Musanze, 17th - 28th January 2011: 32 mid – to senior- level professionals from nine African countries successfully completed the first international course on Understanding Conflict and Conflict Analysis, conducted by the Rwanda Peace Academy, at Nyakinama,on 28th January 2011.

The Minister of Defence, Gen. James Kabarebe, presided  over the closing ceremony and awarded certificates to the participants drawn from different professional backgrounds, including the Military, Police, Prison Service as well as  the Unity and Reconciliation Commission,   reflecting  the   multi-dimensional nature of peace building.

Hailing from the East African Community states of Burundi,  Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda as well as Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Zimbabwe, the diversity of regional and professional perspectives has been successfully drawn upon throughout the course to the benefit of all participants.
The Rwanda  Peace Academy,  a Government  of Rwanda initiative supported  by the Government  of Japan  through the United Nations  Development  Programme(UNDP), aims to become an international centre focusing on conflict management that will serve the region and share  lessons learnt from Rwanda’s  successful  experiences in peace building with  countries  facing similar  post-conflict  development challenges.  This international course will mark the first in a series of capacity building programs offered by the Academy.
The 2-week programme,  conducted in collaboration with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and King’s College, London, began with an intensive Training of Trainers  (ToT) course  conducted by international instructors to build the capacity of Rwandan trainers to design and deliver courses from UNITAR’s specialised curriculum on  peace operations.  This  was   followed by  the  training course  on “Understanding Conflict and Conflict Analysis” attended by 32 local and international participants.

The Minister said that peace and stability in Africa will be assured by appreciating the causes of conflict, its dynamics and actors. "The reality of conflict and its  destructive  aftermath on the continent, and indeed elsewhere,  demands deep understanding  of the circumstances  that bring it about," Kabarebe said. The  Minister  commended  the Government  of Japan,  the One UN in Rwanda,  the National Commission for Unity and Reconciliation and facilitators from King's College London, for supporting the Rwanda Peace Academy project and peace building in the region inter alia.
The  UN Resident  Coordinator,  Aurelien Agbenonci,  stressed  the importance of the Rwanda Peace Academy initiative in promoting regional stability in his address during the closing ceremony and pledged more support from the One UN in Rwanda by way of future collaborations with UN agencies as well as resources.

“The Rwanda Peace Academy will strengthen the international system and the African Union by developing regional capacities in conflict management to better address the challenges   facing this   continent  and  promote  African-led responses   to  African challenges.” Agbenonci said.