Gazmin: Pinoy troops need new skills for UN peacekeeping missions

On the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers on Wednesday, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said Filipino troops need new skills as they are now performing new roles while deployed abroad for peacekeeping missions under the auspices of the UN.
 
During the celebration in Camp Aguinaldo, Gazmin said peacekeepers are celebrating an important milestone: the 50th year of the Philippines' deployment of troops for UN peacekeeping.

“The challenge then is for our peace keepers to learn new  sets of skills and develop their capacity to address emerging trends in peacekeeping operations,” said Gazmin, adding there is a need “to develop the peacekeeping capabilities of our Armed Forces.”
 
“Peacekeeping operations have evolved since our first deployment 50 years ago. Peacekeepers are now called upon not only to maintain peace and security,” he said.
 
“They are also tasked to protect civilians; assist in the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of former combatants; support the organization of elections; protect and promote human rights; and assist in restoring the rule of law,” he added.
 
About 604 Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) personnel are deployed in the three largest Filipino contingents of the UN Peacekeeping forces:
  • UNDOF in Golan Heights,
  • UNMIL in Liberia and
  • MINUSTAH in Haiti.

The Philippines deploys over 1,000 Filipino peacekeepers to these three contingents every year.
 
Aside from the three contingents, the country is also actively conducting UN Peacekeeping missions in the Ivory Coast (UNOCI), India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) and Abyie (UNISFA).
 
As one of the founding members of the UN, the Philippines holds its duty to keep peace not only in Asia but around the world where keepers are needed.
 
The first deployment of Filipino peacekeepers was from 1950 to 1953 where a call for multi-national operations was heeded by the Philippines to resolve conflict in Korea.


Risks peacekeepers face

In March and May this year, 25 Filipino peacekeepers in Golan Heights were abducted by Syrian rebels but were later released.

After the kidnapping of 21 peacekeepers in Golan Heights, Gazmin said that the government is reviewing its deployment of peacekeepers.
 
As to the status of the review, DND spokesman Peter Paul Galvez said: “it’s undergoing assessment.” He said Filipino peacekeepers will remain deployed abroad, pending the outcome of the review,
 
“We are committed with our arrangement with UN that we will help in ensuring peace in other countries where UN request our presence. However, our own troops have to be protected and we have to ensure their security,” said Galvez.

Luiza Carvalho, UN Resident Coordinator to the Philippines, said everything is being done to avoid abductions and other similar incidents from occurring.

Capabilities of Pinoy peacekeepers

Gazmin said the defense and military establishment is exploring cooperative activities with foreign partners to improve the capabilities of Filipino peacekeepers.
 
“We are cognizant of the need to balance our international commitments while ensuring the safety of our peacekeepers, which is of paramount importance,” he said, referring to the risks involving Filipino peacekeepers.
 
He said the DND, together with other agencies, aim “to come up with ways to address such challenges.”

He said this includes the “continuous monitoring of the security situation in mission areas.”
 
The measures also include the procurement of protective equipment and “conveying to the UN, through diplomatic channels, the concerns of the Philippines and our call on all parties to respect the immunity accorded to UN peacekeepers,” he added.


 
Remembrance, awards
 
The ceremony on Wednesday was also held in remembrance of the 3,100 fallen peacekeepers around the world.

During the ceremony, Filipino peacekeepers were also given awards for their peacekeeping efforts.
 
There were seven awardees from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and five from the Philippine National Police.
 
The awardees include Brig. Gen. Daniel Lucero, the current commander of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division. Lucero previously commanded the country’s peacekeeping contingent in Haiti. - with a report from Andrei Medina, VVP, GMA News

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