On 20th September, ACCORD undertook the Inception Meeting with the SADC-Secretariat on the development of the SADC Standby Force Civilian Component Operational Guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). The Inception Meeting was intended to provide both ACCORD and the Secretariat with an opportunity to mutually confirm the approach, work-plan, and timelines for the implementation and completion of the assignment.
A draft Operational Guidelines and a set of SOPs were developed ahead of the Inception Meeting. The meeting noted the important role of the SADC-Secretariat’s Directorate of Human Resources and Administration and emphasized the need for the consultancy to engage and work closely with the Directorate in the development of the PSOs Operational Guidelines and SOPs for the Civilian Component. The meeting also agreed on specific timelines which would guide the development of the documents to enable the holding of a validation workshop towards the end of October.