ACCORD Senior Trainer Pascal da Rocha ran an experiential and interactive Capacity Development workshop for the United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU) in September. The aim of the workshop was to develop and enhance capacity-building and mentoring skills of ASF/UNOAU/OCHA planning officers, to strengthen coordination and cooperation of key players from the UN and the AU.
The African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) congratulates the three women who today jointly received the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, namely President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, Leymah Gbowee, gender activist in Liberia, and Tawakkul Karman, gender activist in Yemen. The award was given in recognition of their non-violent struggle for the safety and protection of women, and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work.
The Executive Director of ACCORD, Vasu Gounden, was invited to be a resource person at an 'Increase Peace through Mediation' Ministerial Breakfast Meeting in New York, by the Government of Finland, who currently funds ACCORD's Mediation Capacity Building Programme for the African Union. The Ministerial Breakfast Meeting was hosted by the Permanent Mission of Turkey to the United Nations on 20 September 2011. This is the second meeting to be held, following a first meeting that was held in 2010.
ACCORD's Knowledge Production Department recently hosted another internal staff seminar – this time with Dr William Tsuma and Dr Kwesi Sansculotte-Greenidge. In their presentation to staff from ACCORD's Interventions and Knowledge Production Department, Dr Tsuma and Dr Sansculotte-Greenidge addressed the issue of integrating conflict prevention in South Sudan's post-independence transition plan. This internal staff seminar was particularly relevant as post-conflict peacebuilding in South Sudan features high on the agenda of many international actors as well as conflict management organisations, such as ACCORD.
On the 4th and 5th of September 2011, ACCORD co-hosted a 'High Level Retreat of Envoys for Peace in Africa' in partnership with the African Union (AU) and Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), in Cairo. ACCORD's Executive Director was one of the resource persons at the retreat.
In September, ACCORD will host a two-day expert seminar on the topic 'Climate change and conflict: Where to for conflict-sensitive climate change adaptation in Africa?' that will lead to a Policy & Practice Brief to be presented at COP17 in Durban in late November. ACCORD continues to conduct activities on climate and conflict, in order to highlight the need for conflict-sensitive climate change adaptation policies, practices and funding.
In preparation for COP17, the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) in Durban held a two day expert seminar on 15 & 16 September, to identify issues and recommendations for ensuring that adaptation to climate change is conflict-sensitive. Policy makers, practitioners and scientists presented new research on the linkages between climate change and conflict in Africa, and analysed various tools, policies and approaches to ensure the prevention of conflicts arising from climate change but also from adaptation efforts. The outcomes of the seminar will be distributed in advance of COP17 and will be presented at a number of side events during COP17.
Senior ACCORD Researcher, Salome Bronkhorst, was invited by OneWorld and Adelphi, supported by the German Federal Foreign Office, to present at a regional dialogue in Pretoria which focused on the interrelationship between climate change, conflict and cooperation in Southern Africa. The dialogue, held on 23 September, brought together decision makers and experts from Southern Africa as well as from Europe to address key questions related to climate change and security. In particular, the dialogue focused on identifying potential pathways for regional cooperation and benefit sharing, related to climate change and security.
Between 22 August and 2 September 2011, ACCORD held a Joint Peacebuilding Training and Study Tour to South Africa for key peacebuilding stakeholders from five African countries. The participants exchanged professional expertise and enhanced their knowledge on the topic of "Elections, Governance and Conflict" during two weeks of conferencing in Durban and Johannesburg.
In ongoing commitment to the fulfilment of UN Resolution 1325, in late August ACCORD held a mediation training for South African women in partnership with the Progressive Women's Movement of South Africa (PWMSA). The development of skilled female mediators, who are active in their communities, is a vital component of addressing conflict within our societies and ACCORD was delighted to play a role in preparing a group of specially selected women from across the country with the skills to mediate in conflict situations.
The African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD)invites academics from the social sciences, practitioners, policy makers and policy researchers to submit abstracts and subsequent papers that consider issues related to climate and conflict challenges and interventions in Africa, and the development of climate change adaptation and mitigation measures that are conflict sensitive.
