Cambodia Concludes UN Peacekeeping Training with French Support

The National Center for Peacekeeping, under the Ministry of National Defense, held a closing ceremony on September 25, 2026, in Phnom Penh for a specialized training course for UN peacekeeping staff officers. The ceremony was presided over by H.E. Ms. Ouk Sophyea, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, representing H.E. Deputy Prime Minister Prak Sokhonn, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and H.E. Oliver Richard, Ambassador of France to the Kingdom of Cambodia. H.E. General Sem Ratana, First Vice Chairman of the National Committee and Acting Director-General of the National Center for Peacekeeping, stated that this was the closing ceremony for the French-speaking UN Staff Officer Course for UN Peacekeeping Operations (UNSOC), which was conducted with support from the French side. He expressed deep gratitude for the cooperation between the Kingdom of Cambodia and the French Republic in the fields of defense and peacekeeping, noting France's active and continuous development in this sector. Specifically, since 2005, France, through the Directorate for Security and Defense Cooperation (DCSD), has supported Cambodia by providing human resource training, equipment, training materials, experience exchange, and technical support in peacekeeping expertise. Over the past 15 years, Cambodia has received support for a total of 95 training courses, with 79 held domestically, involving 2,143 trainees. This valuable support has significantly contributed to enhancing the professional capacity and readiness of Cambodian forces for UN peacekeeping missions. On this occasion, H.E. Oliver Richard, Ambassador of France to the Kingdom of Cambodia, expressed satisfaction with the cooperation between the French side and the National Center for Peacekeeping in training Cambodian forces to participate in UN peacekeeping missions in war-torn countries. He highly praised the Kingdom of Cambodia, a nation that once hosted UN peacekeeping forces, for transforming into a country that now dispatches its own forces to participate in peacekeeping abroad, calling it a great pride for the country and its people. Ms. Ouk Sophyea, on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, expressed pride in Cambodia hosting the French-speaking UN Staff Officer Course. This, she stated, reflects the recognition of Cambodia's sufficient capacity and experience to provide training to peacekeeping officers according to UN standards. According to the report from the National Center for Peacekeeping, this recently concluded course was the seventh, and the first to be implemented in Cambodia, with the previous six held in France. She thanked the French government for its support in organizing this training and also thanked the national and international trainees for their dedication to self-development, aiming to build the capacity of a new generation of peacekeepers, which is more crucial now than ever. She added that during the specialized training course in Cambodia, the participants have gained a deeper understanding of Cambodia, its people's past tribulations, the glorious civilization of the ancient Khmer Empire as exemplified by its temples, especially the world heritage site of Angkor Wat, and Cambodia's progress after achieving full peace.