The United Nations’ top police official has visited Brisbane to mark the successful conclusion of the world’s first UN peacekeeping training course designed specifically for the Pacific region.
UN Police Adviser Faisal Shahkar – who leads global police peacekeeping operations – met with 100 recruits at the Australian Federal Police (AFP) Pacific Policing Development and Coordination Hub in Pinkenba, congratulating participants from 11 countries on completing the five-week course.
With growing international interest in replicating the training model, Shahkar praised the program as a milestone in global peacebuilding and welcomed the Pacific recruits as “partners in peace”.
“Our officers make a real difference in the lives of people in some of the most distressing and difficult situations in post-conflict countries,” Shahkar said.
“As these brilliant officers from the Pacific look to enter the realm of international policing, I look forward to seeing their journey. This is just the beginning.”
The training course – jointly developed by the AFP and the UN – combined practical elements such as community policing and road safety with classroom modules on child protection and prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse.
AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw APM, reflecting on his own UN peacekeeping experience in Timor-Leste, told graduates at the closing ceremony that the course was a testament to what regional cooperation could achieve.
“This inaugural course stands as a proud demonstration of how international cooperation, including Australia’s support for regional aspirations, can deliver a lasting global impact.”
The course featured participants from across the region – including Samoa, Kiribati, Fiji, Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tonga, Tuvalu, Federated States of Micronesia and Nauru – and drew on expert trainers from countries including Türkiye, Jordan, Fiji, Uganda, Ghana, Italy, Nepal, Argentina and Australia.
Commissioner Kershaw noted the course would enhance UN peacekeeping diversity, stating:
“This training cohort will enhance UN geographic diversity by 10 per cent. And I’m also proud to note 45 per cent of participants are women, which is an important reflection of our commitment to inclusive representation.”
Dignitaries at the graduation included UN Chief of Police Selection and Recruitment Ata Yenigun, High Commission representatives from the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Samoa and Nauru, and newly appointed Tongan Police Commissioner Geoff Turner.
AFP Assistant Commissioner Pacific Command Nigel Ryan said the training built upon the broader Pacific Policing Initiative (PPI) – a Pacific-led, Australian-supported project promoting regional security.
“The ethos of ‘by the Pacific, for the Pacific’ is a really important part of our policing initiatives in the region,” Assistant Commissioner Ryan said.
“This training is an extension of that vision.”
The initiative is supported by the Regional Centre of Excellence in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, which delivers Pacific-designed and led policing courses.
“We’re proud to have been able to deliver on the UN peacekeeping ambitions of our Pacific and Timor-Leste partners,” said Ryan.
“This is about providing security as a Pacific family.”
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