AAPTC Secretariat
Message from the AAPTC Secretariat
It is indeed a great
honor for me to welcome all the Distinguished Members, Observers and Partners
of the Association of Asia-Pacific Operations Training Centers (AAPTC) to the
Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Workshop of 2022. The association started its
noble journey in 2010 with the Vision, ‘To be the leading forum for the
development and execution of United Nations peace operations around the world.’
The association sailed a long way towards accomplishing its objectives outlined
in the Road Map. We collectively organized AGMs, Workshops and other events
successfully every year except in 2020 and 2021 due to the inadvertent global
pandemic.
The evolving nature of conflict and
changing dynamics of the operational environment are posing multidimensional
complex challenges to the peacekeepers. Today, the peacekeepers themselves are
becoming the targets of diverse non-traditional security threats and other
environmental risks or hazards. The other associated challenges include broad
and complex mission mandates that necessitate greater integration and
harmonization of efforts among all stakeholders involved in the peacekeeping
domain. At this backdrop, the United Nations has rightly conceptualized
initiatives like the Action-for-Peacekeeping (A4P) and A4P Plus to cope with
the dynamic challenges and also to serve as a ‘Driver of Change’ permeating all
aspects of UN’s peacekeeping works.
The AAPTC took instant strides to
actualize the initiative. However, our activities got somewhat stalled for
about two years due to the pandemic. Our collective perseverance has brought us
back on track. Today, we all have assembled here for the AGM and Workshop,
where the theme is ‘Leading Change: Indo-Pacific Actions Supporting the United
Nations Action-for-Peace (A4P) Initiatives Improving Performance in Peace
Operations.’ I consider it to be a time worthy initiative and look forward to a
professionally rewarding discourse for the next couple of days. I am also
sanguine that this AGM and Workshop will immensely benefit the Troops Contributing
Countries individually, and the AAPTC collectively, in forging and fostering
greater cooperation and strengthening inter-operability.
Finally, on behalf of the AAPTC
Secretariat, I assure you all of our whole-hearted commitment; and persistent
support and cooperation in bringing visible positive changes towards our
outlook and approach. We vow to support the Presidency and other esteemed
members in taking this forum to a newer height, which will contribute
effectively in materializing the Vision of the AAPTC and initiatives taken by
the peacekeeping training community in days ahead.