International Civilian Peacebuilding Training Program - Participant’s Testimonials James Aji, Political Affairs Officer, UNOWAS

Having previously worked in UN peacekeeping and political missions, and currently working as a Political Affairs Officer at the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), the course offered me a unique opportunity to refresh, sharpen, and enhance my knowledge and skills in peacebuilding. [...] As a professional working in the multilateral sector and volunteering on the intersections of inclusion and peacebuilding, I wanted to further advance my knowledge and better understand the approaches of civilian peacebuilding. [...] What was most appealing to me was the quality of the trainers and the diversity of the participants, bringing together professionals from conflict-affected countries across the world. [...] Moreover, the theoretical aspects I learnt from this training proofed very useful for my current work on contributing to designing programs on the intersections of inclusion and peacebuilding and have also applied some of the tools and methodologies I learnt in my work as a volunteer advocating for the necessary reforms to establish durable peace in Sri Lanka. [...] As a professor of International Relations and Environmental Security at the Faculty of Security in Skopje, I found the content of the course particularly useful and closely related to its practical application in peacebuilding work.