The acting Commissioner General of the Rwanda National Police, Mary Gahonzire, joined the new Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Internal Security, Penelope Kantarama, the Head of Office in the Canadian Embassy, Anna-Maria Scotti and Pearson Peacekeeping Centre Deputy Director on African programs, Peter Dnistryanskij, to officially open a Peacekeeping Documentation Centre in Rwanda.

The centre located at the national police Headquarters in Kacyiru is among the other two located in Ghana and Kenya operating in Africa.

It is a centre equipped with computers, resource materials and books on peacekeeping to serve researchers and civilians.

Anna-Maria Scotti said that since the inception of peace keeping missions in 1948, peacekeeping operations have increasingly been complex and multi-dimensional.

"Peacekeeping requires more training to strengthen skills to efficiently respond to more challenging effects of armed conflicts,” Scotti said.

She added that the government of Canada commends Rwanda’s contribution in peace operations, more particularly in Darfur.

"Through the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre’s African Programs, Canada will continue supporting and contributing to the strength of Rwanda’s capacity in peace support operations,” Scotti added.

Rwanda is currently conducting a training of 30 United Nations police officers from Ghana, Cameroon and Rwanda in a UNPOL course that is taking place at the police Headquarters and another 41 Rwandan police officers recently attended the same course in Karen centre in Nairobi. 

Gahonzire on the same occasion thanked Canada’s Pearson Peacekeeping project for having decided to bring such a centre to Rwanda.

"The presence of this documentation centre will give Rwanda the capacity to serve better in the peacekeeping mission and we are really grateful for the honour,” she said.  

The establishment of the Peacekeeping Documentation Centre is in agreement with the priorities of the Rwanda Police Service.

These include the development of facilities to prepare civilian police with the skills required for effective participation in peace support operations.

Canada’s Pearson Peacekeeping Centre is an international leader in peace operations thinking and learning and supports Canada’s contribution to international peace and security by offering education, training, capacity building and research in all aspects of peace operations.

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