The 12th African Standby Capacity (ASC) Coordination Meeting took place in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 11 – 13 June 2025. The meeting marked the 10th anniversary of the ASC Roster. With the support of the Training for Peace Programme (TfP) through ACCORD, this 12th meeting was co-hosted by the African Union Commission (AUC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat. The meeting served as a platform for engagement, coordination and planning between the civilian components of the regional planning elements (PLANELMs) and the ASC Roster focal points. The objective was to develop a joint work plan on the implementation of the ASC.
The annual meeting is important in discussing urgent matters of the ASC and addressing challenges in the implementation of operational plans, and in harmonising the ASC rostering activities. An example of this is the ongoing regional strategic review of the African Standby Force (ASF), and the need to understand its impact on the current policies and frameworks related to the ASC Roster. This year’s meeting was attended by representatives from the AUC, SADC Secretariat, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF) Secretariat, North Africa Regional Capabilities (NARC) Secretariat, United Nations Office to the AU and ACCORD.
In line with the theme of the 10th anniversary of the ASC Roster, the meeting served as a platform to reflect on the achievements of the ASC since 2015, highlighting both the opportunities and challenges encountered. Discussions emphasised the need to review the civilian dimension of the ASF and its policy framework. Key recommendations that came from the meeting included the need to strengthen the advocacy of the ASC roster across the regions and the need to involve the RECs/RMs in strategic discussions that relate to UN Security Council Resolution 2719 as well as the review of the ASF in PSOs. Additionally, it was proposed to organise an event in 2025 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of ASC with key focal institutes and rostered members. Furthermore, efforts should be made to arrange an inclusive coordination meeting that will involve representatives from all PSO components (civilian, military and police) to improve coordination and predictability of capabilities for AU PSOs.
ACCORD continues to serve as the AUC’s primary implementation partner for the implementation of the ASC. Through the Training for Peace (TfP) Programme, ACCORD continues to support the AU’s concerted efforts towards building a pool of ready-to-deploy civilian experts.
