CCCPA conducted a virtual foundational training course on Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) from 10-24 June 2021.

“In Africa, DDR is considered a vital component of peacebuilding, acting as a bridge between pressing security concerns and laying the longer-term foundations of sustaining peace,” highlighted CCCPA’s Director General Ambassador Ahmed Abdel-Latif during the opening session. Aiming to build lasting African DDR capacities, the training shed light on the cross-fertilization between the UN’s Integrated Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Standards (IDDRS)  and the AU Operational Guidance Notes (OGN) framework. In line with the AU’s Agenda 2063 and Silencing the Guns Initiative, the AU OGN promotes African ownership of DDR programs.

The training brought together 24 participants, including representatives of governments from 11 African countries (Egypt, Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, the Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mali, Rwanda and Senegal), UN peacekeeping missions (the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mali), and UN Secretariat and agencies (DPPA, IOM and UNDP). Country representatives from the USA, Japan and Nepal also joined the training.

The training also aims to advance the UN-AU partnership in the field of DDR and comes at a critical juncture with the recent launching of the revised IDDRS and AU OGN—thus presenting a unique opportunity for CCCPA to reflect the new and updated guidance in its training curriculum.  As a member of the Integrated DDR Training Group (IDDRTG), CCCPA played a significant role in the review of the IDDRS and the development and review of key AU OGNs.

This training is part of Egypt’s effort to enhance the AU peacebuilding architecture as outlined in the AU Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development Policy, and is held in the context of Egypt’s chairmanship of the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission (PBC). Furthermore, it serves to advance the implementation of the Aswan Conclusions on Sustainable Peace and Development in Africa especially in its effort to promote African ownership and foster resilience.

The training comes as part of the project “Addressing Systemic Risks to Development, Peace and Security in Africa”, funded by the Government of Japan, through the UNDP, and by the Egyptian Agency for Partnership for Development.