Lima, Peru – In its capacity as the Past President and the current Secretariat of the International Association of Peacekeeping Training Centres (IAPTC), CCCPA participated in the Association’s Executive Committee meeting, held on 20-22 February 2019. The meeting aimed to set the strategic plan for the coming year, and discuss the overall management of the Association. CCCPA delivered a presentation–in its capacity as the Secretariat of the IAPTC–about progress of work and future plans to strengthen the concept of the IAPTC.
 
Organized by the Peruvian Peacekeeping Training Center (CECOPAZ), host of the Association’s 25th Annual Conference, discussions also focused on the theme of the conference, its agenda, and organizational matters pertaining to the host’s responsibilities. The Conference will be held on 7-10 October 2019 in Lima, Peru under the theme “Training for Effective Peace Operations: Renewing Commitments and Advancing Partnerships.” The conference program includes sessions on protection of civilians, training for leadership, performance and accountability, and safety and security in high-risk environments, women, peace and security, and developing partnerships through the IAPTC.  
 
Members of the Executive Committee include representatives from the following institutions: The New Zealand Defence Force - Current IAPTC President; CCCPA - Past President and current Secretariat; Jonas Alberoth (Folke Bernadotte Academy, Sweden) - Chair of the Consolidation and Development Committee;  Col. Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh Institute of Peace Support Operation Training, Bangladesh) - Military Chair; Brig. Gen. Giovani Pietro Barbano (Center of Excellence for Stability Police Units, Italy) Police Chair, Gustavo de Carvalho (Institue for Security Studies, South Africa) - Civilian Chair, and the Pedagogical Chair, Dr. Illana Lacaster (United States Institute of Peace, United States of America).
 
The IAPTC is a voluntary association for centres and institutions working in the domain of peacekeeping research and training. It was established in 1995 to facilitate communication and exchange of experiences among global training centres. The objectives of the association include: disseminating UN training standards to advocate for their implementation, educating participants about peace operations and policy making, identifying emerging training requirements relevant to policy matters, and exchanging experiences among training institutions and their training methodologies. Other objectives include promoting gender mainstreaming in peace operations and encouraging different institutions and organizations to reach a mutual understanding among military, police, and civilian components in peacekeeping operations.