What is the African Standby Capacity?
Recognizing that civilian expertise, which is often cross-cutting, is required for an array of Peace Support Operations (PSOs), the African Union Commission (AUC), Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Regional Mechanisms (RMs) established the African Standby Capacity (ASC). The ASC is a roster of civilian experts who are pre-identified, pre-screened and pre-trained and put on standby as a mechanism for rapid deployment to African PSOs. The ASC is a mechanism for rapid deployment of civilian personnel under the African Standby Force and other peace and security related field operations.
About the ASC
The AU and RECs/RMs have become increasingly active and important players in the peace and security landscape. They undertake a range of operations in crisis and conflict situations and have come to the realization that the role of the civilian component is critical in implementation of political mandates within a conflict situation. The ASC provides a civilian response capacity for operations under the broad African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), and more prominently the African Standby Force. The ASC is designed to make the right person available at the right time in the right place. The RECs/RMs continuously identify qualified experts for admission on to the ASC. ASC civilian experts bring specialized skills in areas such as demobilization, disarmament and reintegration (DDR), security sector reform (SSR), law and order, human rights, elections, capacity building, mediation and post-conflict reconstruction.
If you are an experienced professional interested in contributing to peace and security in Africa, register to join the ASC roster.
Organizations operating the ASC
Regional Economic Communities / Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs)
African Standby Capacity Implementation Partners
