UN certifies Vietnam peacekeeping staff training course for 1st time

The certificate was presented on Wednesday at UN headquarters in New York City by Harinder Sood, director of the Integrated Training Service under the UN Department of Peace Operations.

The recognized course is the United Nations Staff Officer Course (UNSOC), organized by Vietnam’s peacekeeping department to prepare officers for deployment in UN peacekeeping missions.

Under UN regulations, the recognition of a training course requires a multi-stage assessment process that includes reviews of course documentation and training materials, the on-site evaluation of training facilities, and a final assessment before certification is granted.

Only programs that meet UN standards on curriculum content, teaching methods, instructors, and training conditions are approved.

According to UN statistics, about 50 countries worldwide currently have training courses certified as meeting UN standards, including 14 in the Asia-Pacific region and four in Southeast Asia.

The UNSOC course in 2026 was held from January 3 to January 30 at the headquarters of the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations, with 41 participants from Vietnam and several other countries.

The program was designed in line with UN pre-deployment training standards and included lectures, group discussions, case studies, and practical simulation exercises.

Participants were trained on the structure and operations of the United Nations in peacekeeping, the role of staff officers at mission headquarters, military planning processes, and coordination in multinational and multi-sector peacekeeping environments.