The African Union Holds a Consultative Seminar on Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR)
Photo: © African Union
Addis Ababa, 21 February 2012:The Peace and Security Department of the AU Commission is holding a 2-day meeting with Regional Economic Communities (RECs)/Regional Mechanisms for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution (RMs) in Addis Ababa. The meeting is one of the preparatory steps for the launching, in 2013, of an AU Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Capacity Program (AU-DDRCP).
The seminar is the first in a series of events and training workshops that the Peace and Security Department is convening, in cooperation with the United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU), the DDR Section of the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and the Transitional Demobilization and Reintegration Program (TDRP) of the World Bank.
The seminar will provide an opportunity to exchange views on the basis of the experience of RECs/RMs on DDR activities in Member States, as well as of the United Nations and the World Bank on DDR in Africa and globally. The seminar will also discuss the major elements of the draft AU-DDRCP Project Document and the envisaged role of the RECs/RMs.
Among other things, the AU-UN-World Bank DDR partnership includes joint support for the DDR activities in AU Member States. As a starting point, the AU, the World Bank and the UN will be collaborating in supporting some aspects of DDR, including capacity building for the AU and RECs/RMs, engagements and projects in prioritized countries, training and seminars, as well as the establishment of a DDR Resource and Research Centre.
In addition to the ongoing consultation, other activities for 2012 will include the hiring of AU DDR staff, training of a core team of AU staff, a joint DDR training workshop for RECs/RMs, the development of a 3-year project document and budget, and a validation workshop to be held in during the last quarter of the year.
The envisaged DDR Unit will coordinate activities in Member States, as well as with RECs/RMs and partners. The Unit will also provide an AU platform for an African continental dialogue on DDR. The AU Commission also plans to develop tailored DDR operational guidelines to complement the UN Integrated DDR Standards, as well as Africa-specific DDR training manuals.
