Date: December 16th 2009

Peace Operations Training Institute News

IAPTC Peacekeeping Education and Training Award

Representatives from the Peace Operations Training Institute recently attended the annual conference of the International Association of Peacekeeping Training Centers (IAPTC) in Sydney, Australia. While there, we were surprised and delighted when Executive Director Harvey Langholtz received the 2009 IAPTC Education and Training Award. The award was presented to Dr. Langholtz by Rear Admiral Gboribiogha Jonah, Director of the Nigerian War College and President of the IAPTC.

This award acknowledges “excellence in the field of peacekeeping education and training.” The recipient “must have demonstrated a unique and extremely valuable contribution to peacekeeping education and training and to the preparation of individuals or groups to participate in future or current peace operations.” (Source: IAPTC) The text of the award reads, “In recognition to your achievements in developing key strategic partnerships; development of doctrine, training programs and in providing strong leadership in peacekeeper education.”

In his remarks accepting the award Dr. Langholtz thanked the IAPTC and especially thanked the students and staff at the Peace Operations Training Institute for their dedicated work in serving peace and peacekeepers globally. He also acknowledged the important support of the nations that fund the Institute and expressed his pleasure in working with peacekeeping institutions world-wide in pursuit of the ideals of the UN as stated in the preamble to the UN Charter.

We thank and congratulate all of our students for their hard work and dedication.

Distinguished guests

Over the past few weeks, the Institute has been honored with a number of distinguished guests. Recent visitors include Colonel Valentin Segura, Director of the Chilean Joint Peacekeeping Operations Centre (CECOPAC). Chile is one of the largest contributors of peacekeeping personnel in Latin America, and CECOPAC is a new state-of-the-art facility that plays a key role in the training of peacekeeping personnel from Chile and elsewhere.

We were also visited by a delegation from Egypt’s Cairo Centre for Training on Conflict Resolution and Peacekeeping in Africa (CCCPA). Ambassador Dr. Mahmoud Farghal and Dr. Alaa Abd Alaziz of Egypt met with Executive Director Harvey Langholtz and other Institute staff to discuss the need for Arabic-language distance training on peacekeeping and possible ways the CCCPA and the Peace Operations Training Institute could work together to meet this need. The Institute recently released its first course in Arabic.

Most recently, the Institute was pleased to host Colonel Hans Jürgen Kasselmann of Germany, Director of the Civil-Military Co-operation Centre of Excellence (CCOE). The CCOE is a NATO-accredited, multinationally sponsored organization developing training, knowledge, and policy for civil-military interaction for NATO and other actors.

New partnerships

The Peace Operations Training Institute and Brazil’s Sergio Vieira de Mello Peacekeeping Operation Training Center (CIOPAZ) recently signed an agreement for the translation and distribution of the Institute’s training courses into Portuguese. The Institute’s Executive Director Dr. Harvey Langholtz, and CIOPAZ Commander Colonel Pedro de Pessoa held discussions at CIOPAZ in Rio de Janeiro last month. Dr. Langholtz toured the modern facility and was briefed on the wide range of courses offered by CIOPAZ.

Dr. Langholtz also visited Argentina’s Joint Peacekeeping Training Center (CAECOPAZ) last month. He met with the Director of CAECOPAZ, Colonel Raśl Bertoia and other staff, observed a class on demining, and was briefed on the extensive operations of CAECOPAZ. CAECOPAZ is a long-standing partner of the Peace Operations Training Institute, and Argentina was the first Latin American nation to fund E-Learning for Peacekeepers from Latin America and the Caribbean (ELPLAC).

Student spotlight

In addition to the Institute’s twenty-two individual courses, we offer an advanced programme of study in which students earn a Certificate of Training in United Nations Peace Support Operations (COTIPSO). We congratulate Cristian Mazzei, who recently completed all requirements and earned the COTIPSO. He writes:

“The content of the courses was excellent and the whole learning package was easy to access as my career took me from field mission assignments to UNICEF headquarters in New York. My thanks to the staff at the Institute for making this process so straightforward.”

You can read Mr. Mazzei’s thesis, Peacekeeping, UN Stand-by force and Rapid Deployment: a Critical Analysis, on the Institute’s Web site.

Holiday greetings

It has been another successful year for the Peace Operations Training Institute, thanks in no small part to our students. We wish you all a very happy holiday season and New Year.