Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam and Canada on June 22 opened a United Nations Staff Officer Course (UNSOC) at the headquarters of the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations (VDPO) under the Ministry of National Defence.
The course is the first UNSOC programme held since the training package was officially certified by the United Nations in March 2026, marking a significant milestone in the professionalisation and standardisation of peacekeeping training in Vietnam.
A total of 37 participants from nine partner countries under Canada's Military Training and Cooperation Programme (MTCP) are attending the course, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Philippines, Timor-Leste and host Vietnam. Five officers from Laos are also participating at the invitation of Vietnam’s Ministry of National Defence.
Running through July 12, the programme is delivered by five Vietnamese and two Canadian instructors, supported by coordinators from both countries. The trainers are experienced peacekeeping experts who have served at UN Headquarters in New York and in field missions.
Participants will receive both theoretical instruction and practical training on a wide range of peacekeeping issues, including UN peacekeeping principles and legal frameworks, peace and security operations, mission structures and procedures, conflict-related sexual violence prevention, child protection, UN values and standards of conduct, as well as ethics and discipline for UN personnel.
The course will conclude with an integrated simulation exercise (INSTEX), allowing trainees to apply their knowledge in a realistic mission scenario. The exercise will focus on staff officers’ operational planning and coordination roles within mission headquarters, sector headquarters and with mission partners in a multidimensional UN peacekeeping environment.
According to Major General Pham Manh Thang, Director of the VDPO, the UN’s certification of the UNSOC programme delivered by the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations with Canadian support demonstrates the growing effectiveness of bilateral cooperation in UN peacekeeping.
Lieutenant Colonel Paul Payne, Canada’s Defence Attaché to Vietnam, said the UN recognition reflects the professionalism, credibility and training quality of the VDPO. He described the achievement as an important step toward the department’s goal of independently organising and managing UN-standard training programmes, while strengthening its position as a regional centre of excellence for UN peacekeeping training./.
