On the 1st of March 2005 the
Carabinieri Force has established in Vicenza, into the "Gen. A.
Chinotto" barracks, the "Center of Excellence for Stability Police
Units".
This Center, currently led by Brigadier General Umberto Rocca,
stems from an Italian initiative, supported by other G8 countries,
taken during the last summit of Sea Island, as part of a wider
project of the International Community to provide technical and
financial assistance in order to increase global capacity for
sustaining peace support operations, with an emphasis on African
countries.
Framework
The persistence of conflict in many
developing countries, a phenomenon that has come to seem
particularly endemic to parts of Africa, raises questions about how
to maintain peace and stability in order to foster social
development and economic growth for the future.
Many initiatives have been planned to spur development, encourage
good governance, promote regional partnerships and create political
relationships with developed and democratic countries. However,
world leaders have recognized that we are facing a critical need
for greater capacity to maintain stability in countries emerging
from crisis.
Bearing this in mind, leaders of the G-8 countries at the 2002
Kananaskis Summit made a pledge to " Provide technical and
financial assistance so that, by 2010, African countries and
regional and sub-regional organizations are able to engage more
effectively to prevent and resolve violent conflicts on the
continent." At the 2004 Sea Island Summit, G-8 leaders formally
adopted the "G-8 Action Plan: Expanding Global Capability in Peace
Support Operations", which demonstrated the commitment of G-8
nations to increase global capacity for sustaining peace support
operations with an emphasis on African countries. Specifically, the
G-8 Action Plan pledged to train 75,000 international peacekeepers
by 2010, 7,500 of whom will be gendarme-type peacekeepers
specializing in managing the transition from a post-crisis
situation to a more stable context for reconstruction.
Clearly, the G-8's ambitious project will require increased
peacekeeping skills in those countries whose forces could be
available for deployment in Peace Support Operations (PSO). It will
be necessary to foster the creation of Carabinieri/Gendarmerie-type
forces prepared for rapid deployment, self-sustained logistics,
interoperability with military components, and the capability to
establish a strong police presence in hostile
neighbourhoods.
