Germany and Norway deepen commitment to strengthen peace and security in Africa, KAIPTC, at maiden Kofi Annan Peace and Security Forum

The Federal Government of Germany and the Government of Norway have reiterated their support for peace and security on the African continent by supporting the maiden Edition of the Kofi Annan Peace and Security (KAPS) Forum organized by the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel (KAIPTC) in Accra.

The main aim of the forum is to facilitate discussions on evolving trends in peace and security in Africa under the theme, ‘Peace Operations in the Context of Violent Extremism in Africa.’ The forum was also organized to honour the sterling achievements of H.E. the late Kofi Annan and to immortalize his memory.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the forum, H.E. Christoph Retzlaff, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Ghana shared Germany’s commitment to security and conflict prevention across the African region.

“Currently, Germany has deployed its largest-to-date military contingent to the UN Stabilization Mission in Mali with more than 800 German soldiers.  And we are proud of the German Army’s longstanding and successful cooperation with the Ghana Armed Forces. The same is true for our close partnership with KAIPTC since the Center’s inception in 2004. And I should of course mention our support for the establishment of the ECOWAS Maritime Coordination Center in Accra in 2018”, he outlined.

H.E. Retzlaff also shared key concepts to tackle violent extremism. “I would like to emphasize that regional cooperation and cross-border cooperation are of crucial importance both in the field of security and also in the fields of stabilization and development”, he added.

Speaking on behalf of the Norwegian government, H.E. Øyvind Udland Johansen, Chargé d’Affaires, Norwegian Embassy in Ghana, commended Ghana for its long standing peaceful environment and commended the KAIPTC for playing an instrumental role in promoting peace in the sub-region.

He also highlighted Norway’s contribution to peace keeping across the world.

“More than 42,000 Norwegians have served in UN peace operations since 1949. In May this year, Norway provided a military transport aircraft for six months to the UN mission in Mali. Norway has also decided to maintain the camp facilities outside Bamako until the end of 2022 and to provide a new transport aircraft to the operation in 2021, he briefed.

On combating violence extremism, H.E. Johansen, mentioned the need for a better understanding in order to deal with violent extremism due to the profusion and complexity of its root causes. These he said include “include injustice, marginalization, lack of development, corruption, lack of a responsive government and externally supported religious radicalization just to mention a few”.

The forum was held  under the Distinguished patronage of H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana and the Chairmanship of H.E. Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the UN Office for West Africa and Sahel (UNOWAS).

The Kofi Annan Forum brought together two hundred high-level delegates including seven former heads of state, diplomats from governmental and intergovernmental organizations (including the African Union and its Regional Economic Communities, United Nations and European Union). Security professionals and representatives from policy and research think tanks, development partners, training institutions and civil society groups have been invited and are expected to attend the forum.

The forum seeks to deepen collaboration between KAIPTC and international organisations such as the United Nations, African Union, Regional Economic Communities, Governments, development partners, civil society organisations and the business community.

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For further information, please contact the Corporate Affairs Unit of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) on +233 302 718 200 ext 1104/1203. You can find the KAIPTC on facebook and twitter as: @Kaiptcgh. You can further find out more about the KAIPTC on our website: www.kaiptc.org.

About the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre:

The Ghana Ministry of Defence (MoD) established the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in 1998 and commissioned it in 2004. The purpose was to build upon and share Ghana’s five decades of internationally acclaimed experience and competence in peace operations with other states in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) region and the rest of Africa. This was in recognition of the need for training military, police and civilian men and women to meet the changing demands of multidimensional peace operations. The Centre is one of the three (3) Peacekeeping Training Centres of Excellence mandated by the ECOWAS to offer training in peacekeeping and peace support operations (PSO) in Africa.

The Centre delivers training courses in in three thematic areas; Peace Support Operations, Conflict Management and Peace and Security Studies and also runs Masters and PhD programmes in same. The KAIPTC has a world-class research department that undertakes research in the thematic areas in Peace and Security. Located in Accra, Ghana, the KAIPTC is an internationally-recognized institution and has till date trained and tutored over 21, 496 participants and students since its inception.

KAIPTC is a gender sensitive organization and committed to gender equality. Following the launch of its Gender policy in 2014, the Centre has mainstreamed gender into its policies and programmes, and integrates same in its focal areas, namely training, research and post-graduate education. The Centre has developed a Sexual Harassment policy and fully oriented employees on same. It has also provided a Nursing and Childcare Centre and instituted a paternity leave policy, all with the aim to create a conducive work environment at KAIPTC.