UK, Vietnam partner to prepare for first UN Peacekeeping operations

As part of the UK – Vietnam Strategic Partnership, UK military and civilian experts have partnered to prepare Vietnamese military personnel to undertake their first UN peacekeeping assignment, which is planned to be in Sudan later this year.

The latest training involves training at Vietnam’s Peacekeeping Department in Hanoi focusing on preventing sexual violence in conflict (PSVI). Sexual violence is one of the great injustices and crimes of our time. 

Every year rape and sexual violence is used as a weapon of oppression, terror and revenge.  

The training will allow all those being deployed to understand the responsibilities and obligations of UN peacekeepers to civilians, particularly survivors of sexual violence as well as giving them the skills to take part in preventing and responding to conflict-related sexual violence cases.

The UK’s Defence Attache to Vietnam Group Captain David Houghton said, “Vietnam preparing to undertake its first UN peacekeeping operation is a really important development. 

Global peace and security is best assured by partnership and a larger number of countries contributing to UN and other peacekeeping efforts. We are delighted to be able to share our experience on this important and urgent issue for the international community.”  

Since 2012, the UK has been helping lead a global campaign to raise awareness, rally global action, support survivors, address the culture of impunity and increase number of perpetrators held to account. 

As part of this campaign 156 countries have agreed that there should be no peace agreements that give amnesty to people who have ordered or carried out rape.   

The UK has allocated approximately £30 million to support PSVI activity and has deployed experts over 80 times to raise awareness and build capacity to combat the crime as well as investigate incidents of sexual violence.