Vietnam co-hosts competency evaluation program for prospective UN peacekeepers
Friday, September 15, 2023, 09:31 GMT+7
The opening ceremony of the competency evaluation program for prospective UN peacekeepers (CEPPP), under the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+) Experts’ Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations, was held in Hanoi on Wednesday.
The opening event of the program, under the co-chairmanship of Vietnam and Japan, was attended by Senior Lieutenant General Phung Si Tan, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) and head of the CEPPP’s steering committee.
The ceremony also gathered representatives of the Ministry of National Defense, the embassies, and military attachés of the ADMM+ countries in Vietnam, the ASEAN Secretariat, and 18 delegations of the ADMM+ countries.
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| Senior Lieutenant General Phung Si Tan (R, 2nd), deputy chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army and head of the CEPPP’s steering committee, shakes hands with a CEPPP delegate in Hanoi, September 13, 2023. Photo: Ha Thanh / Tuoi Tre |
“This is the first time that Vietnam has hosted such a large-scale multilateral event on UN peacekeeping operations, helping affirm the nation’s role, position, and contributions to multilateral cooperation mechanisms on UN peacekeeping operations in the region and within the ADMM+ framework,” the Vietnamese military official said.
The CEPPP, held from September 13 to 21, draws the participation of close to 300 peacekeeping experts, trainees, and observers from ADMM+ member countries.
It is the concluding field training course of the ADMM+ Experts’ Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations Cycle 4 (2021-23), comprising three phases encompassing theoretical and practical training, along with specific instructions for military medical personnel, engineers, and military observers.
The program is aimed at enhancing the coordination capability and peacekeeping skills of the prospective UN peacekeepers and is expected to help strengthen the friendship and cooperation ties in UN peacekeeping operations among the ADMM+ members, General Tan stressed.
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| The Vietnamese delegation attends the CEPPP opening ceremony in Hanoi, September 13, 2023. Photo: Ha Thanh / Tuoi Tre |
Speaking at the opening ceremony, both Vietnam and Japan said they have worked closely together to organize the events they co-chaired, including the CEPPP.
Colonel Nguyen Nhu Canh, deputy head of the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations under the Ministry of National Defense, said that the training will also help raise awareness about and the importance of women in performing UN peacekeeping duties.
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| Peacekeeping experts, trainees, and observers from ADMM+ member countries attend the CEPPP opening ceremony in Hanoi, September 13, 2023. Photo: Ha Thanh / Tuoi Tre |
Matsuzawa Tomoko, director for defense cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region at the Japan Ministry of Defense, said both Japan and Vietnam have deep concerns about efforts to raise awareness about the role of women in UN peacekeeping operations among ADMM+ members.
Regarding the ADMM+, it is a platform for ASEAN and its eight dialogue partners including Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia, and the U.S. to strengthen security and defense cooperation for peace, stability, and development in the region.
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| Senior Lieutenant General Phung Si Tan (standing), deputy chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army and head of the CEPPP’s steering committee, chairs a welcome ceremony for leaders of delegations from ADMM+ member countries in Hanoi, September 13, 2023. Photo: Ha Thanh / Tuoi Tre |
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