UNITAR Contributes to Tanzanian Battalion Training for Deployment in Darfur, Sudan
November 2014, Bagamoyo, Tanzania - From 10th to 14th November 2014 UNITAR is complementing the African Contingency Operations Training and Assistance (ACOTA) Training Programme in Bagamoyo, Tanzania. The Tanzanian battalion will join the UN Assistance Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) to help in the restoration of peace in Darfur. UNAMID’s Chapter VII mandate includes the protection of civilians, support to the transitional regional authorities, facilitating delivery of humanitarian assistance, the protection of human rights and DDR operations.
The UNITAR-ACOTA training program aims to enhance the capacity of the Tanzanian battalion by providing the knowledge and skills necessary to align the troops with United Nations norms and requirements.
Over five days, UNITAR is delivering a UN pre-deployment module designed to provide the essential knowledge required by military personnel to effectively function in a UN peace operation. The training objective is to facilitate a shared understanding of the basic principles and policies which guide UN peace operations in the implementation of mandates in respect of specific countries.
Within the ACOTA Training Programme, UNITAR specifically addresses issues at the strategic, operational and tactical levels with about 35 staff officers and over 1000 troops who are being familiarized with key elements of mission management structures as well as command and control within UN peace operations. The training clarifies matters such as the mission’s mandate, the centrality of human rights protection and the standards and values of UN peacekeepers.
UNITAR is delivering the training in close collaboration with ACOTA and under the overall coordination of the ACOTA country Manager. This joint action is part of a long term collaborative strategy for enhancing the capacities of African Troops Contributing Countries that are participating in UN peace operations deployed in conflict-affected countries.
UN Photo/Pasqual Gorriz