SHARED ACCORD 18 MPE Resources​

Rwanda, the United States, and other participating nations conduct Exercise Shared Accord 18, a Command Post Exercise (CPX) vicinity Kigali, Rwanda from 15 to 30 August 2018 in order to improve the interoperability and capabilities of the participating military, police, intergovernmental, and non-governmental organizations to respond to UN/AU mandated peace operations.

Read-Aheads

All Participants
The aim of this Specialised Training Material for military staff officers is to support the pre-deployment training efforts of Troop Contributing Countries by providing UNDPKO training standards to ensure a common military approach to work at Force and Sector levels in UN peacekeeping missions.

Sector HQ Staff
IECG and Response Cell Members

Women, Peace, and Security (WPS)

 SCR 1325: A Strategic Opportunity
​Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) is an internationally recognized term that includes protective and participatory dimensions and addresses the disproportionate and unique impact of conflict on women. Sexual violence, and other gender-based violence, frequently occurs during conflict and in fragile societies. It is usually, but not always, directed against women and girls. The protective dimension mitigates harm, exploitation, discrimination, abuse, conflict-related sexual violence, and human trafficking, while holding perpetrators accountable. This protective dimension also addresses access to HA, relief, and recovery and protection of human rights. Human trafficking and sexual exploitation and abuse are particularly damaging when conducted by personnel in peace operations.

 When appropriate, peace operations should integrate the following five objectives from the United States National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security:
  1. National Integration and Institutionalization. Peace operations should contribute to gender-responsive policies in conflict-affected environments and support the integration of women into HN positions of responsibility.
  2. Participation in Peace building and Decision Making. Peace operations support prospects for an inclusive, just, and sustainable peace by promoting and strengthening women’s rights, effective leadership, and substantive participation in peace processes, conflict prevention, peace building, transitional processes, and decision-making institutions in conflict-affected environments.
  3. Protection from Violence. Peace operations should protect women and children from harm, exploitation, discrimination and abuse, including sexual and gender-based violence and trafficking in persons, and hold perpetrators accountable in conflict-affected environments.
  4. Conflict Prevention. Peace operations support the promotion of women’s roles in conflict prevention; improve conflict early-warning and response systems through the integration of gender perspectives; and assist efforts to invest in women’s and girls’ health, education, and economic opportunity to create conditions for stable societies and lasting peace.
  5. Access to Relief and Recovery. Peace operations support the distinct needs of women and children in conflict-affected disasters and crises. This includes ensuring safe, equitable access to HA. 
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"Operationalizing WPS" SOLLIMS Sampler 
In light of the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017 which was signed into law in the United States in October, this Sampler addresses two important questions:  "Why is WPS relevant to the security sector?" & "How can WPS be operationalized across the spectrum of conflict?"  Lessons are featured from Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. 

CAR Resources

MINUSCA/UNOCA - Peace Operations Estimate (PKSOI)
​Although the 2016 elections were peaceful and President Faustin Archange Touadéra’s new government was confirmed, Central African Republic (CAR) remains one of the ten “most fragile” states, ranking third on the 2017 index. Almost two years since the installation of the new government, and over three years after its activation, MINUSCA is still struggling to have a significant impact on the situation.

Overview of the United Nations’ Organization for Peace Operations - Peace Operations Estimate (PKSOI)
This document is intended as a "101" for the novice. It describes the systems and programs of the UN's peace operations apparatus as it exists today and attempts to capture some of the ongoing discussion for reform.

MINUSCA​
On 10 April 2014, the Security Council, by its resolution 2149, established the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) .
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Central African Republic (CAR) National Action Plan (NAP) on Women, Peace and Security (WPS)
The Government of the Central African Republic launched its National Action Plan in 2014. The NAP was created to establish a framework, strategies and actions for coordinated implementation of UNSCR 1325.  The development of the NAP was led by the Ministry of Social Affairs, National Solidarity and Gender Promotion which led the creation of the Sector Committee for Gender Equality and Poverty Reduction in which civil society was engaged.  
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The Central African Republic has a long history of instability, violence and armed conflict. Since the most recent outbreak of violence in 2013, around six thousand people have been killed and a quarter of the population has been displaced, with more than four hundred thousand refugees and three hundred thousand internally displaced persons. In 2014, the UN mandated a peacekeeping force to quell the violence, however, sexual exploitation and abuse by peacekeepers added fuel to the fire.

State of Rebellion: Violence and Intervention in the Central African Republic 
In 2012, a wave of violence swept through the Central African Republic as Seleka rebels clashed with anti-Balaka militias. In the face of seemingly senseless bloodshed, journalists, politicians, and scholars struggled to account for the conflict’s origins. In this first comprehensive account of the violence, Louisa Lombard argues that the conflict was more than a straightforward religious clash between Christians and Muslims. Instead, she traces the roots of the conflict to fears of spiritual insecurity and a social breakdown that drove inter-communal violence.  Placing the uprising within its broader social, cultural, and historical context , Lombard reveals the complicated roles played by marginalized rural youths, local political leaders, and the global community in sustaining the conflict, and she offers an urgent corrective to our perceptions of this little-understood country, making a compelling case for international leaders to rethink their approach to resolving the conflict.

Protection of Civilians (PoC) Resources

​The Protection of Civilians (PoC) Military Reference Guide is a revision of the 2013 version published by the U.S. Army Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute. This version
incorporates a modified framework and task set to be compatible with the “Understand-ShapeProtect” approach in recent U.S. military doctrine on PoC. The revision adds annexes on UN and NATO approaches to PoC and provides suggestions for adapting the guide to these contexts. Other
new annexes provide suggestions for conducting training on PoC to include an extensive annex with training scenarios.

The PoC Military Reference Guide is primarily intended for military commanders and staffs who must consider PoC during armed conflict, multidimensional peace operations, or other military operations, particularly when PoC is an operational or strategic objective. It is designed as a supplement to existing doctrine and other relevant guidance so that military forces can meet their obligations to protect civilians. The reference guide may also be used as a textbook for PoC training.​​

Public Media Articles

Academic Works

Gendering the Rwanda Defence Force: A Critical Assessment
Georgina Holmes
The Government of Rwanda has placed renewed emphasis on increasing the number of female military personnel and gender mainstreaming the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF). This article examines the efforts made by the RDF since 2007 to meet these strategic requirements and integrate women into the national security organ. It is suggested that, in spite of Rwanda's success in bringing women into the political sphere, women are still reluctant to join the military. It is argued that prevailing societal values and attitudes, conflicting narratives within official discourse about the role of women as security actors, resource constraints and the RDF's emphasis on ‘gender equality’ are barriers to achieving RDF goals. Drawing on in-depth interviews with RDF military personnel and government officials, as well as documentary research, the article first provides an overview of the Rwandan government's approach to mobilizing women to securitize the state, before examining how the RDF aims to progress the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda nationally and within local communities. The article then reflects on some of the factors that are hindering the recruitment and retention of female military personnel.

​Training Resources

Peace Ops Training Institute (POTI)
The Peace Operations Training Institute is dedicated to providing globally accessible and affordable distance learning courses on peace support, humanitarian relief, and security operations to men and women working to promote peace worldwide.The Peace Operations Training Institute is a 501(c)(3) public charity based in the United States of America. POTI is an independent not-for-profit organization.   Students may demonstrate their expertise in Military Studies, Police Studies, Civilian Service, Gender Awareness, ​Logistical Support, and/or Human Rights by earning a
​Peace Operations Specialized Training (POST) Certificate.
​Members of the military, police, or gendarmerie who are citizens of African nations may take POTI courses for FREE.

  •  ​Introduction to the UN System: Orientation for Serving on a UN Field Mission This course introduces the purpose and principles of the United Nations, its institutional framework, and its active leadership role in the global pursuit for peace, security, and development. The legal foundations of the Organization are discussed, as well as applications of international humanitarian law, human rights, and the protection of civilians. Practical field techniques for communication, negotiation, and mediation as well as the general obligations and responsibilities of UN field personnel are also presented. Subject matter and objectives for this course are based on UN policy, doctrine, and related resources.
  • Principles and Guidelines for UN Peacekeeping Operations This course has been developed in consultation with the Peacekeeping Best Practices Section of the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations’ Policy, Evaluation and Training Division. It is based on the internal DPKO/DFS publication entitled United Nations Peacekeeping Operations: Principles and Guidelines, which is more widely known under its informal name Capstone Doctrine. This publication is a comprehensive document that defines and promulgates available peacekeeping doctrine, definitions, procedures, and policy.
  • Core Pre-deployment Training Materials The Core Pre-deployment Training Materials (CPTMs) were designed by the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) to provide the common and essential training required for all personnel – military, police, and civilian – who serve on UN peacekeeping missions.  DISCLAIMER: This course does not include the 2017 United Nations CPTM update. 
  • Protection of Civilians With violence increasing around the globe, the protection of civilians has become a cornerstone of United Nations peacekeeping mandates. The 2016 edition of Protection of Civilians explores the history of POC, its application in current events, and practical options for consideration for those undertaking this task. The course begins by exploring the POC concept and its legal basis in UN peacekeeping operations. Later lessons explore traditional and new threats to civilians, including extremist groups like ISIL/ISIS, sexual violence in armed conflict, and the protection of children.
  • Implementation of the UN Security Council Resolutions on the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda in Africa  In October 2000, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security - a turning point in understanding and recognizing the role of women and girls in addressing the issues of peace and security. Resolution 1325 makes the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment an international peace and security concern relevant to negotiating peace agreements, planning refugee and Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps and peacekeeping operations, and reconstructing war-ravaged societies. 
  • Civil-Military Coordination in Peace Operations Civil-military coordination is the dialogue and interface among the military, civilian, and police components of a peace operation regarding political, security, humanitarian, developmental, and other areas to attain larger, more strategic political goals. This course overviews the theory and practice of civil-military coordination within the full spectrum of peace operations.
  • Humanitarian Relief Operations   Each disaster or emergency is different, and so is each humanitarian relief operation. Understanding the dynamics of a disaster and all the actors involved is essential to provide adequate assistance to the affected population and government.
Additional courses available at POTI's website

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