The UN Signals Academy delivered its 6^th edition of the Women’s Outreach Course (WOC) at the Regional Service Centre Entebbe (RSCE) in Uganda, from 14^th October to 1^st November 2019.

The Women’s Outreach Course is a direct response to Security Council Resolution #2122 (2013), which encourages troops and police- contributing countries (T/PCCs) to increase the participation of women military and police officers in UN peacekeeping operations and address gender imbalance.

The three weeks course was attended by 20 participants from 15 countries: Bangladesh, Gambia, India, Jordan, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Zimbabwe.

The course is designed to prepare military and police staff officers to be deployed in UN peacekeeping operations as Information & Communications Technology (ICT) experts in a Force or Sector Headquarters (J6/G6) and police officers as advisors to police commissioners on ICT matters. Training content covers the necessary knowledge and skills relating to command, control, communications’ operations, planning systems as well as relevant UN policies, regulations and standard operating procedures required to provide participants with the background needed to deploy in the UN field missions.

Mr. Philippe Schifferling from UN HQ OICT, Programme management officer of the UN Signals Academy (UNSA) since the 1^st of July 2019, acknowledged the presence of trainees, trainers, UN colleagues and the distinguished guests Mr. Takaaki Usui from the Embassy of Japan in Uganda and Brigadier General Moses Lukyamuzi from the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF).

Mr. Schifferling emphasised the importance of UN Signals Academy as a training hub for ICT technologies that improves the effectiveness and efficiency of service delivery within the missions. He described the new objectives of the UNSA for 2020 and beyond to include the delivery of E-Learning, micro-Unmanned Aerial System training, Unite Aware application suite training and to design all modules in both the English and the French language to better respond to T/PCCs expectations.

Mr. Paulin Djomo, Chief Regional Service Centre Entebbe (RSCE), congratulated the trainees and thanked the Government of Japan for their continuous support to the UN Signals Academy. Mr. Djomo also, mentioned the significance of technology as an enabler in command and control, and the protection of both civilians and forces. 

Mr. Jorge Gregorio, Chief Field Technology Service (RFTS), congratulated and encouraged the trainees to share their knowledge and skills learned during this course with their colleagues. He is looking forward to meeting the graduates in the UN Peacekeeping missions.

Brigadier General Moses Lukyamuzi, Deputy Chief of Communications and IT Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF), thanked UN Signals Academy for delivering the course and highlighted the importance of continuous ICT training as technology keeps evolving.

In 2020, the UN Signals Academy is planning to deliver two Women’s Outreach Course.