UN Hails Liberia Course on Peace Operations

UN Hails Liberia Course Examining Military And Civilian Roles in Peace Operations

New York, May 1 2006 5:00PM

United Nations officials have praised a week-long training course in Liberia involving non-governmental organizations (NGOs), UN agencies, and military, civilian and police personnel from the world body’s peacekeeping operation in the West African country (UNMIL) for highlighting ways to strengthen civilian-military coordination not only in this mission but also in other complex peace operations.
The course, co-organized by UNMIL and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which is part of a series of training workshops on complex peace operations, focused on both natural disasters and complex emergencies, with a particular emphasis on the peace mission in Liberia and ongoing peace operations in West Africa, the mission said in a statement issued at the weekend.

“Courses such as this one give us a clearer understanding of the dynamics that exist between humanitarian and military actors in the implementation of their respective roles and responsibilities,” Jordan Ryan, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Recovery and Governance, told the 28 participants.

Mr. Ryan, who is also the Humanitarian Coordinator in Liberia, went on to stress the importance of civil-military coordination training as a means to strengthen the relationships amongst those involved in emergency response, aid coordination and reconstruction activities.

The Senior Advisor to the Civil Military Coordination Section of OCHA and the main facilitator, Fred Polk, praised the group for its participation and said the success of the course was due largely to the talent of the participants.

“They will make a significant contribution within the mission as well as between the mission and other actors in Liberia,” said Mr. Polk.

The UN Civil-Military Coordination Course, held from 23-28 April, combined conflict prevention, peace building, security operations, and humanitarian relief and recovery operations. The course was previously conducted in Liberia in April and June 2005, as well as in other parts of West Africa, including Ghana.

2006-05-01 00:00:00.000

ENDS

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