The United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) is delighted to support the United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC) in the development of a training module on “South-South Cooperation for Sustaining Peace / Peace and Development” as part of the online tutored course “Introduction to Sustaining Peace”.
UNOSSC, together with DPPA/PBSO, has provided inputs, knowledge products and online materials to form the structure of the course. Cecilia Milesi, Senior Adviser on South-South Cooperation on Peace and Development will conduct a webinar to ensure participants from around the world grasp the relevance, importance and are able to learn from concrete experiences of harnessing Southern leadership for peace and development.
The growing relevance of South-South solidarity for durable peace and inclusive development is recognized by Member States, United Nations agencies, regional organizations and civil society actors committed to working across pillars to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The 2030 Agenda’s preamble declaration clearly states “We [UN Member States] are determined to foster peaceful, just and inclusive societies which are free from fear and violence. There can be no sustainable development without peace and no peace without sustainable development”.
The Sustaining Peace concept emerged from United Nations General Assembly and Security Council “twin-resolutions” marking a renewal of the world body’s commitment to the goal of preventing and resolving armed conflicts. It also calls for a shift from silo-driven responses to new innovative ways of achieving collective and cumulative impact toward reaching sustainable peace. Member countries have recognized the deep complexity and interconnectedness of the path to peace and prosperity.
In this context, UNOSSC’s mandate and strategy is oriented to foster strong collaborations with all United Nations agencies to ensure that knowledge on the transformative power of South-South solidarity becomes a catalytic driver as the world strives to “leave no-one behind”, creating contexts of peace and prosperity for all. UNOSSC welcomes the openness and innovative approach offered by UNSSC with this new online course. It is expected that this will become a constructive start of a long-term partnership and joint learning initiatives on the added value of South-South dialogue for peace and development. The knowledge products to be offered by UNOSSC document existing experiences and put forward proposals to continue development of this emerging area of work at a crucial moment for humanity in which cross-fertilization of ideas and actions are essential.
The five-week online tutored course provides participants with a thorough grounding in the sustaining peace concept and its application across different settings and contexts. Ensuring the participants are up-to-date with the latest developments in sustaining peace, the course will provide a common understanding of sustaining peace across the development-humanitarian-peacebuilding continuum. In brief, the course objectives are to:
- Define the concept and the core elements of Sustaining Peace;
- Explain the importance and role of the United Nations to promote sustaining peace;
- Articulate how Sustaining Peace relates to development, humanitarian action and peacebuilding; and
- Explain the success factors that can take Sustaining Peace forward.
- Week 1: Understanding Sustaining Peace
- Week 2: Peacekeeping, Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace
- Week 3: Sustaining Peace and Development
- Week 4: Sustaining Peace and Humanitarian Action
- Week 5: Implementing Sustaining Peace
