ACHIEVEMENTS

In 2017 KICG has provided specialist and expert support to the South African National Defence Force’s Peace Training Mission Centre in presenting a Gender Advisor’s Course for Peacekeepers.

Further the team has provided support to the South African National War College on Operational Planning for Peacekeeping where war gaming theory was tested with real and practical experience by the team members.

KICG has provided expert International Law support to the International Committee of the Red Cross, taking participants out of the theory and exposing them to harsh realities of the conditions that organisations and diplomats have to operate under and how they can apply the Law of Armed Conflict to their frame of reference.

KICG has provided consultancy support to the Kofi Annan Institute in Ghana, as well as to the Ukraine Government on the issue of Security Sector Reform.

Recently Krino International provided support to the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs in Togo, Africa.

In line with the theme of crisis and survival KICG has rolled out two urban survival courses, a 5-hour Survival in the Urban Environment (targeted at corporate organizations, diplomatic staff, missionaries, NGOs working in the Southern African context) and a more focused 3-hour Fundamental Streetwise Survival Just For Women (targeted at woman who are reps and driving around at all hours).  Both courses are the sum of the group’s combined Peacekeeping, Security, Police and Military experiences in Africa, and do not purport to turn participants into weapons or martial arts experts, but rather focusses on relevant and new way of thinking about the situational and spatial awareness where participants are taught real time, practical counter intelligence techniques and knowledge on how to identify and avoid threats between home, travel, and work.  In terms of feedback from course participants, our philosophy of developing avoidance techniques has contributed to at least two cases where a female was able to identify a threat and avoid a hijacking by following advised counter intelligence techniques.

In terms of research and investigations, KICG follows a strict principle of confidentiality and discretion and thus we will not divulge information regarding the nature of our activities, in the interests of always protecting the client.

Conference on Disarmament, Demobilisation & Reintegration (Kiev, Ukraine. October 2017). Krino associates representing the Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA) supports the IPCG at a conference in Kiev, Ukraine on Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR).

 The Conference was in support of the Ukraine Governments program to address the issue of demobilizing former fighters involved in the fighting in the East of the Country.

Audience included representatives from the media, civil society, Ukraine Military, Ukraine Government, UN organisations and veterans associations.  Speakers included the Ukraine Deputy Minister of Disarmament affairs, World Bank, UN Country Team Director and IPCG director. His Conference followed a one day workshop with representatives of the Ukraine Government and from several regional veterans' organisations also supported by Krino on behalf of the FBA.

South African National Defence Force Gender Advisor Course (Peace Mission Training Centre, Pretoria, South Africa. July 2017). Dean Gillespie was the main facilitator for a two week “Gender Advisor” training course for the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).  Focused on developing SANDF Officers as Gender “Advisors” with military contingents deploying to peacekeeping operations, this course was run at the SANDF Peace Mission Training Centre (PMTC) at the Army College in Pretoria.

The Gender Advisor course was designed to develop skills, knowledge and Insight on the gender dimensions.  Subject areas included : “Gender Assessment” in conflict areas: addressing “Gender Mainstreaming” which is linked to the United Nations “Women, Peace and Security” (WPS) agenda under UNSCR 1325:  Prevention and response to “ Sexual and Gender Based  Violence” (SGBV) cases in the mission area – including the ability to training the contingent members as first responders with knowledge on referral pathways in peacekeeping missions: Identification of “Sexual Exploitation and Abuse” (SEA) – referring to actions of peacekeepers against the local population in Peacekeeping operations.

The Krino facilitators developed course material, facilitated presentations and practical exercises, providing case studies to illustrate application to real mission situations as part of the adult based learning  training methodology.  The course was opened by SANDF Chief Director of Training Command – Maj Gen Mbatha, who also formed part of the evaluation panel with the final integrated exercise presentation of the participants, and officiated at the closing ceremony, emphasizing the importance and focus the SANDF places on addressing the “Gender Dimension”.

In March 2018 Krino International participated in Intelligence Transfer Centre’s workshop held in Fourways where our expertise was showcased in a presentation titled:  "Exploring, Defining and Developing Strategies and Training for Combating Human Trafficking as Part of Transnational Crime”

In April 2018 Krino International was approached to research and establish whether a deceased estate was being managed appropriately by the executors.  The end result was that Krino International collected sufficient evidence for remedial legal action to be taken against the executors.

Our Expert Senior Associate, Waldemar (Wally) Vrey travelled to Austria in early June 2018 to present Recovery and Stabilization Strategies at the Austrian Study Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution (ASPR), Stadtschlaining where UN Principles for Supporting Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintergration (DDR) and Security Sector Reform (SSR) was well received.

In Mid June 2018, Wally Vrey travelled to Finland to present training on Protection of Civilians, DDR, SSR and Integration of Security and the Gender Perspective to the Crisis Management Centre in Finland.

In June 2018 Krino International was approached to provide a client with support in a dispute where the client wanted advice on whether to continue investing in a venture or whether to cut their losses and reinvest elsewhere.  A protracted mediation was carried out between an investor and a private company regarding visibility of finances and whether the investor should continue investing.  After inspecting the financial situation of the company, with background checks being conducted, Krino International proved conclusively to the client that the company was not being transparent in its dealings and advised the investor to unbundle, with a series of recommendations on future ideas of investing and putting in place mechanisms to protect the investor, thereby saving the investor a considerable amount of money going forward.

Numerous clients have been provided with appropriate advice on security from private defence, appropriate self defence approaches, to advice on security from private residence, to travelling and whilst traveling abroad.