PRESS RELEASE : UK commits to enhanced training offer for UN peacekeepers [December 2023]

The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 12 December 2023.

Support for UN peacekeeping efforts pledged by Minister for the Armed Forces at United Nations Peacekeeping Ministerial in Ghana.

• Support for UN peacekeeping efforts pledged by Minister for the Armed Forces at United Nations Peacekeeping Ministerial in Ghana.
• Also holds bilateral security talks with government of Ghana.
• Signs Defence Cooperation Treaty with Senegal.

The UK will commit to an enhanced training offer for UN peacekeepers, the Minister for the Armed Forces announced last week at the 2023 United Nations Peacekeeping Ministerial in Accra, Ghana.

Minister for the Armed Forces, Rt Hon James Heappey MP, said:

From violent extremism in the Sahel, to political instability in a number of African states, the importance of working with our regional partners and the UN has rarely been clearer.

It’s not enough for us to train peacekeepers and then let them put themselves in harm’s way with no support. Our new Enhanced Training Model will see our personnel accompany the UN’s peacekeepers on their missions, standing shoulder to shoulder with them on the ground as they work tirelessly to prevent conflict.

Representing the UK at the conference, the minister outlined the UK’s new and continuing commitments to UN peacekeeping missions, including:

• A new Enhanced Training Model (ETM) for UN peacekeepers, which will see UK personnel assisting UN peacekeeping troops before and during missions, based on their requirements.
• Building on the £1m of funding announced earlier this year, a continued commitment for the Elsie Initiative Fund for Uniformed Women in Peace Operations, which supports the participation of women in United Nations peace operations.
• Support for the UN’s counter misinformation and disinformation training efforts.
• A commitment to new training initiatives to build the counter-IED capability of others.

During his visit to Ghana, the minister also held a bilateral security dialogue with the Minister for National Security Albert Kan-Dapaah, Minister of Defence Dominic Nitiwul and Minister for Interior Ambrose Dery. They discussed how to deepen our bilateral defence relationship, building on the deployment of HMS Trent to the Gulf of Guinea and work to counter the threat of violent extremist activity emanating from the Sahel.

He also met the Vice President, Mahamudu Bawumi and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shirley Botchwey.

Visiting Burma Camp, the headquarters of the Ghana Armed Forces, the minister also oversaw the delivery of eight ambulances to Ghana. These ambulances, gifted by the UK, will allow Ghana to improve its medical outreach in the northern border regions.

Earlier in the week, he visited Senegal for bilateral talks with the Minister for Armed Forces Oumar Youm and President Macky Sall, where he signed a new Defence Cooperation Treaty.  The agreement is the first between the UK and Senegal and marks a significant step forward in our defence and security partnership. The UK and Senegal will work together to deepen our relationship, to tackle organised crime and drugs trafficking in the Gulf of Guinea, and to counter regional instability and terrorism in the Sahel.