ACPST Course: Emerging threats to human security in Africa

This course focused on climate change, electoral violence, terrorism, and trafficking in persons and drugs.

Date: 2013-09-23 to 2013-09-28

Time: 08:30 to 17:30

Venue: African Centre for Peace and Security Training ISS Addis Ababa

The beginning of the 21st Century has coincided with the emergence of new threats that are making it difficult for many countries to capitalise on developmental growth. Climate change, piracy, electoral violence, terrorism, drug trafficking, human trafficking and cybercrime are some of these new challenges.

This course focused on climate change, electoral violence, terrorism, and trafficking in persons and drugs, and addressed questions such as: What is the nature of these threats? How do they threaten human security? What are their causes? How do they relate to each other and to traditional threats? What are some of the cutting edge practical ways of tackling them that are effective, that respect human rights, and that are sustainable over the long run?

Participants

The course brought together 24 participants from 14 countries, with a mix of state and non-state actors, including those from the private and non-profit sectors, working on threats to human security in Africa. A sizeable number of the class was made up of security (police) officers working directly to combat some of these threats.

Contents and outcomes

The course lasted a week and equipped participants with knowledge, practical skills, and an enhanced networking ability to enable them to contribute to bringing about policy and behavioural changes that will help reduce the threats these challenges noted above pose to human security in Africa. Participants left the course with concrete ideas and tools for developing action plans to engage with threats at the local and national levels.