The Opening Ceremony of the United Nations Signals Academy Second Women’s Outreach Course was held on 6 March 2016 at the Regional Service Center Entebbe (RSCE) in Uganda and attended by women military and signals personnel from troops and police contributing countries, United Nations representatives and the Government of Japan. This second edition of the course brought together 39 participants from 17 countries (Bangladesh, Ecuador, Ghana, Jordan, Mongolia, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Romania, Sierra Leone, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, United States, Zambia and Zimbabwe).

The Course aims to develop information and communications technology capacities of women military and police signals personnel from United Nations member states to participate in UN peacekeeping operations. The training combines theoretical and practical modules on UN owned equipment, standard operating procedures, gender issues and familiarization with the larger UN operational environment.

In her welcoming remarks, Mrs. Safia Boly, Chief of the RSCE, stressed upon the pride participants should take in their journey as women in the military and police. Mr. Yutaka Nakamura, Deputy Ambassador of Japan in Uganda, expressed the strong commitment of the Government of Japan in encouraging women contribution to peace and security.

Referring to Security Council Resolution 2122 (2013) which encourages troop and police contributing countries) to increase the percentage of women military and police in deployments to UN peacekeeping operations, Mr. Samuel Leal, UN Signals Academy Programme Manager, reiterated the Academy active engagement in promoting gender equality and women empowerment in support of peacekeeping mandates.

Mr. Anthony O’Mullane, Director of the UN Department of Field Support Communications and Technology Division (DFS/ICTD), addressing participants from New York, shared his views on the contribution of the Course as one enabler for more women military and police personnel to take part in peacekeeping operations. Participants were also given the opportunity to share their expectations about their possible role as women military and police signals personnel deployed in peacekeeping mission.

The timing of the two weeks course, which contributes to empowering women through technology in peacekeeping, coincides with the upcoming Women’s International Day celebrations on the 8th of March.

To date 7% (87 out of a total of 1,222) of signals personnel trained at the UN Signals Academy have been women. The program aims to equip more women to fulfil mission critical roles as a part of the UN’s commitment to promote gender equality and women empowerment in support of peacekeeping mandates.

The Signals Academy was founded in 2015 as an outcome of the First International Symposium on Technology in Peacekeeping held in Brindisi, Italy, through a strategic partnership between the United Nations and supporting member states.The overall objective of the Signals Academy is to provide both standardized and mission-specific training to military and police signals experts from TCCs/PCCs and regional organizations such as the African Union (AU), to improve the performance and efficiency of signals personal deployed in peacekeeping missions.

The Government of Japan has been the project’s strongest support from the very beginning, ensuring the Academy’s successful establishment and effective operations in its critical foundation year. Other supporters of the program include USAFRICOM, the Government of Germany, UNMISS and UNSOS, who provided trainers and equipment.