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On the 1st of March 2005 the "Centre of Excellence for Stability
Police Units" (CoESPU) was established by the Carabinieri at the
"Gen. A. Chinotto" barracks, in Vicenza, Italy. CoESPU stems from
an Italian initiative, supported by other G8 countries. It was
initiated at the 2004 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.
CoESPU is currently commanded by Brigadier General Umberto
Rocca.
Framework
The persistence of conflict in many developing countries, a
phenomenon that has been 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. 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, beginning at
the 2002 Kananaskis Summit, made a pledge to, "Provide technical
and financial assistance so that African countries and regional and
sub-regional organizations are able to engage more effectively to
prevent and resolve violent conflicts on the continent."
During the 2004 Sea Island Summit, G-8 leaders formally adopted
the, "G-8 Action Plan: Expanding Global Capability in Peace Support
Operations", showing a commitment by the G-8 nations to increase
global capacity for sustaining peace support operations with an
emphasis on African countries. Following this G-8 Action Plan
CoESPU developed a training curriculum that was taught to 3500
international peacekeepers by December 2010.
CoESPU's training efforts have targeted gendarme-type peacekeepers,
specialized in managing the transition from a post-crisis situation
to a more stable context for reconstruction.
CoESPU's next development project will be to increase peacekeeping
skills in those countries whose forces could be available for
deployment in Peace Support Operations (PSO). This project will
require fostering the creation of Carabinieri/Gendarmerie like
forces prepared for rapid deployment, self-sustained logistics,
interoperability with military components, and the capability to
establish a strong police presence in hostile
neighbourhoods. |
