Bridging gaps in the management of African national and regional peacekeeping efforts

The twin issues were informed by the peacekeeping landscape in Africa in 2011, largely punctuated by the scale of peace missions; the continuing surge in peacekeepers deployed in the continent; the slow pace of gender balance in peace operations vis-à-vis the issues of sexual exploitation and abuse, and sexual gender based violence in host communities; and implications for the high level of DPKO assessed budgets for peace operations; in addition to the operationalisation of the African Standby Force (ASF) within the framework of Roadmap III to achieve Full Operational Capability (FOC) by 2015.

These issues were also underscored by ongoing efforts by the UN DPKO to promulgate the Strategic Guidance (Doctrinal) Framework (SGF/SDF) for Police, coupled with practical challenges in POC mandate implementation within UNMISS and AMISOM, as well as the role and function of Formed Police Units (FPUs) and the impact of emerging security threats, such as Transnational Organised Crime.

The recent 4^th Joint High Level Seminar identified these issues in Windhoek, Namibia, from 28-30 November 2011. Twenty-eight (28) senior leaders and managers of 16 member states (8 each) in the Eastern African Police Chiefs Organisation (EAPCCO) and the Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Organisation (SARPCCO), responsible for peacekeeping training and deployments, attended the seminar. In effect, nine of the 14 PCCs from the two regions were present at the seminar.

The annual seminar with the theme, Complex Emergencies and Multidimensional Peacekeeping, Operational Challenges of Police Protection of Civilians Mandates, and Implications for Capacity Building Training, seeks to bridge divide in peacekeeping knowledge and education between the senior mission leadership and the foundational level of peacekeeping training courses facilitated by the Training for Peace Programme at the Institute for Security Studies, for UN and AU peace operations.

The seminar provided a platform for a key outcome, namely the opportunity to urge strongly, regional organisations and member states to select and prepare professional officers, including females, for peacekeeping missions mandated by the UN or the AU, and maintain databases of trained officers, to be better able to deal with these challenges in a more coherent and holistic manner.

It is the hope that there will be a discernible improvement in the commitment of EASFCOM (Eastern Africa Standby Force Coordination Mechanism) and SADC during 2012 and beyond, as a result of the heightened level of education and awareness during the seminar.

Incidentally, only one female (Uganda) attended the seminar. In order to enhance the chances of female participation in peace operations, the offer of the Norwegian Police Directorate to support female driving skills was shared with the participants. In addition, the seminar was informed of plans by the ISS/TfP to design and establish a Police Gender Mentoring Course during 2012. In addition to EAPCCO and SARPCCO, the AU and UN, as well as one other international peacekeeping training institution, will be approached to partner in the process.

One senior officer from the newly independent Republic of South Sudan was present at the seminar. As well, the seminar was attended by the Directors of the ASF Police PLANELMs (Planning Elements) at the EASFCOM and SADC; the Police Training Coordinator at the SADC RPTC (Regional Peacekeeping Training Centre); INTERPOL Regional Bureaus in Harare and Nairobi; resource persons from the UN DPKO and the AU PSOD (Peace Support Operations Division/Directorate); the current Police Commissioner of the UNMISS (UN Mission in the Republic of South Sudan) and a former Senior Police Advisor to the Police Commissioner of AMISOM (AU Mission in Somalia).

Namibia, which hosted the first seminar in 2007, offered to host the 2011 seminar in order to identify the country as a recipient and beneficiary of UN peacekeeping (UN Transition Assistance Group, UNTAG, 1989-90), and the commitment of the Namibian Police Force to the mechanism of UN (and AU) peace operations.

Other issues discussed at the seminar included: urgent need for further policy guidance on POC education and training; the involvement of African stakeholders in key UN and AU policy formulation processes; bridging the perceptible divide between RECs/RMs, CoEs (Centres of Excellence) and member states; the need to maintain and increase the numbers of females in national contributions, in order to improve gender balance in peace missions; fostering of multi-level peacekeeping partnerships; the need to build upon the UN Selection and Assistance Team training, better management of FPU resources and equipment; how to address administrative bottlenecks in the deployment of trained police officers and streamline the retention and extension of tours of duty.

The next seminar may take place in 2013, in order to allow a focus on impact assessment of the foundational training and the analysis of training needs for EAPCCO and SARPCCO in 2012.