News

11 January 2012

Board of Directors Appoints New President

Kevin McGarr

Ottawa, Ontario - The Board of Directors has appointed Kevin McGarr as President of the Pearson Centre effective January 3, 2012. Kevin is the fourth President of the Centre since its creation in 1994.

Kevin holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University and has completed his Director’s Education Program with the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Prior to joining the Pearson Centre, Kevin enjoyed a 26-year career with the Montreal Urban Community Police Service, where he distinguished himself in the investigation of organized crime activities. In recognition of his efforts to combat organized crime, the Governor General awarded Mr. McGarr the Meritorious Service Medal in 1997.

From 1996 to 2002, after completing his career in law enforcement, Kevin worked with a professional services firm, providing services for the detection and prevention of corporate and financial malfeasance. In January 2003, Kevin joined the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority where he held a number of senior management positions. In November 2008, CATSA’s Board of Directors announced the appointment of Mr. McGarr to the position of President and Chief Executive Officer.

Kevin is joining the Pearson Centre at a time of great opportunity. The renewed mission and vision will ensure that the Centre continues to enhance its influence in the peace and security domain, promoting the conditions for a more peaceful world.

5 December 2011

Pearson Peacekeeping Centre Workshop Highlights the Need to Integrate Gender Perspectives in Training

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - The Pearson Peacekeeping Centre through its Latin American Peacekeeping Partnership (LAPP) project and in partnership with the Brazilian peacekeeping training centre (CCOPAB) is holding a workshop on gender perspectives in peace operations from December 6 to 8 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The activity will bring together representatives from ALCOPAZ’s training centres plus Bolivia and Mexico to strengthen their understanding and capacity to integrate a gender perspective as part of peace operations training.

During the workshop, participants will work toward creating an action plan for incorporating a gender perspective as part of their peace operations training curricula, according to UN best practices and guidelines.

“Integrating a gender perspective as part of peace operations training is not only desirable, but is critical to ensure that all activities are sensitive to the concerns, needs and experiences of women and men, and have a positive impact for both women and men,” says Mike Snell, Project Manager of the LAPP project “It is also important to recognize the different roles that women and men play in a society and their contribution to peace and security processes.”

The workshop will follow a sequence of plenary presentations and small group discussions. Plenary presentations will be conducted in English and Spanish; small group discussions will be conducted in Spanish only.

Following the workshop, an analytical report of the discussions and recommendations from the participants will be shared with partners and stakeholders.

The workshop is a follow-on to the Crosscutting Challenges to Complex Peace Operations seminar held in Montevideo, Uruguay, in December 2010, which discussed gender, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV) and protection of civilians in the context of peace operations. This workshop builds on recommendations identified during this seminar.

This activity is funded by the Stabilization and Reconstruction Task Force (START) of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada.

The Canadian-based Pearson Peacekeeping Centre continues delivering its unique programs in capacity building, training and peacekeeping exercises/simulations to contribute to effective international peace and security.

28 November 2011

Conference in Ottawa Gathers African Union Officials to Discuss Police and Civilian Training Exercise that Helps Prepare for Crises Situations in Africa

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada – The next steps to planning for an African Union training exercise begins in Ottawa this week between the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre and top officials from the African Union Peace Support Operations Division (PSOD) and key partners. The exercise will focus on enhancing the skills of the police and civilian units within the AU’s African Standby Force (ASF) to better prepare for mandated peace operations and crises situations in their region.

The scenario-based activity to be conducted in Ethiopia in 2012 will simulate the planning, mandating and execution of a peace support operation for the police and civilian components, but also include a military perspective to ensure a comprehensive approach.

“The participants of the activity will use a fictitious environment that captures real-life regional issues in Africa,” Scott Carnie, Vice-President of Programs and Business Development, Pearson Peacekeeping Centre. “This type of scenario-based training allows the audience to have a more in-depth experience where they play out challenges that they may face in today and tomorrow’s peace operations.”

Issues to be covered in the activity include: Mission Management Issues; Protection of Civilians; Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, and Sexual Exploitation amongst others.

The AU requested the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre’s support to design, develop and deliver the exercise when a similar continental-level activity conducted in 2010 revealed training gaps in the police and civilian units of its African Standby Force.

“The African Standby Force was created to allow a quick response to peace and stability situations in Africa,” says Mr. Sivuyile Bam, Head of the Peace Support Division of the African Union. “This exercise is a necessary step to ensure the all components of the Force is fully operational and has the capability of undertaking a range of activities in terms of peace operations.”

The African Union Police and Civilian-focused Exercise will also serve as preparation towards a second continental-level exercise called AMANI AFRICA II that will further test the operationalization of the ASF.

The exercise is funded by the Government of Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT) through the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre’s African Police for Peace project.

Workshop in Guatemala to Discuss Police and Military Cooperation in Peace Operations

The Pearson Peacekeeping Centre through its Latin America Peacekeeping Partnership (LAPP) project is collaborating with Comando Regional de Entrenamiento de Operaciones de Mantenimiento de Paz (CREOMPAZ) to hold a workshop from November 29 to December 1 in Coban, Guatemala discussing the cooperation between military and police in peace operations missions.

Anticipating its participation in peace operations, military and police from the Conference of Central American Armed Forces countries will discuss the respective roles of both units and identify ways to facilitate better collaboration between each other.

“As contemporary peace operations become more complex, military and police working together becomes increasingly critical to the success of promoting stability and security,” says Mike Snell, Project Manager of the LAPP project. “Understanding a common objective, the workshop allows discussions that will help plan and conduct peace operations together, rather than in isolation.”

Some topics for discussion include: Integrated Nature of Peace Operations, Roles and Responsibilities of Military and Police in Peace Operations, Military-Police Cooperation and Coordination in Peace Operations, Training Requirements for Enhanced Military-Police Coordination and Cooperation, and National and Regional Training Requirements to Enhance Cooperation.

“We are pleased to co-sponsor this workshop with the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre,” says Infantry Colonel Juan Carlos Quemé Pac, CREOMPAZ Commander. “The interaction between the military and police in this activity will allow participants to reach a better comprehension of the important roles that each component executes in peace operations, in order to work together efficiently based on coordination, cooperation, communication and consensus.”

Following the workshop, an analytical report on the discussions and recommendations will be distributed amongst partners, participants and stakeholders.

In May 2009, during a Pearson Peacekeeping Centre seminar on integrated missions in Chile, participants acknowledged the need for military and police components of the mission to work together better, and also in collaboration with the civilian part of the mission. Since then, the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre has held several activities in Latin America to address these issues.

This activity is jointly funded by the Government of Canada through the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada and the United States Government through the Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI) from United States Southern Command.

21 November 2011

The Pearson Peacekeeping Centre Helps Assess the Needs of Colombia’s Peacekeeping Training Centre

The Pearson Peacekeeping Centre will visit Botoga, Colombia from November 21 to 25 to consult with its peacekeeping training centre, the Colombian International Missions and Integral Action School (ESMAI) on its development needs in regard to integrated peacekeeping training activities.

In August 2011, Colombia was accepted as a full member of La Asociación Latinoamericana de Centros de Entrenamiento para Operaciones de Paz (ALCOPAZ). The process began in December 2009 when Colombia attended a Pearson Peacekeeping Centre event in Buenos Aires. It then requested a seminar to help understand the political and strategic context of modern peacekeeping.

Through its training centre, Colombia wishes to find ways to increase the capacity and capability of its training centre in order to effectively train its personnel to deploy on peace operations.

“Our goal is to become a Joint training centre that brings together all of the armed forces and civilian components in a mission,” says Colonel Oscar Alexander Tobar Soler, Director of ESMAI. “Evaluating our needs is a step in the right direction to receive the training necessary to allow our instructors the ability to train participants in a responsible manner.”

This activity is funded by the Stabilization and Reconstruction Task Force (START) of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada.

18 November 2011

Driving Course to Provide Police and Gendarmerie the Skills to Train Others – Burkina Faso

Date: November 21 to 25, 2011

The Pearson Peacekeeping Centre is holding a driving course that provides the Burkina Faso police and gendarmerie with the necessary techniques to train their officers to pass the driving section of the pre-selection test for deployment into peace operations missions.

All officers are required to pass a pre-selection process that evaluates foundational skills, such as driving, before going into mission. Other requirements include basic language and firearms skills.

The Pearson Peacekeeping Centre driving course in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso will train 20 police and gendarmerie, including three women, with SAT-specific techniques such as vehicle handling, defensive driving and quick decision making skills in crisis situations. Once trained, the participants will be able to provide guidance and training to Burkina Faso officers before deployment and strengthen their ability to perform their duties in mission.

The Pearson Peacekeeping Centre, with funding from Government of Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT), has delivered numerous driving courses since 2009 across Africa that increases the training capacity of its police and gendarmerie, as well as increases the success rate of individuals to be deployed into mission.

Pearson Peacekeeping Centre President Attends 17th Annual IAPTC Conference

The Pearson Peacekeeping President, Suzanne Monaghan, attends the 17th Annual International Association of Peacekeeping Training Centres (IAPTC) Conference in Carlisle, Pennsylvania from November 14 to 18, 2011.

The theme of the conference this year is Evolving Peace Operations: Challenges, Requirements and Possibilities for Education and Training. It also includes two sub themes: Identifying future Education and Training Requirements and Identifying Possibilities, Subject Areas and Methodologies.

The Pearson Peacekeeping Centre founded the International Association of Peacekeeping Training Centres in 1995. The organization provided the Secretariat at the time. It supported the host nation or organization of each Annual Conference, maintained a database of participants, provided professional advice for annual conference themes, and maintained the IAPTC website. In October 2005, the responsibility for the Secretariat was transferred to the Centre for UN Peacekeeping in New Delhi.

26 October 2011

Police Contributers Gather in Ghana to Discuss Lessons Learned on Police Deployment to UNAMID

Accra, Ghana (October 26, 2011) - The Pearson Peacekeeping Centre organized a workshop in collaboration with the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in Accra, Ghana to discuss the lessons learned by police contributors to the African Union / United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID).

With close to 5,000 police officers deployed to Darfur, UNAMID has the largest police presence of any peace operation. For contributors and the African Union/ United Nations (AU/UN), the management of such a large number of individual police officers and formed police units presents considerable planning, managerial, and logistical challenges.

“For many police contributors, their deployments to UNAMID represent their largest contribution to peace operations,” says Ann Livingstone, Vice-President of Research, Education and Learning Design. “At the same time, contributors and the AU/UN alike have learned valuable lessons since the first police officers were deployed in the fall of 2007. Having a workshop to specifically discuss the work in that area was relevant.”

The workshop held from October 26 to 28 brought together African police organizations’ representatives who are responsible for the management of police deployments as well as guest speakers from the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the African Union’s Peace Support Operations Division.

The lessons identified by workshop participants allowed contributors and the AU/UN to adapt policies and procedures to make their contributions to the police component of UNAMID and other peace operations more effective.

This workshop was made possible through the African Police for Peace (APP) project, funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of the Government of Canada.

In 2008, the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre was able to contribute its expertise to UNAMID when it created a Training Support Program to assist the United Nations and the African Union in meeting its immediate capacity needs. These included improving the core competencies and increased numbers necessary to fulfill the UNAMID mandate.

20 October 2011

Workshop in Burkina Faso Addresses the Need for More Women in Peace Operations

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (October 20, 2011) - The Pearson Peacekeeping Centre and the Francophone Research Network on Peace Operations (ROP), in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Cooperation (MAECR) of Burkina Faso, organized workshop from October 18 to 20, 2011 on the participation of women in peace operations.

The activity followed a national report released in June 2011 that assessed Burkina Faso’s contribution in peace operations and identified its achievements and difficulties encountered since the beginning of its participation. One of the areas highlighted was the low participation of women and how it affects the country’s capacity to fully assume its leadership role in peacekeeping and peace building.

“The Pearson Peacekeeping Centre advocates for the increased recruitment and deployment of women into peace operations,” says Ann Livingstone, Vice-President of Research, Education and Learning Design. “We sensitize the peace operations community to the importance of women’s contributions in peace and security, and help women empower themselves to contribute more effectively to peace operations.”

Bringing together 20 representatives from five ministries (Foreign Affairs, Defense and Former Combatants, Territorial Administration and Security, Promotion of Women, as well as Justice and Human Rights Promotion), the workshop achieved the following results:

1) A better understanding of the importance of women’s participation in peace operations;

2) The identification of on-going gender mainstreaming initiatives in the various departments and services involved in peace operations;

3) The development of the key elements required to better promote and manage women’s participation in peace operations.

The Capacity Building Project for Francophone African Countries helps to improve the capacity of selected French-speaking countries and organizations to participate more effectively in United Nations and African Union operations. It is funded by the Government of Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT).

13 October 2011

2010-2011 Annual Report is Now Available Online

This year’s annual report entitled Broadening Horizons focuses on how the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre meets the challenges and changes of today’s peace operations environment with its continuous commitment to support its partners in sustaining an environment of peace and security.

The annual report is available here.