Support to the African Contingency Operations Training and Assistance Program

With the support of Canada and other donors the United Nations Institute for Research and Training (UNITAR) is partnering with the African Contingency Operations Training Assistance Programme (ACOTA) to provide training to improve the capacities of African troop contributing countries prior to deployment to African Union (AU) and United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions. Project activities include: (1) the design development and delivery of over sixty trainings to over 12 000 African peacekeepers; (2) mentoring of participants deployed into UN peacekeeping missions; and (3) the development and delivery of a “Training of Trainers” course to provide prospective African trainers with the knowledge and skills to implement courses in their home countries. UNITAR/ACOTA are providing specific training to African commissioned and non-commissioned officers in the areas of peacekeeping peacebuilding and crisis management including basic principles guidelines and policies that allow peacekeeping operations to function effectively. UNITAR and ACOTA have partnered since 2014 to deliver specific training modules designed to provide the essential knowledge required by military personnel to function effectively in a UN peace operation.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) enhanced operational efficiency of African troops deployed to UN peacekeeping missions; (2) improved promotion of UN peacekeeping training standards and guidelines; and (3) improved service delivery to vulnerable populations.