Norwegian General gave a talk in Manila on peacekeeping

From Scandasia (Jun13, 2019): Norwegian General gave a talk in Manila on peacekeeping



UNTSO Head of Mission Major General Kristin Lund
(Photo: Royal Norwegian Embassy in Manila)

The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Manila teamed up with the United Nations (UN) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to host “Women in Peacekeeping Forum” taking place on June 6, 2019 at the DFA Home Office.

The forum was arranged in order to provide participants with peacekeeping experiences from the keynote speaker and to support them to take part in conflict resolution.

“Preventing conflicts, and building and sustaining peace is a cornerstone of Norwegian foreign policy,” said Norwegian Ambassador to Philippines Bjørn Jahnsen.

“The Norwegian government has a long-standing tradition in promoting women’s rights, and we strive to ensure that there is an enabling environment for women to actively participate and contribute in peace processes,” he added.

Having an in-dept knowledge and profound understanding of the critical role of women in peacekeeping for many years, the Norwegian Major General Kristin Lund was invited to be the keynote speaker sharing her experience with participants at the forum.

Currently, General Lund holds the position of Head of Mission which is the highest ranking female representative of the UN Secretary General in the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO).

Having been in military service for over 34 years, General Lund was the first woman to serve as Force Commander in the United Nations peacekeeping operation’s history and in 2017, she became a UNWOMEN Champion.

(Photo: Royal Norwegian Embassy in Manila)

According to Royal Norwegian Embassy in Manila’s official website, earlier this year Norway’s Government issued the commitment and policies on women, peace, and security cutting across a wide range of foreign policy areas:

-Norway´s global contributions to peace and reconciliations processes
-The implementation of peace agreements
-Peace operations and missions
-Humanitarian and development efforts

Norway has been working in collaboration with Philippines as a long-term partner in the peace processes and has been the third-party facilitator between the CPP-NPA-NDFP (Communist rebellion in the Philippines) and the Philippine government the since 2001.

CPP-NPA-NDFP is an ongoing conflict between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the communist coalition of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), the New People’s Army (NPA), and the National Democratic Front (NDF).

Moreover, Norway took a role in the International Monitoring Team to keep track of the ceasefire between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Mindanao and is the current Vice Chair of the International Decommissioning Body (IDB) monitoring the MILF decommissioning efforts in the Bangsamoro region.

Source: Royal Norwegian Embassy in Manila

https://scandasia.com/norwegian-general-gave-a-talk-on-peacekeeping-in-manila/