Cairo, Egypt - The United Nations, represented by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (UN DPKO), has accepted the offer of the Government of the Arabic Republic of Egypt and the Cairo Center for Conflict Resolution and Peacekeeping in Africa (CCCPA) to host the next UN Senior Mission Leaders training course (SML) – the crown jewel of UN training in the field of peacekeeping. The course is going to be held from 31 May to 11 June 2015 in Cairo, Egypt.

The decision to host the UN SML course in Cairo, for the first time, comes after months of discussions between the UN DPKO, CCCPA and the Permanent Mission of Egypt to the UN in New York.  The opportunity to host this esteemed course is partly a recognition of Egypt’s leading role in peacekeeping in Africa and beyond.

The objective of the SML course is to identify and prepare newly appointed and future mission leaders of UN peacekeeping operations and to familiarize them with their roles and responsibilities in peacekeeping operations. The Cairo SML course will bring together 50 people, including participants from a wide range of countries, UN officials, senior mentors, facilitators and presenters. It will be conducted by the Integrated Training Service of DPKO in English. Participation is by nomination only, and subject to a selection process by DPKO.

Photo credit: MONUSCO Photos - 25 avril 2015. Bukavu, Sud Kivu – RD Congo: