The ACCORD Peacebuilding Unit’s African Peacebuilding Coordination Programme (APCP) recently organized and conducted a Peacebuilding Workshop in collaboration with the Liberia Peacebuilding Office under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Liberia. The activity took place from 1-5 March 2010 and brought together a cross section of 26 participants from key regions in Liberia.

On Monday, 01 March 2010, the Founder and Executive Director of ACCORD, Vasu Gounden, met with Philippe Orliange, the Deputy Head of Mission from the French Embassy in Pretoria. This is the first official visit to ACCORD House by a representative from the French Embassy. Mr. Orliange’s visit was to learn more about ACCORD and its activities.

On 30 January 2010 the Founder and Executive Director of ACCORD, Vasu Gounden, participated in the immersing of the last known remaining portion of Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes into the sea. Mahatma Gandhi died in 1948. The ashes were immersed just outside of the entrance to the Durban harbour.

National Peace Support Operations Officers of the Malawi Armed Forces listen attentively to an ACCORD presentation on Negotiation and Mediation during a ten-day pre-deployment training programme in Salima, Malawi.

The Training for Peace (TfP) Programme at ACCORD, in its capacity as holder of the Presidency of the African Peace Support Trainers’ Association (APSTA) for 2009, hosted the 7th APSTA Annual General Meeting (AGM) from 18 – 19 February 2010 in Durban, South Africa.

As part of a series of initiatives planned by ACCORD to promote and sustain peace in Burundi before, during and after the upcoming elections, the Burundi Intervention conducted a conflict management training session for youth leaders from 21-26 February 2010 in Ngozi.

On 13 February 2010 the Founder and Executive Director of ACCORD, Vasu Gounden, was invited by the South African Minister of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, The Honourable Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, to attend the opening of Parliament dinner hosted in honour of the Diplomatic Corps. On the 17th of February Mr. Gounden was invited by the new South African Minister of Finance, The Honourable Mr. Pravin Gordhan, to attend the presentation of his first National Budget Speech in Parliament.

ACCORD's Executive Director was appointed to the ICCO board in late 2008 after attending their regional meeting that was held in Madagascar and which aimed to investigate how to implement their new innovation process in the Southern Africa region. He was therefore invited to participate in the first IAC meeting for 2010 which was held in Woudschoten, Zeist on 25 and 26 February 2010.

Staff from ACCORD’s Peacemaking and Peacebuilding Units travelled to Khartoum, Sudan, for a consultative field mission from 13 - 18 February 2010. The ACCORD team met and engaged with important stakeholders in the peacemaking and peacebuilding processes in Sudan. 

As part of a series of initiatives geared towards violence prevention during the May to September 2010 communal, presidential, legislative and local elections in Burundi, ACCORD’s Burundi Office will conduct conflict management training for youth leaders.