ACCORD/TfP participated in a SADC Exercise Planning Meeting that took place in Lilongwe, Malawi from 23 to 27 April 2018. This Planning Meeting was a third in a series of earlier meetings with one more which is due in July 2018, that have been planned in preparation for the regional Command Post Exercise (CPX) taking place at a selected location in Malawi from 26 September to 17 October 2018. The CPX has been conceived following the announcement by the African Union Commission (AUC) that in line with the standby roster for conflict response on the continent, SADC will be next in for standby as of 01 January to 30 June 2019.
The Exercise Planning meeting brought together the following regional entities: the SADC Secretariat Planning Element constituting of the civilian, police, military and prisons/corrections planners, planners from the SADC Member States, the host government, Malawi planners, civil society organisations and specially invited local and regional private sector companies. The planning meeting focused on developing and concluding preparation of all the necessary documentation, processes and requirements that are central to the conduct of a CPX or any other exercise. The meeting also focused on ensuring that there is full and wide coordination, cooperation and consultation among all stakeholders to the exercise to guarantee the successful conduct of the event.