A UN Military Observer Course is underway in Hanoi from October 9-27, hosted by the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations (VDPO) with support from its partner, the US Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI), and the Hanoi-based US Office for Defense Cooperation.

During the three-week course, the trainees will learn knowledge on UN peacekeeping operations, including the principles and nature of UN peacekeeping operations and their mandates, organizational structure, and many other topics.

In addition, the trainees will receive theoretical lectures combined with practical skills and general exercises to perform military observer tasks in the field by Vietnamese and international instructors.

The officers of Engineer Team No. 1 and Field Hospital No. 4 set out to accomplish their mission. Photo: VNA

Moreover, the program strengthens understanding, friendship, and cooperation between Vietnam, the US, and international partners in the field of peacekeeping. This is an opportunity for the VDPO to gain experience in organizing international training courses to realize the goal of bringing Vietnam's UN Peacekeeping Training Facility up to regional and international standards.

In his opening remarks for the course, Colonel Nguyen Ba Hung, Deputy Chief of VDPO, thanked the US Office of Defense Cooperation, GPOI instructors and coordinators, and international and Vietnamese participants for their contributions to the course.

"This is a good opportunity for trainees to enrich their knowledge and experience to be well prepared for UN peacekeeping missions. I hope the trainees will do their best to grasp all the knowledge and experience provided by the instructors," Hung said.

Harley Alves, head of GPOI's team of international instructors, emphasized the importance of the course.

It is one of the most necessary and important courses for countries contributing to peacekeeping activities, as it provides essential knowledge for real-world assignments in UN missions," he said.

Alves said that the VDPO has accumulated professional knowledge and perfected methods for UN military observers through training courses organized in recent years.

Most recently, Alves commended Vietnam for successfully conducting the Competency Evaluation Program for Prospective United Nations Peacekeepers (CEPPP) in September, demonstrating its capability and commitment to participate in the mission.

As reported, since 2017, Vietnam has hosted and co-hosted training courses for UN staff officers with the support of GPOI.