The Asia Pacific Peace Operations Training Centres conducted their workshop at Taj Samudra Hotel from August 1 to 3. The forum brought together military experts from 17 countries. This year’s event was hosted by the Sri Lanka Army.
The chief guest at the inauguration ceremony was Lt. General Mahesh Senanayake. Several senior officers of the Sri Lanka Army including Maj. General Piyal Wikckremeratne (Director General- Generals Staff), Maj. General Ravipriya (Director Training) and Brigadier Prasad Pathiratne (Commandant of IPSO- Sri Lanka) were present.
The first United Nations peacekeeping deployment was undertaken by Ceylon in 1960 when 5 Officers and 11 soldiers were sent to Haiti.
Since then members of the Sri Lanka Army have engaged in many UN missions.
Army Commander Lt. General Senanayake in his opening address said “I consider it a special privilege to have the honour of hosting the AAPTC Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Workshop 2017 in Sri Lanka.
Since its inception in the year 2009, the program has evolved into a round table of intellectual interaction to discuss matters aligned with peace operations. As most of us are aware, the AAPTC discussion sessions are principally designed on the theme, ‘Cooperation Efforts to Enhance Peacekeeping Training’ within the Asia-Pacific Region.
A new Directorate
The idea was initiated by the Bangladesh Institute of Peace Support Operations Training (BIPSOT) in 2008 with direct assistance from Global Peace Operations Initiatives (GPOI). The theme of this year’s AAPTC Workshop was “Challenges of Developing a Robust Peacekeeping Mindset’.
The three day program provided a platform to identify and discuss the requirement of robust peacekeeping, its relevance and the challenges on implementation.
I believe, the title of this year’s workshop is significant and appropriate in the light of the fact that meaningful robust peacekeeping training is a prerequisite for the protection of civilians and UN personnel in the 21st century”.
Since 2004, Sri Lankan peacekeeping troops have served in Haiti, Syria, Lebanon and Sierra Leone. The Institute of Peace Support Operations (IPSO) located at Kukuleganga has trained a total of 20,998 officers and soldiers, and of this 19,395 have been deployed on missions.
The Army plans to set up a separate new Directorate to enhance peacekeeping deployments. The primary purpose of peacekeepers is the protection of civilians and the UN staff, and also focuses on building lives and restoring hope. The school trains its officers in check point duty, patrolling, cordon and search, convoy security, fire fighting, disarmament and as military observers. In addition, they learn French as a language.
The Sri Lankan peacekeeping contingent played a key role in the rescue efforts of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.