The Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping, and Peacebuilding (CCCPA), in collaboration with the Egyptian Ministry of Defence, organised a pre-deployment training for the first batch of Egyptian female military contingents to be deployed to UN peacekeeping operations. Their deployment will mark a milestone in Egypt's contribution to peacekeeping, and its overall efforts to advance the implementation of the Women, Peace, and Security agenda. It also reaffirms Egypt's strong commitment to enhance meaningful female participation in peace operations. The training aimed to build the capacities of 30 Egyptian female military contingents to be deployed in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA). In his remarks at the opening ceremony, Alaa Kassem, Chief of the Liaison Agency with International Organisations (LAWIO), highlighted the Ministry of Defense's efforts to enhance female participation in UN Peacekeeping and its commitment to advance peace and security on the African continent. He stated that "the upcoming deployment of female peacekeepers marks a significant step in the Ministry's strategy to enhance the effectiveness of peace operations, particularly in terms of leveraging women's key roles in such contexts." Ahmed Abdel-Latif, Director General of CCCPA, provided an overview of Egypt's key contribution to UN peacekeeping missions, noting that it's the 6th largest troop- and police-contributing country. Furthermore, he highlighted the pivotal role of women peacekeepers in enhancing the performance and effectiveness of UN peacekeeping missions, including through building trust with local communities, particularly with women and children, and preventing sexual exploitation and abuse. He also highlighted CCCPA's role as an African Union Center of Excellence and the only civilian peacekeeping training centre in the Arab world, capitalizing on its ability to deliver training courses in Arabic. Ambassador Abdel-Latif praised the ongoing collaboration with LAWIO and the Ministry of Defence, particularly in the context of organizing pre-deployment trainings, as well as the Government of Japan for its long-standing partnership with the Center, including for the delivery of peacekeeping training. Oka Hiroshi, Ambassador of Japan to Egypt, underscored Japan's commitment to enhance peace and security in Africa by supporting key training centres, such as CCCPA, in the delivery of training and capacity building programs and activities. He highlighted the important role of women in implementing peace processes, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1325, and commended the training as a milestone in advancing the role and participation of Egyptian female peacekeepers. Based on the UN's Core Pre-Deployment Training Material (CPTM), the training combines informative and analytical sessions about the situation in the Central African Republic and MINUSCA's mandate, UN peacekeeping principles, international humanitarian law and human rights, the rules of engagement, protection of civilians, the role of women in peacekeeping, and preventing sexual exploitation and abuse. Pre-deployment training is held under CCCPA's current project "Enhancing Peace, Security and Stability in Africa-VII (2021-2022)", funded by the Government of Japan through UNDP.
