Crisis Management Centre in Finland (CMC Finland), under the auspices of EUCTI, organised a two-and-a-half-day pilot course titled “Concepts, Communication and Constitutional Values”. It brought together eight members of the EU Border Assistance Mission in Libya (EUBAM Libya) to hone their communication, behavioural and cultural skills in a complex environment.
The course organisers and participants gathered in Tunis, Tunisia, between November 6 and 8. Modules on intercultural communication, the nexus of human rights, equality, different cultural values, and the link between these values and law followed the topic’s introduction and the basic concepts.
The course served as an introduction to basic values, religious and worldview concepts and dynamics and their relevance to EUBAM Libya. It aimed to enhance participants’ understanding of their host country and its conditions. Furthermore, it gave them the tools to communicate and cooperate more transparently, respectfully and effectively with persons who may hold a significantly different worldview from their own.
In line with the EU’s CSDP mandates and to effectively convey the EU’s core values and principles of universal human rights, transparency and equality, the experts deployed need at least a basic understanding of the subject. Deepening the participants’ knowledge of theories of intercultural communication and concepts related to worldviews and constitutional values, combined with sharing personal experiences in active discussion, was designed to give the experts tools to support their everyday work in Libya.
Tunisian Delicacies and Positive Feedback
The training course was a pleasure for the CMC Finland’s organising team, partially due to the training participants forming a truly inspiring and active group and partially due to the Tunisian delicacies offered during coffee breaks. They helped create a welcoming, positive and friendly environment during their three days together. One of the organisers pointed out that the participants’ feedback was very positive, with one exception – the training was one day too short. But this kind of feedback always warms the trainers and organisers’ hearts.
This was the second training EUCTI Consortium partners implemented to benefit EUBAM Libya staff. In October, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna implemented the Advising in CCM course. CMC Finland and SSSA together with EUBAM Libya designed these courses to complement each other.
EUCTI will strive to meet the emerging training needs of the missions most efficiently and effectively and contribute to improved skills of personnel working in civilian crisis management missions.
