ACCORD presented the preliminary findings of research on climate related conflicts in Sudan to a conference on environmental change and migration. The conference shed light on the complex dynamics of environmentally induced migration and the related impact on communities.
ACCORD has conducted field research in Sudan to investigate the increasing threat of climate related conflicts in Africa. The research findings will inform the work of policy makers and the NGO sector to deal with and prevent climate related conflicts.
ACCORD staff recently retreated to Botha’s Hill for a two-day academic writing workshop hosted by the Knowledge Production Department (KPD). The picturesque, mid-winter environment at the Chantecler Hotel provided the perfect setting for nine ACCORD staff members to get their writing caps on and develop their academic and critiquing skills.
Muden, Stutterheim and Mpumalanga (KZN) Coexistence launches: 27, 31 March 2009 and 7 August 2009
As part of its thematic work on Peacebuilding in South Africa, the coexistence study publication: Views and Visions of Coexistence in South Africa was launched in Muden on 27 March 2009, in Stutterheim on 31 March and in Mpumalanga (KwaZulu Natal) on 7 August 2009. The objectives of the launches were to thank communities for their participation in the original and follow-up studies; for Professor Jannie Malan, Senior Researcher, to share the findings of the publications in the wider community; and to provide community members the opportunity to discuss present challenges of coexistence with ACCORD staff and an external resource person. Nearly 40 community members attended each launch.
On 10 -12 June 2009 Professor Thomas Ohlson and Stina Hoglund from the Department of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University, Sweden, visited ACCORD House. Their visit formed part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that ACCORD and the Department have entered into which aims to enhance ACCORD’s research capacity while ACCORD will provide its expertise on conflict management experience to the Department.
ACCORD has published a report titled Views and Visions of Coexistence in South Africa. The report documents a series of community consultations in three South African communities – Stutterheim in the Eastern Cape and Muden and Mpumalanga in KwaZulu Natal, where community members were invited to share their remarkable stories of transiting from violent conflict to cooperative post-conflict coexistence.
ACCORD's Knowledge Production Department (KPD) - under their first thematic focus area of Peace Agreements and the second thematic area of Climate Change and Conflict - will be undertaking fieldwork in different countries during July and August 2010.
During the April 2009 South African national and provincial elections, following a directive from the provincial legislature, ACCORD constituted an observer mission, the African Alliance for Peace (AfAP) with African partners the Nairobi Peace Initiative (NPI) and the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP).
On the 14th and 15th of September 2009, ACCORD’s Knowledge Production Department (KPD) hosted a peace agreements workshop at the Royal Palm Conference Centre in Durban. The aim of the workshop was to examine the democratization and developmental components of African peace agreements in the light of objectives for durable peace.
ACCORD participated for the first time as an exhibitor at the recent Cape Town Book Fair that was held in Cape Town from 13-16 June 2009. The opportunity was used to market, network and expand ACCORD’s publications dissemination. Copies of eight ACCORD publications were available for distribution at the Fair.
ACCORD is to host a number of events to celebrate the launch of a study on coexistence titled Views and Visions of Coexistence in South Africa. The publication is the result of a study undertaken in partnership with the New York-based Coexistence Initiative (TCI) in 2003 and again in 2008.
