Cairo, Egypt – Acting in its capacity as co-chair of the Integrated Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Training Group (IDDRTG), The Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding (CCCPA) hosted the 20th IDDRTG Annual General Meeting which took place on 4 - 5 March 2024, followed by the IDDRTG Extraordinary Meeting titled, “Advancing Nationally-Owned Responses: A Path to Stability, Recovery and Lasting Peace” which took place between 6 - 7 March 2024.
Members of the IDDRTG took part in the meeting including Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA), Bonn International Center for Conflict Studies (BICC), International Peace Support Training Centre (IPSTC), The Agency for Reincorporation and Standardization (ARN) and The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), as well as IDDRTG strategic partners including the United Nations Department of Peace Operations (UNDPO), the African Union Commission (AUC) and the European External Action Service (EEAS). The meetings also brought together representatives of various African National DDR commissions & related institutions from Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon and South Sudan; in addition to the Executive Secretary of the AU Center for Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development (AU-PCRD), representatives from AU missions (African Union Transition Mission in Somalia and AU Liaison Office for the Great Lakes/Burundi), the League of Arab States, the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), as well as researchers, among others, with a view to promoting the exchange of experience and knowledge on issues relating to DDR.
The meetings were opened by Ambassador Ahmed Abdel-Latif, Director General of CCCPA, and for the Extraordinary meeting, he was joined by the Deputy Secretary General of the Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development, with the Ambassadors of Japan and Sweden to Egypt, and the Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP Egypt, taking part in the opening ceremonies.
During the Annual General Meeting, IDDRTG members and strategic partners shared progress achieved and lessons learned from their DDR-related work, reviewed important developments in the process of updating the Integrated International Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Standards (IDDRS) and other related mechanisms for developing training materials in accordance with these standards. They also examined pathways to harmonize International, African and European standards. Additionally, participants adopted a new Annual Action Plan for 2024/2025 and discussed methods to enhance synergy and coordination across members of the group.
Participants in the Extraordinary meeting examined the ramifications of the growing regionalization of armed conflicts on integrated DDR processes in protracted conflict settings in Africa. They discussed the implications of recent policy developments, in particular the growing role of African-led Peace Support Operations (PSOs), and the revised African Union Policy on Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development, on DDR processes in Africa, specifically on opportunities to integrate cross-border cooperation mechanisms. The meeting also provided a platform for exchanging lessons learned and good practices emerging from implementing nationally-owned and regionally-led DDR programs in Africa, as well as identifying persistent challenges and measures to address them at the local, national and regional levels.
The IDDRTG annual meetings took place within the framework of Egypt’s co-chairmanship of the Group of Friends of DDR at the United Nations; and H.E Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Championship of Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development in Africa. CCCPA will continue to work in close partnership with IDDRTG members, and strategic partners as Co-Chair of the IDDRTG; alongside the newly elected co-chair, The Bonn International Center for Conflict Studies.
These Meetings were organized in collaboration with members of the Integrated DDR Training Group, the United Nations Department of Peace Operations, the African Union Commission, and with the generous support of the Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development (EAPD) and the Government of Japan, through the United Nations Development Programme in Egypt.
