The United Nations has urged newly trained military observer instructors to become “force multipliers” by taking specialised peacekeeping knowledge back to their countries and institutions and using it to strengthen national training systems.
Course Director of the United Nations Integrated Training Service (UN ITS), Colonel Samson Adeola Salawu, made the call on Friday, August 28, at the closing ceremony of the United Nations Military Observers Training of Trainers (UNMO ToT) Course 2026 at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in Accra.
The two-week course, held from 17 to 28 August, brought together 24 participants, including four officers from the Ghana Armed Forces and 20 international participants.
The programme was organised in collaboration with UN ITS and was fully funded by the Canadian Ministry of National Defence, with the aim of strengthening the capacity of Member States to deliver the United Nations Military Observers Specialised Training Materials (UNMO STM) 2025 within their own national, regional and international peacekeeping training institutions.
Col Salawu said the conclusion of the programme represented far more than the end of an intensive training exercise, describing it as part of a strategic UN investment in the people who would shape the future of peacekeeping training across the world.
“It is with a profound sense of fulfilment and pride that I stand before you today to deliver the course highlights and closing remarks at this Closing Ceremony of the UNMO STM Training of Trainers Course,” he said.
He said the central objective was to enhance the capacity of Member States to independently deliver the UNMO specialised training materials, a responsibility arising from the approval of the materials by the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix.
According to Col Salawu, the programme was deliberately designed to ensure that participants did not simply acquire knowledge but developed the confidence and practical skills required to train others.
The first phase focused on Training of Trainers sessions, during which participants were assigned specific lessons from the Core Pre-Deployment Training Materials and tasked with delivering them to their colleagues.
The exercise enabled participants to practise their presentation and instructional skills while receiving feedback and guidance from experienced facilitators.
The second phase involved the delivery of the full UNMO Specialised Training Materials by the facilitation team. This provided participants with detailed exposure to the curriculum they would subsequently be responsible for delivering in their own institutions.
The final stage consisted of a Tabletop Exercise, during which participants assumed facilitation roles.
The exercise allowed them to experience the practical demands involved in organising and conducting similar exercises in their respective countries and institutions.
Col Salawu said the phased approach had ensured that participants completed the course as “confident, practised, and capable trainers”, rather than simply as recipients of information.
The UN ITS course director declared that the objectives of the training had been fully achieved, commending participants for their dedication, professionalism and progress throughout the programme.
He congratulated the 24 participants on successfully completing the course on behalf of the Chief of the Integrated Training Service, Harinder Sood, and the wider ITS team.
“The facilitation team has observed, with great satisfaction, the remarkable growth, dedication, and professionalism demonstrated by each participant over the course of this programme,” he said.
The participants’ performance during presentations was particularly strong, according to the background to the course. They demonstrated the knowledge, competencies and individual skills acquired during the training, while their active participation contributed significantly to the programme’s success.
Col Salawu, however, cautioned that graduation from the programme should not be viewed as the final objective.
He told participants that the real test of their success would be how effectively they applied their knowledge after returning home.
“The true measure of your success as trainers will not be determined solely by what you have learned within these walls; it will be defined by what you go on to do with this knowledge,” he said.
He said the full impact of the programme would only be realised when participants returned to their countries and institutions and began cascading the training to the next generation of UN military observers.
Col Salawu urged the graduates to see themselves as important links in the UN’s wider peacekeeping training architecture.
He said they were expected to use the expertise gained in Accra to strengthen national peacekeeping training systems and help ensure that military observers deployed to UN missions were better prepared for their responsibilities.
“The United Nations is counting on each of you to serve as force multipliers, to deliver this training, to strengthen your national peacekeeping training systems, and to contribute to the broader goal of deploying better-prepared, more effective military observers to United Nations missions around the world,” he said.
The emphasis on force multiplication reflects the strategic value of the Training of Trainers model. Instead of limiting the impact of specialised training to the participants who attended the course, the model enables graduates to reproduce and disseminate the knowledge within their own institutions.
That approach has the potential to strengthen peacekeeping preparedness across a broader network of military personnel and training establishments.
The programme also provided an opportunity for military personnel from different countries to interact directly with UN ITS officers and representatives of other Member States.
Col Salawu encouraged participants to maintain the professional relationships and networks established during the two-week programme.
“The networks you have built here, the relationships forged across nationalities and institutions, are themselves a strategic asset. Nurture them,” he said.
The international composition of the course was intended not only to broaden participants’ perspectives but also to encourage the exchange of experiences and strengthen professional cooperation among peacekeeping practitioners.
For participants returning to their respective countries, those relationships could provide a continuing platform for collaboration and the sharing of expertise on peacekeeping training.
The course also formed part of efforts to support the United Nations Gender Parity Strategy 2018–2028, with one of its objectives being to increase the meaningful participation of women in UN peacekeeping operations.
The strategy recognises the importance of greater female representation in peacekeeping and seeks to address gender imbalances across the UN’s peace and security operations.
By incorporating gender considerations into the development of military observer trainers, the programme contributes to the broader effort to build a more representative and effective peacekeeping workforce.
The training’s focus on expanding national capacity also creates opportunities for participating institutions to incorporate stronger gender considerations into future peacekeeping preparation and deployment.
Col Salawu expressed profound appreciation to Canada’s Ministry of National Defence for providing the financial support that made the programme possible.
He said the funding had enabled the rollout of the UNMO Specialised Training Materials and was essential to the successful delivery of the course.
“This course would simply not have been possible without that support, and we are profoundly grateful,” he said.
He described Canada’s investment as more than financial assistance, arguing that support for peacekeeping training amounted to an investment in the future of UN peacekeeping and the safety of personnel serving under the UN flag.
The partnership demonstrates the role of Member States in supporting the development of the capabilities required to prepare military personnel for international peacekeeping assignments.
The UN official also commended the Government of Ghana and KAIPTC for hosting the course and providing what he described as a high level of professionalism, institutional commitment and hospitality.
He praised the centre’s facilities and the support extended to participants and facilitators throughout the programme.
According to Col Salawu, KAIPTC had once again demonstrated its position as a leading peacekeeping training institution on the African continent.
“KAIPTC has once again affirmed its standing as a premier peacekeeping training institution on the African continent and a valued strategic partner of the United Nations,” he said.
The recognition reinforces Ghana’s role in international peacekeeping training and its contribution to developing professional capabilities for UN missions.
Col Salawu also paid tribute to the facilitation team, including his colleagues from UN ITS, facilitators from Pakistan and Peru, and Ghanaian facilitators who supported the programme.
He said the quality of any training programme depended significantly on the expertise and commitment of those responsible for delivering it.
“The quality of any training programme is inseparable from the quality of those who deliver it,” he said.
He commended the facilitators for their dedication, technical expertise and collegiality, saying their professionalism had contributed substantially to the success of the programme.
He also expressed appreciation to the KAIPTC course director and support staff for their contribution to the organisation and implementation of the training.
The broader objective of the programme is to contribute to the deployment of more capable and better-prepared military observers to UN peacekeeping missions.
Military observers operate in complex environments where they may be required to monitor ceasefires, report developments, engage with parties to conflicts and support the implementation of peace agreements and other mandates.
Effective preparation is therefore essential to ensuring that personnel understand UN procedures, operational expectations and the broader principles governing peacekeeping.
The UNMO STM Training of Trainers programme seeks to strengthen that preparation by equipping national instructors with the capacity to deliver specialised materials consistently within their own training systems.
Col Salawu said the participants now had an important responsibility to ensure that the knowledge gained in Ghana continued to spread through their institutions.
As the participants prepared to leave Accra, Col Salawu urged them to carry home not only the technical knowledge and skills acquired during the course but also the spirit of collaboration, shared purpose and professional excellence that characterised the programme.
He said their responsibility was now to convert the training received into practical improvements in national peacekeeping preparation.
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