Cairo, Egypt – CCCPA, in collaboration with the government of New Zealand, through UNDP, officially started its three-day training on gender-responsive peace operations for Arab peacekeepers on 10 October 2022.
As part of his official visit to Egypt, Hon. Peeni Henare, Minister of Defense of New Zealand, inaugurated the training with CCCPA Director General Ambassador Ahmed Abdel-Latif. H.E. Ambassador Greg Lewis, Ambassador of New Zealand to Egypt, UNDP Egypt Deputy Resident Representative Sylvain Merlen, and high-level representatives from the Egyptian Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Interior also attended the ceremony.
Taking place from 10-13 October 2022, the training aims to advance gender-responsive peacekeeping by equipping Arab military and police UN peacekeepers with the necessary knowledge and skills to perform their duties during deployment. The training will strengthen their understanding of the Women, Peace and Security agenda, enable them to better integrate the gender dimension in UN peacekeeping operations, uphold the UN Standards of Conduct, as well as address gender-based violence against women in armed conflicts and sexual exploitation and abuse. Ten peacekeepers from six Arab countries (Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Jordan, Djibouti and Egypt) are participating in the training which timely coincides with the anniversary month of the adoption of the landmark UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security
Hon. Henare stated that “New Zealand is proud to be a longstanding contributor to global peacekeeping efforts,” affirming that its contributions in this regard crystalize the value it places on promoting peace and stability. He expressed his appreciation for CCCPA’s Women, Peace and Security training course, and for creating “the opportunity to speak with peacekeepers from the region, as understanding how conflict impacts genders in different ways is an important skill.” The Minister concluded his remarks by asserting that “the skills of peacekeeping, peacebuilding, and conflict resolution remain as important as they ever have been; this is why the work of organizations such as the CCCPA is key.”
In his remarks, Ambassador Abdel-Latif conveyed full appreciation to the Government of New Zealand for its support of this training program, which “stands as a true testament to the power of partnerships in advancing peace and security,” noting that both Egypt and New Zealand are strong supporters of UN peacekeeping and the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda. Ambassador Abdel-Latif asserted that “this training reflects a concrete commitment to strengthening the capacities of Arab peacekeeping personnel on gender perspectives and women, peace, and security”. “The training also builds on the success of the 2019 first action-oriented 'Training of Trainers on Preventing Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Peacekeeping' that the Center delivered to African practitioners in cooperation with the government of New Zealand, marking a step towards expanding collaboration in this area to the Arab world,” Ambassador Abdel-Latif added.
CCCPA is an Egyptian public agency, specializing in capacity building, convening, and research in the fields of peace and security in Africa and the Arab region. Its board of directors is chaired by H.E. Sameh Shoukry, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt. CCCPA is an African Union Center of Excellence, and the only civilian peacekeeping training center in the Arab world.
