(HONOLULU) -- The Peacekeeping Operations Coordination Board – Technical Working Group (PKOCB-TWG), consisting of representatives from Australia, Canada, France, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and the United States, held its 10th multinational coordination meeting Feb. 7-9, 2023 in Honolulu as part of the U.S. Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI) on behalf of United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM).
Over the course of several days, the coordination board held intensive discussions on a range of topics, including peacekeeper training, interoperability and the role of peacekeeping in addressing complex security challenges. The group also heard from a number of experts on the latest trends and developments in peacekeeping operations (PKO), and engaged in frank and open discussions on how to synchronize and enhance activities in the Indo-Pacific region.
"We manage a program called the Global Peace Operations Initiative which invests in developing the military and police capabilities of troop and police contributing countries deploying to UN peacekeeping operations,” said Jennifer Pulliam, Director of the Department of State’s Global Peace Operations Initiative.
GPOI is a U.S. State Department-funded security assistance program intended to enhance international capacity to effectively conduct United Nations and regional peace support operations by building partner country capabilities to train and sustain peacekeeping proficiencies.
“One of the key outcomes of the discussions was the need to further enhance cooperation between like-minded partners,” said Scott Weidie, Chief of Security Cooperation and Multinational Exercises for USINDOPACOM. “Ensuring that contributing nations are synchronized across the board through experiences and knowledge gained add to the overall effectiveness of our partners’ efforts when supporting UN peacekeeping deployments.”
The PKOCB-TWG was first held in 2014 in Auckland, New Zealand to encourage the sharing of information between states conducting peacekeeping capability and capacity building activities in the Indo-Pacific. Australia, Canada, France, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and the United States are participants of the PKOCB-TWB.