From 17–21 August 2026, ACCORD supported the Peace Support Operations Division (PSOD) of the African Union Commission (AUC) in convening a five-day engagement in Accra, Ghana, focused on strengthening key policy and operational dimensions of African Peace Support Operations (PSOs).
The engagement brought together representatives of the Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs) and subject matter experts, alongside the AUC’s technical partners, for the Validation Workshop on the AU Policy on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) in PSOs and the Technical Meeting on the Implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Utilisation of the African Standby Force (ASF).
The validation workshop provided an opportunity for participants to review and deliberate on the draft AU Policy on MHPSS in PSOs. The engagement formed part of ongoing AU efforts to strengthen the policy frameworks guiding the provision and integration of mental health and psychosocial support within PSOs. The technical component of the engagement focused on deliberations around the key objectives and thematic areas of the Operational Framework for the Continuous Enhancement of the ASF, following the adoption of the MoU on the Use of the ASF by the Thirty-Ninth Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly in February 2026. The discussions therefore provided an opportunity to consider practical steps towards its implementation and operationalisation.
The two processes reflect the AU’s broader efforts to ensure that African PSOs are supported by policy and institutional frameworks that respond to both the wellbeing of personnel and the operational requirements of contemporary PSO environments. The engagements contributed to ongoing efforts to strengthen collaboration between the AU, RECs/RMs and technical partners in advancing African-led approaches to PSOs and enhancing the continent’s capacity to respond to evolving peace and security challenges.
