Switzerland

The Zimbabwe Peace and Security Programme (ZPSP) was designed and implemented on behalf of the Zimbabwe Peace and Security Trust (ZPST), a legally constituted and Zimbabwean owned and driven organisation registered as a Trust in Zimbabwe. It aimed to contribute, through impartial and professional technical assistance, to the effective and sustainable modernisation and transformation of the security sector in Zimbabwe. The fragile political environment in Zimbabwe led the ZPSP to engage in a dialogue with a wide variety of SSR stakeholders, in order to build their knowledge and information on SSR, demystify the notion of SSR as regime change (as it has been patent in the internal political discourse), and foster consensus on the way forward in terms of security reforms’ thinking in the country. Its ability to engage such broad range of stakeholders, as well as the thus far political sustainability of the programme in an SSR-adverse environment, deserve to be understood. 

The innovative dimension of the process led the EU and the Government of Switzerland to request ISSAT to undertake a review to document the trajectory of the ZPSP, with a view to identifying lessons and mapping potential good practice, which is still greatly absent from the growing academic and policy production on SSR experiences in Africa. The results of that review can be seen in http://issat.dcaf.ch/Learn/SSR-in-Practice/Case-Studies/Zimbabwe-Peace-and-Security-Programme

Following from that, the purpose of this mandate was to present the findings of the report to the international community in Harare, as a means of facilitating discussion and garnering support for the SST process going forward, and to help facilitate coordination amongst the international community. In addition the mandators also requested that ISSAT provideed some advice and support to ZPSP in planning the design of the next phase of their programme.

This five-day training will bring together approximately 25 participants from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and the region, including military, police and civilian personnel. The course includes several modules covering topics such as the concept, context and components of SSR, cross-cutting issues, and soft skills. The Peace Support Operations Training Centre (PSOTC) will take the lead in the design and delivery of the course, with ISSAT mentoring the PSOTC team and providing some support in the delivery of the training. 

The Dealing with the Past Course is designed to train professionals from governmental and multilateral institutions as well as from national and international non-governmental organizations, working in countries or regions which are confronted with a legacy of massive human rights abuse. 

The course will bring together approximately 25 participants who wish to develop key skills and competencies for future field deployment in Peace Support Operations. The target audience includes military personnel from various countries (in past years e.g. Switzerland, Thailand, China, Jordan, Algeria, Serbia and Kazakhstan).

The course will bring together approximately 25 participants who wish to develop key skills and competencies for future field deployment in Peace Support Operations. The target audience includes military personnel from various countries (in past years e.g. Switzerland, Thailand, China, Jordan, Algeria, Serbia and Kazakhstan).