Entebbe, Uganda, 14 July 2012 - The United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) trained its Congolese Local Staff on the negotiation and conflict resolution techniques. The training took place from 2 to 6 July at the United Nations logistic Base of Entebbe, Uganda.

The objective of the training is to bring MONUSCO local staff to gain a good understanding of the general negotiation and conflict resolution techniques, and to build their capacities in the areas of negotiation, conflicts resolution and mediation. About twenty participants from Bukavu, Lubumbashi, Goma, Beni, Butembo, Uvira and Kisangani, in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo (RDC) took part in the session.

The Entebbe session is the first of a series of training by the Integrated Mission Training Centre ( IMTC). The training was intended for all categories of staff serving in the Mission. The vision, according to the trainer Mr. Tamba Mbayo is to empower local staff and leave a lasting and meaningful legacy to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Using a participatory approach, the trainers from the "Centre d'Etudes de la Famille Africaine" (CEPA), a regional institution specialized in training, brought the trainees to share their experiences through exchanges and to discuss conflicts management within the country as well as with DRC's neighbouring countries.
The trainer Mr. Woake Koffi Ouyi Jean, honorary Ambassador of Togo and specialist in international relations shared his experience with trainees. He gave concrete examples of the facilitation carried out in Sierra Leone and elsewhere in Africa. He urged trainees to learn, understand and contribute to the peace building process in the Mission they have been serving under the UN flag in DRC.

Other trainings on "negotiation, conflicts resolution and mediation" are scheduled to be held in Kinshasa and Goma in the next few days.

Fiston Timothée Ngoma Mayabala