On June 8, the Opening Ceremony of the experience exchange on the rules of use of force and mental health in United Nations peacekeeping operations (PKO) between Vietnam and Australia officially took place.
According to the Ministry of National Defense's Electronic Information Portal, within the framework of the program, experts from Australia exchange and share practical experiences related to preparation, deployment and reintegration after performing tasks at missions;
Professional exchange on the overview of the United Nations PKO Missions in South Sudan (UNMISS) and the Abyei region (UNISFA); notes on health and conduct at the mission; gender issues, peace and security.
In the form of group discussions, students ask questions directly to experts, thereby sharing practical lessons learned and measures to improve their ability to be ready to perform tasks.
Speaking at the ceremony, Major General Pham Manh Thang - Director of the Vietnam PKO Department - said that this experience exchange is a practical activity to equip knowledge and share experiences on the rules of using force and mental health in UN PKO operations for Vietnamese forces preparing to deploy to missions.
From there, contributing to improving capacity, ensuring security and safety in the process of performing tasks, in accordance with the principles of the International Humanitarian Law and the International Human Rights Law.
According to Major General Pham Manh Thang, this is also an opportunity to strengthen the ability to identify, prevent and respond to psychological problems, professional stress and mental trauma caused by the complex operating environment in the area.
Lieutenant Colonel Sally Graham - Head of the Australian expert delegation expressed her belief that the experience exchange program will be successfully organized, in depth, achieve the set goals and requirements, contributing to improving the readiness to perform tasks for the "green helmet" force of Vietnam.
Taking place from June 8 - 13, this experience exchange activity is within the framework of a 3-year plan (2025 - 2027) to implement the PKO Partnership Agreement between Vietnam and Australia signed in 2024, with the goal of improving Vietnam's training capacity and supporting it to become a country with a prominent role in the region in the field of UN PKO.
