The Government of Ethiopia today signed a USD150 thousand agreement with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to extend the ongoing project support for the Peacekeeping Training at the Ethiopian International Peacekeeping Training Centre (EIPKTC) since its establishment in 2012.

The USD 150 thousand is provided by Japan, which is channeling the support through UNDP, as it had with the initial USD 790 thousand it provided for 2013-2014. The agreement was signed by UNDP Deputy Country Director Mr. Janvier Wussinu, and Brigadier General Habtamu Tilahun, Commander of the EIPKTC.

 “UNDP remains committed to continue supporting Ethiopia to strengthen its national and regional capacities for the conflict prevention and management, resolution of conflicts and human security,” affirmed Mr. Janvier Wussinu.

Japanese Ambassador to Ethiopia His Excellency Ambassador Suzuki was present at the signing ceremony and underlined Japan’s commitment to support the center, “It is a great honor for us to support the center not only through finance but also through technical assistance and capacity building.”

UNDP is providing technical and capacity building to the Ethiopian International Peacekeeping Training Centre in becoming a regional and international center of excellence in training and deploying civilian practitioners in peacekeeping operations of the African Union and the United Nations.

Ethiopia has demonstrated its commitment to promoting peace and security by training middle and senior level military, police, and civilian officers in international peacekeeping operations thereby promoting Peace and Security in the Horn of Africa and on the African continent as a whole.

Brigadier General Habtamu Tilahun, Commander of the Ethiopian International Peacekeeping Training Centre, on his part appreciated the support of UNDP and the Government of Japan for the center and promised that the EIPKTC will play a critical role in bringing peace and security to the continent.

EIPKTC held its first training on Conflict Prevention in October 2014 bringing together students from both Ethiopia and other East African countries. The training has provided the centre with an opportunity to gather valuable inputs and build staff capacity to improve the quality of the training and enhance the capacity of peace support operations practitioners on conflict prevention skills.