By Siti Diana Othman
MANILA, PHILIPPINES, 25 – 29 June 2012 - The 2nd ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) Experts’ Working Group (EWG) on Peacekeeping Operations (PKO) was held in Manila, Philippines from 25 to 29 June 2012.
The Meeting was co-chaired by Prof. Raymund Jose G. Quilop, Assistant Secretary for Strategic Assessment, Department of National Defence, Philippines and Paul Sinclair, Head of International Defence Relations Branch, Ministry of Defence, New Zealand. The meeting was attended by representatives of ASEAN Member States and the Plus Countries. Brunei Darussalam was represented by Lt Col Pg Hapiz Bin Pg Kamaluddin from the Joint Force Headquarters.
Fundamental to establishing the direction for the ADMM-Plus to collaborate in PKO capability enhancement is taking stock of current capabilities of member countries to have a clear picture of the capability gaps that need to be addressed as well as opportunities for collaboration to enhance member countries’ ability to contribute effectively to PKOs. Hence, this 2nd ADMM-Plus EWG on PKO provided the PKO Regional Capabilities Assessment, as well as apprising ADMM-Plus member countries of the United Nations’ expectations, standards and procedures in peacekeeping troop deployment; and facilitated the exchange of information on present national PKO capabilities including plans for developing and enhancing each country’s PKO capabilities.
The meeting; managed to identify areas for collaboration and plot the direction of ADMM-Plus cooperation in PKO capability enhancement through the identification of common strengths, common capability gaps and individual countries’ specialization; establishes a database of information collated from the information gathered in the capabilities assessment; formulated a number of specific activities to be implemented during this co-chairmanship of the Philippines and New Zealand; and produces key documents such as consolidated calendar of PKO training and courses available in ADMM-Plus PKO centres.
This meeting ended with a visit to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Peacekeeping Operations Centre in Capas, Tarlac. Peacekeeping Operations is one of the five areas for cooperation agreed by the inaugural ADMM-Plus Meeting when it first met in October 2010. The EWG on PKO is currently co-chaired by the Philippines and New Zealand until 2013. The other EWGs under the ADMM-Plus framework include humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, counter-terrorism, military medicine and maritime security. The EWGs will provide opportunities for the ADMM-Plus countries to work together to address regional security challenges and enhance mutual understanding.
The inaugural ADMM-Plus EWG on PKO was held from 21 to 23 November 2011 in Wellington, New Zealand, with the aim of providing a clear picture of the policy, legal and other considerations for present and prospective Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) in participating in UN peacekeeping missions. It is agreed that this 2nd ADMM-Plus EWG on PKO will be followed by a seminar on PKO to be co-organize by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the EWG on PKO in November 2012.