China's National Defense Ministry, together with the United Nations, have held courses in Beijing for senior UN peacekeeping mission officials. The course, which started Monday, was implemented as part of a commitment that China made to train more peacekeepers over the next five years.
The 10-day course gathers 26 United Nations staff and peacekeeping experts from 17 countries. This is China's first time hosting. Qualified trainees will be listed in the UN talent pool for future peacekeeping appointments.
"The courses will train and build up the number of senior mission leaders, such as Special Advisers and vice Special Advisers for the UN Secretary General, commanders of the UN peacekeeping troops, and chiefs of police," said Nan Ning, Deputy Director of Peacekeeping Affairs Office of Chinese National Defense Ministry.
Held twice every year, the training aims to improve peacekeeping leadership, and to share practical experiences to peacekeeping candidates.
China is now the second largest contributor to the UN peacekeeping fund. And currently, more than 2,800 Chinese peacekeepers are deployed to nine task areas around the globe.
Since 1990, 11 were killed in the field of duty.
With the terror landscape changing, new challenges are cropping up. Just recently, a Chinese peacekeeper was killed in Mali, when Al-Qaeda targeted the UN base.
The recent death of the Chinese peacekeeper is a somber reminder that taking part in the UN peacekeeping missions is not an easy endeavor. So now the courses become more important as they teach UN officials and experts to ensure the safety of peacekeepers in the field, and that is as important as defending peace and stability in the task areas.
