COALITION FOR PEACE IN AFRICA (COPA)
COALITION POUR LA PAIX EN AFRIQUE

Facilitation * Training * Mediation * Negotiation * Development and Conflict * Human Rights * Peace Education * Active Non-violence * Rehabilitation * Trauma Counselling * Reconciliation * Building Coalitions * Lobbying * Monitoring & Evaluation* Participatory Rural Appraisal

WHAT IS COPA?

The Coalition for Peace in Africa (COPA) is a membership organization striving towards building the capacity of its members and providing support to existing service providers in Africa, so as to achieve sustainable peace in the continent.

· A coalition of concerned individuals and organizations in peace and development on the African Continent.
· A growing resource of African wisdom and expertise able to respond effectively to the conflicts besetting different parts of Africa.
· An organization to connect people working for peace and development, human rights and related goals.
· An organization promoting peace and responding to conflict in Anglophone, Lusophone and Francophone countries throughout Africa.
· The Africa Regional partner of ACTION for Conflict Transformation: a global network of individuals and organizations, built on shared values and committed to action for conflict transformation.

COPA’S VISION

To see a sustainable culture of peace taking root in Africa in which divergent views and interests coexist in a manner that reinforces a common good; and a continent that acknowledges and solves its problems, and contributes towards global solutions.

To achieve this, COPA is working to redress the conflict situation in Africa through engagement with conflict and transforming it in positive ways, by cultivating African approaches that are informed by the lifestyles, traditions and cultures of the people living in Africa.

PROGRAMME STRATEGIES

· To offer ongoing practical support to people and organizations who are faced with volatile and potentially violent situations through consultancies, skills training, mutual support, exchange of experiences, and trauma workshops.
· To build the skills and confidence of members and partners so that they can be effective in their communities and become a resource to each other (e.g. skills training & sharing, thematic workshops, exchange of experiences. empowerment.)
· To raise the profile of peace work and practitioners by recording, collecting and disseminating positive experiences and learning, and to undertake research and training that lays the foundation for the formation of an African Peace Institute (e.g research, lobbying, publications and newsletters.)
· To facilitate learning and sharing between practitioners and policy-makers at all levels of society and specifically across regional borders through, for example, high-level skill development & support, lobbying, linking and facilitating cross border learning.
· To support initiatives that enhances development, justice and reconciliation in Africa through giving solidarity, linking and consultancies.

BACKGROUND OF COPA

COPA was formed in 1995/96 when a group of concerned Africans met in Nairobi, Kenya to exchange their insights and experiences on a pressing issue facing Africans: prevention of the escalation of violent conflict in Africa. They were convinced that they needed to offer continual practical support to people and organizations on the ground, that are faced with volatile and potentially violent conflict situations, recognising conflict as a major contributor to Africa’s deplorable state of poverty and underdevelopment, for it is extremely difficult to carry out meaningful development under situations of violent conflict and socio-political instability. This instability and the numerous civil wars in many African countries inflict terrible loss of life and social and economic damage to these countries, as well as undermining cross border relations. Often enormous resources are diverted from development initiatives to maintain large armies and other security forces, while natural resources are systematically looted by fighting groups to finance these wars, causing irreversible damage to the economy of the country and reversing any development that may have occurred.

The practitioners that came together in Nairobi found that there were no appropriate support networks for them to access and work together as peace practitioners. Initial membership of the network came from different parts of Africa mainly "alumni" of Responding to Conflict (RTC) Working with Conflict Course offered once or twice a year in Birmingham, England. Later on membership expanded to include other individuals and organizations in Africa. A secretariat was set up in Johannesburg, South Africa, later moving to Nairobi, Kenya and housed by the Peace and Development Network. In South Africa COPA is housed by the ACTION Support Centre in Johannesburg.

Continental Conflict Transformation Course 12 May 2003 – 14 June 2003

Twice a year, COPA holds a 5-week training workshop. This course covers diverse aspects of conflict transformation and peace building, and is aimed at building the capacity of participants, mostly from the African continent, working in related fields.

The next course is scheduled for 12th May 2003 to 14th June 2003 and will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa. Special facilities are available for participants with young children who cannot be left behind.

The purpose of this course is to assist men and women working for development, human rights, peace and justice to:

· Identify the origins and causes of new and ongoing conflicts in various parts of Africa and to look specifically at the current conflicts and its impact on the continent and Internationally.
· Examine the causes of these conflicts in order to understand more clearly the dynamics of the various factors and forces. The relationship between peace and development will also be debated.
· Support and strengthen skills for facilitating dialogue, including communication and facilitation skills, negotiation, mediation and arbitration.
· Explore ways of providing support between practitioners and policy makers active in the field of Conflict Transformation.
· Address the need to train other people working for development, human rights and reconciliation in methods of transforming and preventing violence.
· Explore further strategies for violence reduction and peace- building.

The course

The course has been designed specifically for people who want to focus on conflict in Africa. Although it will include an analysis of global events and their impact on Africa, emphasis will be placed on culturally sensitive and sustainable responses to regional and community conflicts in Africa. Participants will be requested to bring to the course case studies and examples of conflict transformation from their own experience and research.

The course will take place over five weeks. Throughout the course there is a strong focus on personal development and the need for individuals and organizations to form networks, coalitions and alliances with others working in similar fields. By the end of the course each participant is expected to have designed an action strategy, which is developed further and implemented on his or her return.

Holding the course in South Africa offers unique opportunities to explore the history and context of a conflict process that is still unfolding. The course includes tours to local places of interest as well as opportunities to make contacts with local organisations.

Participants are encouraged to enrol for full participation. A certificate in Advanced Conflict Transformation will be issued to all participants who complete the programme.

Course content

The course will employ a wide variety of participative approaches to learning.
The following themes will be covered:

Module One: Understanding Conflict
12th May – 24th May
· Characteristics, Stages, Early warning Indicators
· Changing environments and political systems in Africa
· African theories of conflict
· Causes of conflict
· Problem solving tools for analysing conflicts

Module Two: Conflict Transformation
25th May – 1st June

· Identifying intervention opportunities
· Active nonviolence
· Facilitating Dialogue, mediation and negotiation
· Advocacy, Lobbying and Campaigning
· Reconciliation
· Demobilization and reintegration
· Processing trauma

Module Three: Building Sustainable Peace
2nd June – 8th June

· Understanding Peace-keeping, Peace-making and Peace-building
· Visions and Values
· Integrating relief, development and Peacebuilding
· ‘Do No Harm’
· Sustainable Development and the Environment
· Human Rights
· Monitoring and Evaluation
· Peace and Conflict Impact Assessment

Module Four: Organising for Change
9th June – 14th June
· Networking, Coalitions and Alliances
· Fundraising
· Influencing organisations
· Leadership, Mobilising and Organising
· Developing Action Strategies

The course staff

Four COPA members from the African continent will facilitate the course. With experience of living and working on the continent and internationally, they will develop processes in consultation with the group to fine-tune a course that meets the participant's needs.

In addition to the full-time tutors, resource specialists, in the field of conflict transformation, human rights, sustainable development, community mobilisation, trauma processing, reconciliation and the African Renaissance, will be invited to offer inputs and conduct sessions related to particular topics.

Participants

We would like to encourage women and people from Francophone and Lusophone countries to apply. While the course in conducted in English care will be taken not to disadvantage any language groups.
The course is aimed particularly at:
· Development and relief workers operating in contexts of conflict and violence in Africa.
· Religious personnel involved in peace and reconciliation work or planning to become involved.
· NGOs wanting to develop their programme beyond development and emergency relief to include advocacy, lobbying, peace building and reconciliation.
· People working for Sustainable Development.
· Human rights workers interested in Conflict Transformation.
· Those wanting to explore African cultural mechanisms for peace making and reconciliation.
· People working with others for Peace and Justice.

For organisations:

This course is particularly concerned with strengthening people’s capacities to improve their organisations’ effectiveness in responding to conflicts they encounter in their work. We would particularly encourage organisations to send participants whose knowledge and experiences will be easily shared with the rest of the organisation.

COPA strongly requests organisations wishing to enrol their staff for this course to prepare the participants in the following ways:

· Identify the organisation’s expectations of the course.
· Identify the participant’s objectives for the course.
· How will the participant use the learning obtained from this course in the organisation?
· How does the organisation propose to integrate the participant’s learning and experience?

Location

The course will take place in the city of Johannesburg, South Africa, at the Elijah Barayi Memorial Training Centre in Yeoville. The venue is 25 km from Johannesburg International Airport.

Course dates

12th May to 14th June 2003

Course Fees

Total fee $3500

Materials and Tuition $2000.00
Accommodation, extra curricular activities and medical insurance $1500.00
Deposit Fees $500.00 (To secure a place upon acceptance, non-refundable if participant withdraws)

You will need about $300.00 for personal expenses and travel money. It is the applicants’ responsibility to find all necessary funds: for course fees, accommodation, travel to and from where they normally live, and spending money. Many course members are funded by their employers or by an agency already familiar with their work. Copa members can offer advice to applicants on how to find alternative sources of funding.

Scholarships

You can, if necessary, apply for support from the programme's scholarship fund by filling in section 4 of the application form. Applications for scholarships are normally decided at least four months before the start of the course. Factors taken into account in awarding scholarships include: the situation in which the applicant is working, the need to include people with a wide range of experience on the course, the resources already available to the applicant, gender (we aim for a balance between men and women which often means giving preference, where appropriate, to women) and, of course, the scholarship funds at our disposal.

Numbers on each course are restricted. It is advisable to apply as soon as possible, and preferably not later than 4 months before the course or module starts. Late applications are considered only if space allows.

If you would like to attend the course but have special needs that you are worried will affect your participation please let us know. Every effort will be made to accommodate these needs.

For further information on COPA, membership and the Continental Course please contact:

Copa Course Co-ordinator
Postnet Suite #145,
Private Bag X9, Melville 2109
South Africa
Fax: + 27 11 331 0671
Tel: + 27 11 331 2944
Mobile: +27 084 356 8030
Contact Person: Nthabiseng Ngobeni
Email: [email][email protected]

P.O. Box 13265, 00100, Nairobi GPO, Kenya
Tel: 254-2-577558
Fax: 254-2-577557
Mobile: +254 (0)73 376 9840
Contact Person: Michael Muragu
E-mail: [email][email protected]
Website: www.copafrica.org