Hanoi (VNA) – The 16th Meeting of the Experts' Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations (EWG PKO) Cycle 4 for the 2021-2023 period took place via video conference on October 11.
The event was co-chaired by Col. Nguyen Nhu Canh, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations, and Tomoko Matsuzawa, Director for Defence Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific Region of the International Policy Division of the Defence Policy Bureau under the Japanese Ministry of Defence, who is also head of Japan’s working group on peacekeeping.
Delegates focused their discussions on issues related to “Action for Peacekeeping” Plus (A4P ); effective coordination among UN member countries; and activities will be held in Cycle 4 such as the 17th meeting of ADMM EWG on peacekeeping operations.
A seminar on women, peace and security will be organised within the framework of the event, the second in Cycle 4.
Japan is an active member of the UN peacekeeping force. It has made financial and personnel contributions to UN peacekeeping operations, mainly in the form of logistics and guarantees.
The peacekeeping cooperation has been strongly promoted within the defence relations between Vietnam and Japan, mainly in the form of co-chairing the EWG PKO’s meetings within ADMM for the cycle from 2021-2023; exchanging defence delegations at all levels; inviting Vietnamese officers to attend training courses on UN peacekeeping organised by Japan.
In 2015, the two countries’ defence ministries signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in peacekeeping, laying a foundation for the two sides to expand this kind of cooperation.
Japan has also shared experience and coordinated with the Southeast Asian nation within the framework of the Tripartite Partnership Programme.
It successfully organised three training courses regarding the operation of heavy engineering equipment for Vietnamese and international students.
The two sides have also supported each other at multilateral forums./.
