The role of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Regional Peacekeeping Training Centre is to provide training for peace support missions in the region. It forms part of the core objectives of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security.

The centre was established in Zimbabwe in 1996 following an initiative by Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom to organise the first peacekeeping seminar in the region in 1995. In June 1999, the official Regional Peacekeeping Training Centre was built in Harare, Zimbabwe, with funding provided by the Government of Denmark,  and falls directly under the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security. The hosting agreement with Zimbabwe was signed in May 2005.

Objectives

Regional Peacekeeping Training Centre objectives are in line with the core objective of the Strategic Indicative Plan for the Organ (SIPO), which aims at creating a peaceful and politically stable and secure environment.
Specifically, Regional Peacekeeping Training Centre objectives are:

• To promote regional cooperation in peace and security amongst SADC Member states;
• To build capacity in conflict prevention and conflict management including Peace Support Organ;
• To train peacekeeping practitioners and provide training, enabling all SADC Member States to take part in Peace Support Organs;
• To assist planning for SADC peacekeeping exercises and operations;
• To develop and deliver peacekeeping training in line with the Southern African Development Community, African Union and United Nations standards; and
• To implement the objectives of the Strategic Indicative Plan for the Organ (SIPO) and the SADC development agenda related to Peace and Security.

Vision

To be a reputable and responsive Centre of Excellence in training, research and development of capacities and expertise in peace support operations.

Mission

The mission of the Regional Peacekeeping Training Centre is to study the theory and practice of Peace Support Operations (PSO) and to coordinate peace support training in the SADC region as mandated by the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security.