Pre-Deployment Training for UN Peacekeepers

Ten experienced experts from the Dutch Ministry of Defence joined us at Clingendael Academy on the eve of their deployment. We did a deep-dive into the various countries in the Middle East where the UN undertakes peacekeeping operations and observer missions.

How do you prepare for deployment as a United Nations (UN) Peacekeeper? Better understanding the context in which you will operate, including its socio-cultural, historical, economic, and political dimensions is certainly key. This training had a multi-dimensional approach to the region of deployment.

Creating a platform for informal exchange, the participants pooled their knowledge and experience from previous international missions with that of experts from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, academia, and Clingendael Academy. Together, they collated various perspectives to gain deeper understanding of the historical, social, and geopolitical contexts of the areas to which the ten experts will be deployed, as well as the nuances of the interpersonal sphere key to effectively being part of an intercultural team and host community.

The week-long Pre-Deployment Training opened with a discussion about what the participants considered core skills for professionals' part of an international peacekeeping mission. Reviewing the programme on the final day, the participants felt they had been able to reflect on all skills they had identified in the opening session in addition to broadening their perspectives. Key to the enrichment of their toolbox were understanding and navigating cultural variances and a deeper understanding of conflict dynamics, two topics that were addressed through hands-on workshops.

We look back on a week of engaging and animated exchanges and wish the experts all the best as they set of on their mandate for peace.