INTRODUCTION
The joint African Union’s Economic, Social and Cultural Council (AU-ECOSOCC) and Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) training seeks to leverage Civil Society Organization (CSO) networks to support conflict prevention, including the African Union Country Structural Vulnerability and Resilience Assessments (AU CSVRA) and the COMESA Conflict Early Warning System Structural Vulnerability Assessments (COMWARN SVA).
The training will take place from September 14 - 16, 2023 in Entebbe, Uganda.
BACKGROUND
Africa's continuing challenges, encompassing conflicts, epidemics, climate change, terrorism and governance issues continue to endanger peace, security and stability. In response to these concerns, a collaborative effort is underway to empower civil society organizations (CSOs) in the Horn and East African region with essential conflict-resolution tools.
ECOSOCC, an advisory organ of the African Union with a pivotal role in civil society engagement, in partnership with COMESA Secretariat has organized a Training of Trainers (TOT) workshop which will focus on capacity building in sustaining peace and stability.
The training builds on the momentum from the 18th Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs held in Lusaka on June 6, 2023. The Ministers underscored the need to enhance COMESA's Training of Trainers (ToT) program, with a focus on sustaining peace and stability.
The training mirrors ECOSOCC's mandate to strengthen CSOs' capacity as agents for peace, security and stability on the continent as guided by Article 8, sub-articles 10, 11, and 20 of the PSC Protocol, and with the fundamental principles of the Livingstone Formula and the Maseru Conclusions. Moreover, the initiative is a key component of the 4th European Union Support Program for the African Peace and Security Architecture (EU APSA IV), reflecting regional cooperation for enhancing peace and security.
OBJECTIVES
The overarching objective of the ToT is to bolster the pool of skilled experts capable of leading discourses, formulating and implementing strategies, and addressing emerging challenges using the Structural Vulnerability Assessment (SVA) framework. Additionally, it aims to cultivate collaboration among CSOs in the region, particularly those engaged in peace and security efforts.
As a result, the training's immediate impacts on both CSOs and the region entail an improved understanding of the SVA methodology, enabling proactive conflict prevention through the active promotion, adoption and utilization of the SVA approach and existing early warning tools. Additionally, the ToT will set the foundation for forming a network of data collectors from CSOs across the Horn and East Africa region.
