Preparing Bissau-Guinean Armed Forces for UN Peace Missions

The training aimed to strengthen the Armed Forces as democratic institutions, enhance their capacity as a state organ to function effectively and constitutionally, assist the military in the promotion and protection of human rights and support them to incorporate gender perspective in their planning and operational activities.

During the seminar were discussed knowledge about the organization, principles and values of the United Nations, the structure of peace missions and their components, mainly the military component, the legal basis, including the mandate, rules of engagement, International Humanitarian Law, the United Nations Human Rights Policy and some aspects related to civilians, women and protection of children. Besides that, the event dealt with the basic notions of gender, attitudes that the military must have during peacekeeping operations and procedures to avoid sexual exploitation and abuse. Moreover, how to organize and prepare a military contingent was dealt with as well as the operational activities and civil-military cooperation activities that can be carried out by the troops.

The conduct of the seminar was supported by all UNIOGBIS’ substantive sections, including Human Rights, Political Affairs, Drugs Trafficking and Organized Crime and Gender Unit. At the end of the seminar, Colonel Costa Neto, UNIOGBIS’ Military Adviser, praised the effective participation and the level of the officers and stated that the objectives of the seminar were fully achieved. According to him, in the next months, there will be other capacity-building events, such as the inter-agencies operations seminar and a training of law enforcement and keeping for officers of the Police and other special troops of Guinea-Bissau Armed Forces.