The Pacific Policing Initiative is the first step in training a Pacific-led peacekeeping force. Photo: United Nations Peacekeeping.
Australia is partnering with the United Nations to create a state-of-the-art training facility specifically to train peacekeepers for operations in the Pacific.
A world first, the UN Police Peacekeeping Training course is a five-week program designed to support international peace and security operations in the Pacific.
Bringing together 100 police officers from across the region, the Pacific Policing Initiative (PPI) will be based in the Pacific Policing Development and Coordination Hub in Pinkenba, Brisbane.
The effort represents the first step in a Pacific-led deployable peacekeeping force.
“In 2024, the Pacific Island Chiefs of Police reaffirmed the importance of United Nations Peacekeeping Mission deployments and expressed a desire for regional capabilities to be world-leading in their ability to respond and deploy as required,” AFP Deputy Commissioner Lesa Gale said.
“Building off the AFP’s long-standing association with the United Nations and peacekeeping efforts, the inaugural course will significantly advance those ambitions, giving Pacific member nations a meaningful role internationally in helping to shepherd nations from conflict to peace.”
The Deputy Commissioner said the program was the result of a long-term relationship between Australia and the UN, and a response to growing regional ambitions for greater contributions to international peacekeeping efforts.
Coursework within the PPI focuses on practical issues, such as driving and road safety, as well as class-based topics like child protection, sexual exploitation and abuse.
Participating nations from the Pacific include Samoa, Kiribati, Fiji, the Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Vanuatu, Tonga, the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru and Tuvalu.
The training facility will also include participants from Türkiye, Jordan, Fiji, Uganda, Ghana, Argentina, Nepal and Italy, as well as the AFP, the Fijian Police Force and the ADF. In addition, UN Police Adviser Faisal Shahkar will attend the closing ceremony to mark the milestone achievement.
“It’s reinforcement of Australia’s role as a preferred partner of choice in the Pacific for sustained peace, security and prosperity in the region,” AFP Assistant Commissioner Nigel Ryan said of the growing collaborative approach to regional policing.
The policy comes at a time of greater focus from the Australian Government on the Pacific region.
