Vietnam and Canada co-organize first staff officer training course

This is the first U.N. staff officer training course and the fourth intensive international training course on peacekeeping co-organized by Vietnam and Canada in Vietnam in the context that Vietnam is deeply participating in U.N. peacekeeping operations.

Lt. Gen. Nguyen Trong Binh speaks at the opening ceremony.

Canadian Ambassador to Vietnam at the event

The opening ceremony was co-chaired by Deputy Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Nguyen Trong Binh and Canadian Ambassador to Vietnam Shawn Steil.

During the course, 64 lecturers, coordinators, and officers from countries within the MTCP, including 35 international and 20 Vietnamese trainees, will be equipped with fundamental knowledge about the U.N. and its activities; functions, missions, and collaboration mechanisms among staff agencies; skills of compiling documents and making operational plans in accordance with functions of each agency. 

Delegates attend the event

Trainees at the opening ceremony

This course is also to raise Vietnam’s capacity for organizing intensive international training courses on U.N. peacekeeping operations and developing a contingent of U.N. peacekeeping lecturers in Vietnam.

In his opening speech, Gen. Binh highlighted Canada’s whole-hearted and valuable support to Vietnam over the past 10 years, especially in capacity enhancement training. He added that this course is another proof of the growing defense cooperation between the two countries in U.N. peacekeeping operations and hoped that the two sides will strengthen the cooperation in the coming time to effectively contribute to common mission.

Lt. Gen. Nguyen Trong Binh, Ambassador Shawn Steil, Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations’ officials, and delegates in a joint photo

Lt. Gen. Nguyen Trong Binh, Ambassador Shawn Steil, delegates, and trainees in a group photo

For his part, Canadian Ambassador to Vietnam Shawn Steil laid stress on the scale of cooperation between the two militaries in training since the signing of the memorandum of understanding on cooperation and military training program in 2018. He said that the course further demonstrates the two countries’ growing collaboration in this field.

Translated by Tran Hoai