Establishing the Ethiopian International Peace-keeping Training Centre
NEW YORK, July 26, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The United Nations Development Programme and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MoFED) will sign an agreement with the Ministry of Defence in support of on-going efforts to establish the Ethiopian International Peace-keeping Training Centre (EIPKTC).
The Government of Japan has provided financial resources that will further facilitate the establishment of this centre. The centre is expected to benefit sub-regional peace and security institutions, but also many others at the continental level in Africa.
The centre will serve as a training facility for peace-keeping organizations within and around the East Africa, in a bid to assist the African Union Commission to respond to a wider international consensus that the Union should be the first to deploy peace-keeping missions wherever conflict situations deem necessary. Moreover, this centre will equip peace-keepers and institutions with advanced skills in conflict analysis (applied research), training design, and even peace-building interventions.
UNDP'S support to the establishment of this centre is in line with the organization's commitment towards helping countries in Africa achieve peace and security. Therefore, this centre complements other UNDP support efforts such as the African Centre for Peace and Security Training (ACPST), which since 2011, has been equipping practitioners with hands-on skills that enhance action to address underlying human security issues in respective countries. UNDP is also supporting the African Union Commission in the 'Implementation of the Peace and Security Agenda of the AU Commission', which will focus on capacitating institutions to employ preventive measures to curtail or limit opportunities for conflict outbreaks.
What: High Level Signing Ceremony to facilitate on-going measures to achieve peace and security across the region and wider continent of Africa.
Who: HE Ato Ahmed Shide, State Minister, Ministry of Finance and Economic Development; HE Major General Hassan Ibrahim, Head, Ethiopian International Peace Keeping Training Centre;
HE Ambassador Hiroyuki Kishino, Ambassador of Japan to Ethiopia; and Mr. Samuel M. Bwalya, Country Director, United Nations Development Programme.
When: Monday, June 29, 2013, 11:00 – 11:45 a.m.
Where: Ministry of Finance and Economic Development