The Peacekeeping Training Programme Looks Back on a Successful 2011.

The UNITAR Peacekeeping Training Programme (PTP) is consistently at the forefront of training individuals and institutions, through e-Learning, face-to-face and Training of Trainers (ToT) courses, for positive and transformative action in peace operations.  Through the delivery of 36 courses and four special events in 2011, PTP reached over 2,100 beneficiaries coming from every region of the world.   In 2011, UNITAR PTP additionally produced the first documentary on the Protection of Civilians, offering education through a new medium.  

PTP’s first video production, entitled Mandated to Protect: Protection of Civilians in Peace Operations grew out of PTP’s successful collaboration with the Asia Pacific Civil-Military Centre of Excellence (APCMCOE) and the Government of Australia. As stated by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his introduction to the video, “the documentary explains the roles and responsibilities of the peacekeepers, humanitarian personnel, human rights experts and others who bring protection mandates to life in the world’s conflict zones. The Protection of Civilians is crucial to the credibility of the United Nations.”  The Secretary-General also stated that “resources, training and new thinking” are critical for ensuring the protection of civilians in war zones.  Through the development of documentaries such as “Mandated to Protect,” a diverse e-Learning course curriculum and pioneering courses with partners in Africa and India, UNITAR PTP has demonstrated its full commitment to providing effective training tools and innovative thinking. 

In line with this way of thinking, and following the complete restructuring of the Peacekeeping Training Programme in 2008, PTP began to offer courses in three formats: e-Learning, face-to-face and blended.  The innovative blended course format involves a combination of on-line sessions with face-to-face sessions. Blended and face-to-face courses have been used to enhance the capacity of partner training institutions in Africa through ToT.  All courses, which have been developed over the past three years in collaboration with subject matter experts and partner institutions in the field of peace operations, use the UNITAR training methodology. This methodology highlights experiential and collaborative learning that focuses on the needs, interests and learning styles of participants. PTP’s approach allows participants to share knowledge, contribute dynamically to the learning process and construct knowledge in a way that is meaningful and directly applicable to the realities of peace operations.  

In an effort to ‘Deliver as One UN’, PTP has actively engaged in partnerships with UN bodies  outside UNITAR, significantly adding to the discipline of training for peace operations. With the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), PTP jointly hosted an on-line course on ‘Gender Based Violence’ (GBV) that attracted over 640 participants. 

In the framework of the EU Contribution for the Inter-Agency Working Group (IAWG) on Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR), PTP has developed an online course based on the ‘United Nations Integrated Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Standards.’  PTP also collaborated on overviews for countries where various UN bodies have conducted DDR programming.  These overviews will provide DDR practitioners, students and any other interested parties with comprehensive information on DDR activities undertaken within the UN system.  PTP also developed a ToT seminar for e-Tutors on DDR initiatives, held in Geneva in January 2012.  

PTP also completed the first round of its ToT initiative for enhancing the capacity of African Peacekeeping Training institutions during the first quarter of 2011.  These trainings included the courses Understanding Conflict and Conflict Analysis, which was delivered in Rwanda, and Protection of Civilians, which was delivered in Liberia and Nigeria. The first phase of the programme consisted of the delivery of eight ToT courses, and their respective pilot training courses, to eight different training institutions in Africa. To learn more about this initiative, please read the Concept Note developed by  PTP Advisory Board Chairman, Mr. Jean Marie Guéhenno and prefaced by Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi, internationally renowned expert on peacekeeping. 

PTP continued delivery of face-to-face courses that further strengthened its institutional partnerships and presence in India and Africa through collaboration with the United Service Institution (USI) and the Delhi Policy Group in New Delhi, India and the African Leadership Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. 

PTP also hosted multiple events last year. The Round Table, They Fights Like Soldiers, They Die Like Children: Why Child Soldiers need to be on the Security Agenda, which coincided with the 3rd session of the UNITAR PTP Advisory Board and was jointly organized with the University of Geneva, attracted over 120 participants.  The event was based on UNITAR PTP Advisory Board member Lieutenant-General (Ret’d) Roméo Dallaire’s latest book on Child Soldiers.

PTP expects continued successes in 2012.  This year, UNITAR PTP will intensify its offerings with over 30 different on-line training courses and multiple face-to-face courses already planned. PTP is aiming to ensure quality-controlled course offerings by applying for Open ECBCheck certifications. PTP is committed to continually upgrading existing courses to ensure that they remain responsive to the complex challenges of peace operations and provide beneficiaries with the necessary skills to efficiently contribute to meeting peace operation mandates.