development agenda.

As a cornerstone in the African Union (AU)'s quest for peace and security on the continent and as one of the main pillars of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), the Peace and Security Council (PSC) commemorated its 10th anniversary in an open session on 25 May 2014 at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

In order to be relevant and contextualised to a changing environment, the Peacebuilding Unit at ACCORD conducted a research trip to Juba, South Sudan. Through meeting with peacebuilding partners and other actors on the ground, the Unit has deepened its understand of the complex dynamics on the ground and become more equipped and aware for ensuring upcoming engagements are quality, tailor-made, context-specific, timely and effective.