Engaging the AU on its need for civilian and police capacity for peace operations was on top of the agenda when the Embassy hosted the annual meeting of the International Advisory Board for the Training for Peace programme in Addis Ababa 5–6 November. Norway has run the Training for Peace (TfP) programme since 1995 to build sustainable African civilian and police capacity necessary for a comprehensive approach to securing peace in Africa. With TfP’s focus on training, rostering, policy facilitation and applied research, the programme has contributed actively in placing the civilian and multi-dimensional aspects of peacekeeping on the agenda, including issues related to the protection of civilians and women, peace and security. TfP is based on a unique North–South–South cooperation where activities are carried out mainly by African partner institutions. Current TfP partners are the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) and the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in South Africa, the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in Ghana, the African Civilian Response Capacity for Peace Support Operations (AFDEM) in Zimbabwe, the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) and the International Section at the Norwegian Police Directorate. The International Advisory Board (IAB) meets annually to give strategic advice to the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the TfP Partners. The members of the IAB are highly accomplished practitioners, scholars and diplomats – most of them Africans – dedicated to helping foster civilian and police capacities in Africa for peace operations, conflict prevention and peacebuilding.

Engaging the African Union was on top of the agenda for this year’s IAB meeting. The AU is a key stakeholder for TfP. The IAB members and representatives of the TfP partners, along with representatives of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy met with top officials of the AU Commission, including H.E. the Deputy Chairperson, Erastus Mwencha, the Director of the Peace and Security Department, El-Ghasim Wane and the Chief Advisor to the Chairperson, Basu Sangqu. The dialogue with the AU provided key insights into the AU’s comprehensive approach to peace and security, which is interlinked with its agendas on development and good governance. This input was crucial for the discussion among the IAB members and TfP partners regarding how TfP can continue to provide the AU with key capacities to implement its peace and security agenda.  

This year’s IAB meeting also included an open seminar to reach out to the large peace and security community in Addis Ababa on the topic of “African futures, conflict trends and the AU’s response”. The seminar was organised jointly by the ISS and the Embassy. The keynote speaker was Jakkie Cilliers, Executive Director of ISS. Comments were provided by the panelists Vasu Gounden, Executive Director of ACCORD, and Kwesi Aning, Director of Academic Affairs & Research Department at KAIPTC. The meeting was attended by 120 participants, many of whom asked questions and made comments during the interactive session.

Current members of the International Advisory Board of the Training for Peace programme are: Gen. (rtd) Martin Luther Agwai Former Force Commander, UNAMID   Jose Victor da Silva Angelo International Affairs Strategist / Columnist   Dr Francis Deng Special Adviser of the UN Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide   Ms Comfort Ero Africa Program Director, International Crisis Group, Nairobi   Professor Ibarhim Gambari Chancellor of the Kwara State University, Kwara State, Nigeria   Mr Jean-Marie Guéhenno Director, Centre for International Conflict Resolution Columbia University, New York   Dr Monica Juma Principal Secretary at the Kenyan Ministry of Defence   Dr Funmi Olonisakin Director, Conflict, Security and Development Group, King’s College, London   Dr Ramesh Thakur Director, Centre for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament, ANU Asia Pacific College of Diplomacy, Canberra