The 3rd edition of United Nations Peacekeeping Course for African Partners (UNPCAP-03) is being held in New Delhi from May 7 to 25, 2018. UNPCAP is being conducted by Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping in India (CUNPK) in partnership with United States.
Objective:
UNPCAP-03 is aimed at building and enhancing capacity of the African Troop Contributing Countries to UN and to further train the trainers from these countries. They will be trained on operational and logistical matters, humanitarian issues, thematic topics, table top exercises, and mission briefs, and would be conducted by a rich pool of seasoned instructors from India, the US as well as the alumni instructors from Africa who have attended the previous edition of this course.
The students who are participating in this 2-week course includes officers who are currently employed in their respective peacekeeping training centres.
These African military officers will in turn train troops in their respective countries. The first and second editions of the course were held in New Delhi in 2016 and 2017. These courses are being seen as milestone in many ways at international forum, which also reflect India.
7 May 2017 – The Inaugural Session
The inaugural session for this course was conducted on May 7 at the Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi. Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs, Ruchi Ghanashyam, chaired the inaugural session and welcomed the officers while briefing the audience on the commitment of India towards the UN.
Other eminent speakers included Director General Staff Duties Lt Gen Ajay Kumar Sharma and US Ambassador to India Kenneth Juster.
About ‘Blue Berets’
The United Nations’ peacekeepers are often called as the ‘blue berets’ or ‘blue helmets’ referring to their beret colour. They monitor and observe peace processes in post-conflict areas and assist ex-combatants in implementing the peace agreements they may have signed.
The process includes confidence-building measures, power-sharing arrangements, electoral support, strengthening the rule of law, and economic and social development. Accordingly, UN peacekeepers can include soldiers, police officers, and civilian personnel.
Mr. Jean-Pierre Lacroix is the current Head of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations.
India’s Role in UN Peacekeeping
The course is conducted by the Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping in India (CUNPK) in partnership with the US, the Indian Army. The first and second editions of the course were held in New Delhi in 2016 and 2017, respectively.
India is the largest cumulative troop contributor to UN Peacekeeping Missions mandated to maintain stability and negotiate peace settlement in turbulent regions across the world. So far India has provided almost 200,000 troops in nearly 50 of 71 UN peacekeeping missions over past 6 decades, including 13 of current 16 missions.
Conclusion
The third edition of UNPCAP is being held in CUNPK in New Delhi to build and enhance the capacity of the African Troop Contributing Countries to the UN and to further train the trainers from these countries. The course revolves around the concept of training the trainers as stated by the UN.
