Vietnam's role in UN peacekeeping cooperation mechanisms highlighted

The assessment was made by the Competency Evaluation Programme for Prospective UN Peacekeepers (CEPPP), an activity under the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) Experts’ Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations (PKO-EWG) Cycle 4, which is being co-chaired by Vietnam and Japan from September 13 to September 21.

Representing the Japanese side as co-chair of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) Experts’ Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations (PKO-EWG) Cycle 4, Matsuzawa Tomoko, director for Defence Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific Region of the International Policy Division of the Defence Policy Bureau under the Japanese Ministry of Defence and also head of Japan’s experts' working group on peacekeeping, emphasised that the two sides agreed to integrate perspectives on gender equality in the CEPPP planning process.

In activities under the CEPPP, female soldiers are present and active in many positions, often boasting prominent roles.

According to Tomoko, in a bid to achieve the goal the two countries have paid great attention during the CEPPP planning process to two key factors, including ensuring realism by focusing on challenges encountered in current peacekeeping operations by reflecting member countries' experiences in CEPPP scenarios.

The second is to integrate perspectives on gender equality.

She also emphasised that the main objectives of the current cycle is to enhance the role of Women, Peace and Security (WPS).

Given the growing importance of women in peace and security in the context of peacekeeping, both Asian nations have a deep interest in promoting and deepening understanding of this issue between member countries.

For the CEPPP, the two countries have ensured the inclusion of realistic situations and elements related to the role of women in order to prepare exercise participants to carry out their duties.