Experts, policy-makers, and relevant stakeholders in the peacekeeping and security sector will converge in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on September 7, for a workshop on “Emerging Dynamics in Peace Operations in Africa.”
The meeting, under the auspices of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), in collaboration with the GIZ, and the Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS), will discuss emerging issues in peace operations as well as propose measures to strengthen Africa’s security architecture.
A statement issued by the KAIPTC, copied to the Ghana News Agency, said among the pressing issues to be discussed at the one-day workshop include; Humanitarian, Development and Peace (HDP) Nexus as well as Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Peace Support Operations (MHPSS) in contexts of peace operations in Africa.
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It said the workshop seeks to, among others, deepen the understanding of participants on the HDP Nexus and MHPSS and highlight the roles and contributions of national and regional actors towards the successful implementation of the two frameworks.
The statement noted that the meeting would also discuss and galvanise inputs on two baseline reports on the HDP Nexus as well as MHPSS in peace operations contexts in Africa out of, which two tailor-made training curricula had been piloted at the KAIPTC.
The statement said among the distinguished personalities billed to speak at the meeting include: Major Gen Francis Ofori, Commandant, the KAIPTC; Dr Jonas Yonas Adaye, Director, Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS); and Madam Amma A. Twum-Amoah, Ghana’s Ambassador to Ethiopia.
The rest are Madam Hannah Tetteh, the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the African Union and Head of the United Nations Office to the African Union, and Dr Jan Pospisil, Research Director, Austrian Study Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution.
It said the meeting would be divided into three parts; the opening ceremony would take preliminary views and suggestions from selected speakers on the subject matter, which would set the tone for broader discussions on sector-wide issues.
There would also be a panel discussion on two separate topics – the HDP Nexus Implementation in Africa, and the MHPSS in Peace Operations, it said.
The statement said the event would be climaxed with a discussion session where all participants would be offered the opportunity to comment on the subject matter.
It said over the period, the KAIPTC and IPSS, in collaboration with the GIZ, had been instrumental in incorporating the two new dimensions of peace-building – the HDP Nexus and the MHPSS – into their training, scholarship and policy engagement.
The statement said the HDP Nexus, introduced in the context of the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit, was a new way of working that provided a pathway to bridge the gaps between the humanitarian, development and peace sectors.
“The MHPSS on the other hand seeks to address fundamental individual and collective well-being factors essential to the overall initiation, development, maintenance and sustenance of a peace culture,” it said.
“This is in line with the achievement of the Millennial Development Goals (MDGs) and Sustainable Development Goals, including health, along with the WHO priority on the reduction of mortality on non-communicable and life-style related diseases.”
