(AGENPARL) – gio 22 settembre 2022 Centre of excellence for Stability Police Units
General information
On 1 March 2005, the Centre of Excellence for Stability Police Units (CoESPU) was set up at the Carabinieri “Chinotto” Barracks, in Vicenza, in line with Italy’s commitments undertaken at the 2004 Sea Island G8 Summit, which adopted the Action Plan entitled “Extending Global Capacity for Peace Support Operations (PSO)”. The G8 action plan aimed to increase the global capacity for PSO support, particularly in African countries, through the training of international peacekeepers, 10% of whom are ‘Carabinieri/Gendarmerie-type’ police forces, specialised in managing the transition from a post-crisis situation to a more stable environment for reconstruction.
Since 2005, the CoESPU has trained over 12,700 peacekeepers.
The Centre is directed by Brig. Gen. Giovanni Pietro Giuseppe Maria BARBANO, while the outgoing Deputy Director, US Col. Rebecca D. HAZELETT, ended her mandate on 9 June 2022 and her successor will take over in Autumn (this position is always held by a US officer).
Global Peace Operations Initiative Courses
Since the establishment of the CoESPU, the US has supported training activities through the Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI), as a contribution to the broader G8 action plan to expand the global capacity for peace support operations, adopted at the Sea Island Summit in 2004.
The primary objectives of this programme included training 75,000 peacekeepers to develop their capacity to conduct peacekeeping operations. 7,500 of these, trainers and key positions, were to be trained directly and the rest indirectly through support to trainers.
Pursuing the assigned objective, since 2010, activities have expanded in terms of training audience and topics taught, no longer limited to the training of formed police units (FPUs).
To date, 185 GPOI courses have been held for 69 countries (156 in English and 29 in French), training a total of 8,623 people (of whom 858 females, 3,970 from Gendarmeries, 4,305 from civilian police forces, 122 military and 51 civilians). Origin of trainees:4,896 from Africa, 3,178 from Asia, 489 from Europe, 41 from America, 10 from international organisations, and 9 from Oceania.
Collaboration with National and International Universities And Research Centres
Both for GPOI courses and in training provided for operators destined to be deployed in UN-led peacekeeping operations, the CoESPU today also collaborates with 19 national and international Universities and Research Centres, reaching framework agreements with these bodies for the development of curricular traineeships and internship projects.
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