CCOPAB starts off the Course on Protection of Civilians
From 22 to 26 of July, 2013, the Brazilian Peacekeeping Operations Joint Center (CCOPAB) will offer the Course on Protection of Civilians (POC) at Sergio Vieira de Mello cultural facilities, Rio de Janeiro-RJ. This course aims at presenting the material produced by the Integrated Training Service (ITS), at enabling the concern on the need of protection of civilians, and also at developing and allowing discussions on the ways to fulfill these goals.
The operational procedures of the course were part of the final decisions discussed during the annual meeting of ALCOPAZ in 2012. In that occasion, it was decided, among other topics, that each country member would offer a course on Protection of Civilians according to the countries' alphabetical order. This way, Argentina organized and conducted the first course in 2012, and Brazil was in charge of organizing the second course in 2013.
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay and Uruguay are ALCOPAZ's country members participating in the 2013 version.
The first day of the course started off with the official opening ceremony of the course by CCOPAB's Commander of Colonel Baganha, who welcomed the students and introduced the activities performed in the Center. After that, CCOPAB's instructor Lieutenant Colonel Negreiros talked about the "Introduction to Peacekeeping Operations and UN operations" and Lieutenant (Marines) Luiz Lima presented the "Basic Principles of PKOs". Major Mc Carthy, a Chilean interchange instructor at CCOPAB, presented a lecture on "Mandate Implementation". In the afternoon of the first day of the course, Major Torrengo, an Argentine interchange instructor at CCOPAB, talked about "The functioning of PKOs"; after him, Captain Flávio Henrique dealt with "International Laws and Human Rights in PKOs"; after that, Lieutenant Céspedes, a female instructor at the Chilean Peacekeeping Operations Joint Center, made a speech about "Women, Peace and Security and Protection of Children". The last instruction of the day was by Lieutenant Valdetaro who dealt with "Conduct and Discipline".
Photos: CPL Fábio e SGT Flávia Lira
