The Mediation Support Unit (MSU) of the Directorate of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, has convened Members States' participants to a five day Regional Mediation Pilot training workshop in Maputo, Mozambique. The objective of the pilot training workshop, attended by mediation experts, practitioners and participants without prior mediation experience or training, is to contribute to the MSU's on-going efforts to develop a regional Mediation Training Curriculum. The pilot training workshop is therefore an integral component of a comprehensive and thorough process aimed at incorporating and interrogating the content, methodology and pedagogical approaches applied in the draft curriculum.
The workshop is facilitated by DR Martha Mutisi, a peace and security expert who has been assisting the MSU in the development of the draft training curriculum. In addition, the Mediation Reference Group, represented by its chairperson Dr Leonardo Simão and Ambassador Masuhla Leteka at the workshop, continue to provide guidance, technical support and practical experience to the curriculum development process. The UN Department of Political Affairs is also participating in the Workshop through its Southern Africa Liaison Team.
The five-day training encompasses amongst other things, the introduction and analysis of the conceptual and theoretical constructs relating to mediation, conflict resolution, conflict management, conflict transformation and preventive diplomacy. The skills training component covers the core skills relevant to mediation practice; including but not limited to active listening; communication skills; conflict analysis and mapping skills; drafting of peace agreements and broader conflict resolution and management skills.
The inputs from the workshop will be incorporated into the revised draft training curriculum, after which the MSU will embark on an initiative to roll out trainings in Member States using the manual and its related tools. This will contribute to broader efforts to enhance mediation and conflict prevention capacities at the regional and Member State level.
The pilot training workshop was made possible by the generous support of the European Union, under the auspices of the Regional Political Cooperation Programme.
