STRENGTHENING STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS: UNITAR PAYS COURTESY VISIT TO APSTA SECRETARIAT IN YAOUNDÉ, CAMEROON

06 Nov STRENGTHENING STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS: UNITAR PAYS COURTESY VISIT TO APSTA SECRETARIAT IN YAOUNDÉ, CAMEROON

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The African Peace Support Trainers Association (APSTA) was pleased to receive Ms. Eleanor Pavey, Programme Officer at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), on a courtesy and partnership-building visit to the APSTA Secretariat in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The visit, which followed the successful conclusion of the 18th African Standby Force (ASF) Training Implementation Workshop, organized by the African Union Peace Support Operations Division (AU PSOD) in Yaoundé, provided an important opportunity to deepen institutional engagement, strengthen mutual understanding and explore new avenues for strategic collaboration between APSTA and UNITAR.

The engagement brought together Dr. Cécile OYONO THOM, Executive Secretary of APSTA; senior officers: Dr. Alexander Odartey Lamptey; H.E. Michael Atangana; and Ms. Jane Karanja, alongside Ms. Pavey.

Discussions focused on several strategic areas, including:

  1. Strengthening Institutional Partnership: Deepening mutual understanding of the respective mandates, institutional priorities and areas of convergence between APSTA and UNITAR, while identifying practical opportunities for sustained collaboration.
  2. Continental Training Needs Assessment: Exploring the proposed continental training needs assessment, including its scope, methodology, stakeholder engagement and potential contribution towards identifying capacity gaps, emerging training priorities and capability requirements across Africa’s peace support training architecture.
  3. Joint Training and Capacity Development: Identifying opportunities for collaborative training initiatives, knowledge exchange, technical support and institutional capacity development to strengthen the preparedness and effectiveness of African peace support personnel.
  4. Strategic Cooperation and Knowledge Exchange: Exploring ways to leverage the respective expertise, networks and institutional resources of both organizations to advance professional training, research, policy development and capacity-building initiatives across the continent.

The discussions were fruitful and constructive, reflecting a shared commitment to strengthening institutional partnerships, promoting coordinated approaches to capacity development and ensuring that training interventions respond to the evolving operational realities of peace support operations in Africa. APSTA reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with UNITAR and other strategic partners to strengthen Africa’s peace support training ecosystem, promote institutional excellence and enhance the capabilities of civilian, police and military personnel supporting peace operations. The courtesy visit marks a positive step towards translating institutional engagement into practical collaboration and mutually beneficial initiatives in support of Africa’s peace and security architecture.