CCCPA in collaboration with the Egyptian Ministry of Defense--organized the third pre-deployment training for Egyptian female military contingents to be deployed to UN peacekeeping operations. The training course comes as part of Egypt’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the participation of women in UN Peacekeeping missions within the overall context of advancing the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
The training, held from 18 to 22 December 2022, witnessed the participation of 37 Egyptian female military contingents to be deployed to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) and Mali (MINUSMA).
Addressing the opening ceremony, Ambassador Ahmed Abdel-Latif, Director General of CCCPA, highlighted that the training builds on the success of the two previous training courses held for female peacekeepers this year. He emphasised the crucial role played by female peacekeepers in improving the overall effectiveness and performance of UN peacekeeping missions. This includes fostering trust with the local communities, especially with women and children, and helping prevent sexual exploitation and abuse. Ambassador Abdel-Latif praised the fruitful collaboration with the Ministry of Defense (MoD), particularly in the context of organizing pre-deployment trainings, as well as the Government of Japan for its longstanding partnership with the Center, including for the delivery of peacekeeping trainings.
In his remarks, the MoD representative referred to the pre-deployment training for female peacekeepers as “a milestone in the longstanding partnership between the Egyptian MoD and CCCPA.” Moreover, he emphasized that the MoD's decision to send female peacekeepers to missions is in line with the UN gender parity targets outlined in the Uniformed Gender Parity Strategy, pointing out that the percentage of Egyptian women participating in peacekeeping missions currently stands at 25% of all Egyptian experts on missions & staff officers
Meanwhile, H.E. Ambassador Oka Hiroshi, Japan’s Ambassador to Egypt, praised Egypt’s significant contribution to UN peacekeeping missions as the sixth largest troop- and police-contributing country. He also reiterated the pivotal role of women in implementing peace processes in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1325, stating that the training is “another major step towards advancing the meaningful participation of Egyptian female contingents in UN Peacekeeping operations.” Ambassador Hiroshi underscored Japan's commitment to enhance peace and security in Africa, including through the longstanding partnership with CCCPA since 2008, particularly in the delivery of various training and capacity building programs and activities.
Based on the UN’s Core Pre-Deployment Training Material (CPTM), the training combines informative and analytical sessions about the situation in the Central African Republic and Mali, including the respective mission’s mandate, UN peacekeeping principles, international humanitarian law and human rights law, the rules of engagement, protection of civilians, the role of women in peacekeeping, and preventing sexual exploitation and abuse.
Pre-deployment trainings are held under CCCPA’s current project “Enhancing Peace, Security and Stability in Africa-VII (2021-2022)”, funded by the Government of Japan through UNDP.
