Strengthening Practice : Support to organisations

What issues are involved in supporting other organisations?

Regional and sub-regional organisations in Africa and Asia carry significant responsibilities in promoting peace and security. However, organisations like the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) often operate with limited resources to record or learn from their experiences and develop their thinking and practice. Acknowledging the need for greater capacity and specialised skills in managing mediation processes, the HD Centre collaborates with the African Union and ECOWAS to(i) assist its partners in developping an institutional record of their mediation work, and critically examine and learn from that work; and (ii) to strengthen the mediation capacities and skills these organisations and ensure they effectively use those that they already have.

What activities is the HD Centre undertaking to address this issue? 

In its collaboration with regional organisations, the HD Centre engages in the following activities: it produces mediation case studies; convenes retreats for senior mediators; encourages experience sharing between organisations; develops internal knowledge management frameworks and standard operational procedures; and, advises on the development of mediation strategies.

Collaboration with ECOWAS
The HD Centre is currently collaborating with ECOWAS on the following projects:

• Assistance to the ECOWAS Political Affairs Directorate in establishing a Mediation Facilitation Division;
• Retreats for the ECOWAS Council of the Wise and for Special Representatives/Envoys of the ECOWAS President on peacemaking practice;
• Research and workshops on the linkages between early warning and preventive diplomacy within ECOWAS;
• Development of a framework on how to establish a comprehensive and sustainable collaboration between IGAD and ECOWAS.

The ECOWAS Political Affairs Directorate is in the process of establishing a Mediation Facilitation Division.  The HD Centre is preparing, in close collaboration with the ECOWAS Commission and the United Nations (UN) Mediation Support Unit (MSU), a three-day workshop to fine-tune the concept, mandate and requirements of the new Division.

On 12-14 November 2009, the HD Centre facilitated a retreat for the ECOWAS Council of the Wise and the Special Representatives/Envoys of the ECOWAS President. Participants shared their mediation experiences and were provided with strategies which they may use in their own work. The objectives of the retreat were to:

i) enhance the participants' skills in conflict analysis;

ii) deepen their insight into the goals and strategies of mediation and the role of the mediator;

iii) provide a platform for the participants to share their experiences in mediation and dialogue facilitation; and

iv) provide a platform to identify the operational needs of the Council of the Wise.

The HD Centre has also produced a study on the link between early warning and preventive diplomacy in the ECOWAS region. The study, which focuses on Liberia and Togo, explores the extent to which information provided by the ECOWAS Observation System has served, or not, as a basis for the ECOWAS Commission's responses. It was presented to the ECOWAS Early Warning Directorate and the ECOWAS Political Affairs Directorate at a workshop in April 2010. Discussion focused on reviewing the co-ordination mechanisms between the two Directorates and how they can be strengthened.

In September 2009, the HD Centre finalised a training programme with ECOWAS on the protection of civilians. The project included the design, planning and delivery of two training sessions on civilian protection to the ECOWAS Department for Humanitarian and Social Affairs as well as its Emergency Response Team (EERT). A complete training-of-trainers (ToT) process was also developed, together with a thorough step-by-step training manual. Both were made available in English and French. Overall, 43 members of the EERT roster were trained on civilian protection. Nine potential trainers undertook the TOT process and six of them were accredited as proficient civilian protection trainers.

Collaboration with the African Union (AU)

The HD Centre's work with the AU entails:

• Producing case studies on the AU's mediation practice;
• Producing procedural guidelines on the management of the AU's mediation work;
• Establishing a knowledge management framework for the AU to systematically record and learn from its mediation work;
• Producing tools to be included in a handbook for mediators and mediation teams on how to manage various aspects of mediation processes;
• Conducting lessons-learned exercises on selected AU-managed mediation processes;
• Providing thematic papers (specific to both countries and regions) on peacemaking, preventive diplomacy and other issues at the request of the AU Commission for its internal deliberations;
• Helping the AU Commission to establish and develop a programme of work for the Panel of the Wise through the drafting of briefing and background material.

On 15-16 October 2009, the HD Centre participated in a seminar hosted by the AU on its mediation capacity. The seminar, entitled ‘Towards a more strategic approach in enhancing the AU mediation capacity', brought together representatives of the AU Commission and regional organisations, Special Envoys and liaison offices, partners, practitioners and researchers with expertise in mediation. Participants reviewed the current state of the AU's capacity as well as the specific needs for improvement in both the short, and medium, term.

The HD Centre also launched a knowledge management programme within the AU Conflict Management Division (CMD). The development of internal procedural guidelines began in April 2010. Consultations took place with AU staff as well as AU Special Envoy and Special Representatives.

Inter-continental collaboration

To enhance sub-regional collaboration in Africa, the HD Centre facilitated two exchange visits between ECOWAS and IGAD during which the organisations shared their experiences in the field of peace and security and explored potential for joint activities. The visits exposed them to each other's work, including analysis of best practices, priority issues and gaps. The representatives of both organisations recognised that they face similar challenges in their missions, such as recurrent tensions between integration and sovereignty, and that peace and security are at the heart of sustainable development. These insights highlighted the importance of regular exchanges between both institutions.

The HD Centre has now begun the next phase of this process aimed at establishing a comprehensive, sustainable collaboration between IGAD and ECOWAS at both programme and institutional levels. A Memorandum of Understanding between the two organisations is being drafted.

The HD Centre is planning additional exchange visits between the African Union and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

For more information please contact the Mediation Support Programme team: mediationsupport@hdcentre.org

Donors to the project

The HD Centre would like to acknowledge and thank the Royal Government of Norway, the Belgium Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency for their