KAMPALA, UGANDA – The Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) has strongly emphasized that integrating gender considerations into modern peacekeeping missions is a significant step for its military.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Brig. Gen. Flavia Byekwaso, the Chief of Staff, delivered this message during the closing ceremony of a special ten-day training course on Gender in Peace Support Operations.
The ten-day training was hosted at the prestigious Headquarters of the Uganda Rapid Deployment Capability in Jinja,cementing the facility’s role as a center of excellence for advanced military instruction.
Brig. Gen. Byekwaso stated that including gender perspectives directly leads to more successful peace support operations and better protection for vulnerable communities.
She expressed her thanks to the British Peace Support Team Africa and the Ugandan co-facilitators for their crucial support in making the training happen.
The General reported that participants had successfully gained important practical skills in identifying, preventing, and reporting sexual exploitation and abuse, as demonstrated in their group presentations.
Following training in operational gender integration and relevant laws, Brig. Gen. Byekwaso designated the graduates as a new core team to advise commanders and lead gender efforts.
Ms. Monica Musyoni, the lead facilitator from the British Peace Support Team Africa, said the training had greatly deepened the participants’ understanding of gender and its importance at every level of peacekeeping work.
She added that their successful completion of the course showed their strong dedication and the high level of expertise they have now gained.
Senior and junior UPDF officers attended the closing ceremony, where it was noted that these new skills will help them address gender-related issues both within Uganda and in future peacekeeping missions.
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