Fife years African Standby Capacity
The African Standby Capacity (ASC) celebrates its 5th anniversary. The development of the ASC was honoured in an online seminar on August 4, 2020. Representatives of the African Union (AU), sub-regional organizations (ECOWAS, EASF, SADC and ECCAS), the United Nations, Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Training For Peace and ZIF were invited to discuss its historical significance, important milestones and current challenges. It was emphasized as a unique feature that the ASC is the only personnel roster worldwide that provides civil experts for peace operations on an entire continent.
However, the ASC can already look back on a history of more than five years. Initial discussions on the creation of an expert roster were already held in 2008. Since then many developments have happened. Experts have been accepted into the roster, trained and sent to peace operations of the African Union or sub-regional organizations within the framework of the African Standby Force Mechanism. In addition, the partners involved have developed common criteria, standards and working processes in an integrated system to make selection and recruitment more effective and transparent. These significant developments deserve our great appreciation!
Since 2012, ZIF, with a funding by GIZ, has been advising the AU Commission on the establishment and further development of the ASC. After almost ten years of support and advice, ZIF will hand over future support of the ASCs to the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) in mid-2021.