The Peacekeeping Unit
Peacekeeping seeks to preserve the peace, however fragile, once fighting as been halted.
Over the years, peacekeeping has evolved from a primarily military model of observing cease-fires and separation of forces after inter-state wars, to incorporate a complex model of many elements – military, police, civilian – working together to help lay the foundations for sustainable peace.
The core business of multidimensional peacekeeping operations is:
- To create a secure environment while strengthening the state’s ability to provide security, with full respect for the rule of law and human rights;
- To facilitate the political process by promoting dialogue and reconciliation and supporting the establishment of legitimate and effective institutions of governance; and
- To provide a framework for ensuring that the international community along with local partners pursue their activities at the country level in a coherent and coordinated manner.
Following the challenges experienced by the international community in places such as Rwanda and Somalia in the early 1990s, there is now a greater emphasis and need for regional organizations such as the African Union to play a more significant role vis-à-vis maintaining African peace and security. The plans to establish an African Standby Force (ASF) are reflective of a renewed commitment in this regard.
ACCORD’s Peacekeeping Unit seeks to build the capacity of the civilian dimension of African multidimensional peacekeeping operations.