Delegates attending the opening ceremony of the UNITAR gender-focused military adviser training course pose for a group photo. — Photo: qdnd.vn

HÀ NỘI — A gender-focused military adviser training course funded by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and Canada, kicked off in Hà Nội on Monday.

The 12-day course gathered together trainees from Việt Nam, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Senegal, Zambia, Mongolia, Thailand, India, Morocco, Malaysia, South Africa, Bangladesh, and Nepal.

It aims to equip officers of the Việt Nam People’s Army and partner countries with the knowledge and skills needed under Canada’s Military Training and Cooperation Programme (MTCP) to serve effectively as military gender advisors in UN peacekeeping missions. It also seeks to improve the professional capacity of Vietnamese lecturers to teach gender issues in peacekeeping, and further strengthen friendship and practical cooperation between Việt Nam, Canada, and international partners in this field.

In his opening remarks, Major General Phạm Mạnh Thắng, Director of the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations, stressed that throughout more than 11 years of preparing and deploying forces to UN peacekeeping missions, Việt Nam has consistently received valuable support from the UN and Canada, particularly in training and capacity building. He noted that this course is another vivid example of the growing cooperation between Việt Nam, UNITAR, and Canada in UN peacekeeping operations.

According to him, the training course also holds special significance as this is the first time UNITAR, Canada, and Việt Nam have co-organised an in-depth training programme on gender military advising for UN peacekeeping operations, with the participation of officers from many countries in the region and around the world along with UN experts and lecturers.

Notably, as Việt Nam increasingly engages in UN peacekeeping activities, with both the number and quality of female military personnel on the rise, the co-organisation of this training course demonstrates the country’s strong commitment to and active support for the UN Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, Thắng noted.

The officer thanked UNITAR and Canada for their support, expressed hope for continued assistance from international partners in the time to come. He expressed his belief that with strong cooperation, thorough preparation, and the dedication of all involved, the course will be a success. — VNA/VNS