FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THE PEARSON PEACEKEEPING CENTRE INCREASES ITS SUPPORT TO UNITED NATIONS AND AFRICAN UNION PEACE OPERATIONS
OTTAWA, ON (April 17, 2008) – The Pearson Peacekeeping Centre (PPC) has secured a $10.3 million contribution over three years from the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) that will enhance Canada’s presence on the world stage through two capacity building projects in Africa.
“I am very pleased with this announcement as it further validates Canada’s continued commitment to increase African peace operation capacity,” said Suzanne Monaghan, President of the PPC. “These two projects will help African states meet the demands of current and future UN and African Union missions.”
The first project, the Pan-African Police Project, will focus on strengthening the capacity of targeted national police and gendarmerie organizations by increasing the number of their civilian police officers and ensuring that they have the necessary skills and knowledge to serve in United Nations and regional peace operations. The PPC will be involved in 15 countries from three main sub-regions: West Africa, Central Africa and the Arab Maghreb.
The second project, the African Centres of Excellence Project, will build on the progress made so far in strengthening the institutional capacity of Centres of excellence in Africa. The PPC team will work closely with the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, in Ghana, the École de Maintien de la Paix Alioune Blondin Beyne, in Mali, and The African Centre for Strategic Research and Studiesin Nigeria with the goal of further enabling African countries to provide training and conduct peace operations.
“The PPC has an excellent reputation for building strategic partnerships and delivering peace operations training projects in Africa,” said Peter Miller, Director of the PPC’s African Programs. “The activities will focus on building capacity and ensuring that institutions and individuals are trained in a sustainable manner.”
The Pearson Peacekeeping Centre is a world authoritative source of knowledge and expertise on peace operations. Our training courses and teaching methods are widely praised for achieving superior results.
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More information:
Lucie Laurion
Director of Communications, Pearson Peacekeeping Centre
(613) 520-5617 ext. 5950
llaurion@peaceoperations.org