On 27 October 2025 the Founder and Executive Director of ACCORD, Dr Vasu Gounden, was invited to give a presentation at the Embassy of Sweden in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The presentation focused on providing a regional political and security overview, as well as discussions on the importance of evidence-based practice and adaptive management in peacebuilding efforts. The discussion also examined issues such as how to strengthen conflict prevention through evidence-based programmes; possible partnership models that could enhance local ownership and sustainability in complex regional contexts; and how Sida could support adaptive and learning-oriented programming.
Attendees included staff from the Embassy such as the Deputy Head of Mission; the Head of Development Cooperation for Regional Africa; the Head of Development Cooperation in Ethiopia; First Secretaries; and Peace and Security Specialists. Additionally, participating virtually in the presentation and discussion were a Senior Thematic Specialist on Peace and Security from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Stockholm, Sweden; a Triple Nexus Senior Specialist from the Swedish Embassy in Maputo, Mozambique; a Human Security Specialist from the Embassy of Sweden in the DRC; a Rule of Law Specialist focused on Somalia from the Embassy of Sweden in Nairobi; and a Senior Woman, Peace and Security (WPS) Specialist from the Folke Bernadotte Academy.
Dr Gounden has given several presentations over the years at the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Stockholm, as well as at the Embassy of Sweden in South Africa, focusing on the peace and security environment on the Continent and ACCORD’s response to developments within the field. Sweden is one of ACCORD’s key long-term donors, having funded programmes at ACCORD since 2006.
