Tor Sellström, Senior Advisor to ACCORD, was invited to speak at the celebrations for the International Day of Peace (21 September 2009) at the Luthuli Museum in Groutville, KwaZulu Natal.
On 07 September 2009 Mr. Aziz Pahad visited ACCORD House where he shared his views on the current environment on the Continent with ACCORD’s Programme Staff. He also shared some of his experiences during his time as Deputy Foreign Minister.
On 20 July 2009 ACCORD hosted a delegation representing Nobel Peace laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi from Burma, one of the world’s most renowned advocates of non-violence. In 1991 the Nobel Peace Committee decided to award Aung San Suu Kyi the noble prize for her valiant non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights.
On the 16th and 17th of October 2008 ACCORD hosted the new Swedish Ambassador to South Africa, H.E. Ambassador Tejler and Mr. Kaj Persson (Minister and Deputy Head of Mission at the Swedish Embassy in Pretoria) in Durban. The Ambassador was in Durban to meet with various role players to learn more about the Province of KwaZulu Natal.
On 24 August 2007 two representatives from the Nordic Africa Institute (NAI) and Uppsala University, based in Sweden, visited ACCORD House to discuss possible future collaboration between the institutions. They were attending the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) Conference, which was held in Durban at the time.
On 16 August 2007, ACCORD’s Intervention Department held a one-day seminar on the theme Western Sahara: Negotiations and Perspectives towards Resolution of the Saharawi Question. The seminar was co-hosted with the South African Department of Foreign Affairs. The aim of the seminar was to reflect on the current situation towards the resolution of the Western Sahara conflict.
On Thursday, 30 July 2009 ACCORD hosted international actor and film director Nandita Das. Ms Das was in Durban to attend the Durban International Film Festival where her first film as a director, Firaaq, was being launched. The film deals with the issue of religious violence and persecution of beliefs, set against the sectarian violence that took place in Gujarat in 2002, in which 3000 Muslims were killed.
On 1 June 2009, the new South African Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, H.E. Ambassador Abba Omar, visited ACCORD House. Ambassador Omar was the former South African Ambassador to Oman. In 2006 Ambassador Omar hosted Vasu Gounden (Founder and Executive Director of ACCORD) when he visited Oman to conduct a conflict management and leadership training at the American British Academy (ABA) based in Muscat, Oman.
On Sunday, 20 April 2008 the 4th Annual Mahatma Gandhi Salt March was held in Durban. The Founder and Executive Director of ACCORD, Vasu Gounden, who is a Trustee of the Gandhi Development Trust, was the director of programmes for the event held after the march at Battery Beach, while Hayden Allen (General Manager: Corporate Affairs, ACCORD) coordinated the programme for the event.
On 20 August 2007 ACCORD Staff went on a team building exercise to see the movie Chak de India. The movie was sponsored by the Avalon Group (Nu Metro CineCentre at SunCoast).
On 15 and 16 August 2007 the Sri Lanka-based Initiative for Political and Conflict Transformation (INPACT) visited ACCORD House. The organisation was represented by Mr. Tyrol Ferdinandas: Managing Trustee and Mr. Indika Perera, the Programme Director at INPACT
