Australia has taken a landmark step in supporting international peace and security with the launch of the world’s first UN Police Peacekeeping Training course designed specifically for the Pacific region.
The five-week program, hosted by the Australian Federal Police (AFP), began this week at the cutting-edge Pacific Policing Development and Coordination Hub in Pinkenba, Brisbane.
Developed in partnership with the United Nations, the course brings together 100 police officers from across the Pacific and Timor-Leste, marking the start of a bold vision to build a deployable, Pacific-led UN peacekeeping capability.
AFP Deputy Commissioner Lesa Gale said the initiative reflects a long-standing, productive relationship between Australia and the UN, responding to growing regional ambitions to play a more active role in international peacekeeping.
“In 2024, the Pacific Island Chiefs of Police reaffirmed the importance of United Nations Peacekeeping Mission deployments and expressed a desire for regional capabilities to be world leading in their ability to respond and deploy as required.”
Deputy Commissioner Gale added, “The inaugural course will significantly advance those ambitions, giving Pacific member nations a meaningful international role in helping nations move from conflict to peace.
“It also highlights the region’s collective policing approach and draws global attention to initiatives like the Pacific Policing Initiative (PPI), a Pacific-led and Australian-backed effort to strengthen peace and security.”
The Pinkenba hub, purpose-built to support the PPI, offers accommodation for participants who will complete practical and classroom-based training over five weeks. Topics range from driving and road safety to child protection and preventing sexual exploitation and abuse.
The diverse international training faculty includes experts from the AFP, Fiji Police Force, and Australian Defence Force, Uganda, Ghana, Italy, Nepal, Argentina, Türkiye, and Jordan. The closing ceremony will be attended by dignitaries such as UN Police Adviser Faisal Shahkar, marking a significant milestone.
AFP Assistant Commissioner Nigel Ryan said the training aligned with the region’s collaborative policing evolution and reinforced Australia’s role as a preferred partner for sustained peace and security in the Pacific.
Participating nations alongside the AFP include Samoa, Kiribati, Fiji, Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tonga, Tuvalu, Federated States of Micronesia, and Nauru.
The UN Police Peacekeeping Training course stands as a proud example of how international cooperation and shared regional aspirations can deliver lasting global impact — from the Pacific to the world.
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