12 October 2023 - The Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding (CCCPA) – in partnership with the Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA) of Sweden – have jointly conducted the pilot training course on “Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) and Youth: A Practitioner's Guide on How to Include Youth in DDR and other Security Transitions in a Meaningful Way.”

The training took place during the period from 9 – 12 October 2023 and brought together a diverse group of participants from 17 different nationalities. Participants came from a wide array of professional backgrounds, including DDR, the Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) Agenda, and Peacebuilding, covering the different stages of design, policy and planning, implementation and monitoring and evaluation mostly from various United Nations (UN) Agencies and missions, in addition to research institutes and training centers.

The Course aimed to strengthen DDR professionals’ capacities in structuring differentiated DDR programs in a way that ensures young men and women’s inclusion and meaningful participation from the onset of the planning process, to implementation and evaluation. It also unpacked specific modalities of addressing and including the needs and agencies of youth in the different stages of DDR processes for more sustainable and inclusive interventions. The training also adopted an interactive and learner-centered approach during which individual and group-based reflections were integrated to support the learning experience of participants.

In his opening remarks, CCCPA Director General Ambassador Ahmed Abdel-Latif emphasized that in countries affected by violent conflict, a successful transition from conflict to peace is often dependent on the creation of an environment conducive to peacebuilding and recovery activities specifically through the implementation of DDR. He also highlighted the imperative of enabling youth to meaningfully participate in all the steps of design to implementation DDR processes, to devise youth-specific strategies that meet the particular needs of youth.

On his part, Mr. Stefan Astrom, the Head of the DDR Program at FBA underscored the significance of this training as an important milestone in the partnership between CCCPA and FBA in the field of DDR. As a pilot training course, it aims to bridge a knowledge gap in devising and implementing youth-sensitive and responsive DDR programming - an endeavor that together both institutions are working to achieve.

During the Course Opening Ceremony, CCCPA and FBA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to further strengthen cooperation on advancing sustainable peace, in line with Egypt and Sweden’s commitment to strengthen peace and security globally and regionally.