The UK has pledged its support for UN peacekeeping efforts by offering enhanced training to the organization.
Announced during the UN’s Peacekeeping Ministerial in Ghana, the UK’s Enhanced Training Model seeks to bolster the alliance by coaching its units on advanced protocols before and during their missions.
The training model will be supplemented by other commitments, including building on the 1-million-pound ($1.26 million) funding previously pledged for the Elsie Initiative Fund for Uniformed Women in Peace Operations, which promotes women’s presence in UN peace operations.
Support for the organization’s misinformation and disinformation training, as well as counters against improvised explosive devices, were also pledged.
An Ongoing Commitment
UK Armed Forces Minister of State James Heappey said that the country is steadfast in delivering change by collaborating with other nations involved.
“It’s not enough for us to train peacekeepers and then let them put themselves in harm’s way with no support. Our new Enhanced Training Model will see our personnel accompany the UN’s peacekeepers on their missions, standing shoulder to shoulder with them on the ground as they work tirelessly to prevent conflict,” he stated.
“From violent extremism in the Sahel, to political instability in a number of African states, the importance of working with our regional partners and the UN has rarely been clearer.”
Heappey also held bilateral talks in Ghana to discuss the country’s deployments in the Gulf of Guinea to counter the threat of extremist activities in the Sahel region.