Egypt: International conference in Sharm El-Sheikh to discuss challenges faced by peacekeeping forces

On Thursday, February 16, the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh is hosting an international two-day conference to discuss the challenges faced by peacekeeping operations and forces. The conferenced is due to be attended by 11 states including Egypt, the five permanent members of the Security Council, and the main countries with their troops contributing to peacekeeping operations namely India, Pakistan, Nigeria, South Africa and Argentina.

The Fourth Annual Conference is one of the most prominent international forums concerned with United Nations peacekeeping operations in all its aspects, with partner members from seventeen countries representing the various ministries of defence, interior, foreign affairs and peacekeeping operations training centres.

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Egypt’s Cairo Regional Centre for Training on Conflict, Resolution & Peacekeeping in Africa (CCCPA) has participated in the work of this forum since the 2009, while the Swedish Government Agency, The Folke Bernadotte Academy, is responsible for the forum’s secretariat affairs. The forum is headed by the French Jean-Marie Aghino, deputy to the former secretary for peacekeeping operations.

The international forum takes place every year and is hosted by one of the conference’s member states. It looks into the challenges of peacekeeping operations and discusses the most important topics on the international agenda for peacekeeping operations.

This is the first time that the forum’s conference is being held in one of the countries of the south. It was scheduled to take place last May, but was postponed due to developments in Egypt following the January 25 revolution.

It is expected that more than one hundred persons will participate in the work of the conference including senior officials from the forum’s member state and concerned international and regional organizations. The participating figures include the United Nation’s Under-Secretary- General for Peacekeeping Operations, the African Commissioner of Peace and Security, Special Representatives of the Secretary-General of South Sudan and Libya, in addition to the Swedish Minister of International Cooperation for Development (the minister responsible for the Folke Bernadotte Academy).