African Union Pilot Training on The Protection of Civilians in Peace Support Operations

The National Defence College (NDC) Nigeria NDC through its Centre for Strategic Research and Studies (CSRS) is collaborating with the African Union (AU), to conduct a Pilot Training on the Revised AU Curriculum for the Protection of Civilians (PoC) in Peace Support Operations (PSO’S). The CSRS is the AU and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) strategic Training Centre of Excellence in PSOs. The Department of Conflict Peace Keeping and Humanitarian Studies (DCPHS) is the focal for the training, scheduled to hold 26-30 August 2024 at the NDC.

Over the years, the AU has been actively involved in developing guidelines and standards for PoC in PSO’s. From the inception with the Draft AU Guidelines for PoC in 2010 to the Aide-Mémoire on PoC in 2013, the AU has been dedicated to providing a robust framework for safeguarding civilian populations during conflicts and post-conflict situations.

Similarly, as a part of the significant steps towards enhancing capacities for implementing PoC mandates in PSO, the AU introduced the Harmonised Training Curriculum on Protection of Civilians in 2018. This initiative was designed to equip AU personnel with the necessary skills and knowledge to address the needs of civilians, especially vulnerable groups like women and children, in conflict and post-conflict environments. Accordingly, the launch of the AU Compliance and Accountability Framework Project in February 2022 signalled a pivotal moment, leading to the planned replacement of the AU Draft PoC Guidelines with a more comprehensive AU Policy on the PoC in PSO’s by 2023. This evolution underscores the necessity to review and enhance the AU Harmonised Training Standards on PoC to align with the current and emerging needs of AU PSOs.

Consequently, this training initiative underscores the essence of protecting civilians and the aim is not only to implement the revised AU Curriculum but also to address gaps and identify areas for improvement before its full dissemination.