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• The beginning of the training courses for the personnel that will provide close protection for the UN dignitaries
BUCHAREST, March 22nd, 2010 - the inauguration ceremony of the Centre of Excellence for Protection and Security of the Protection and Guard Service has been held today. The event has been attended by Mr. General Lucian Pahonțu, the director of The Protection and Guard Service and by Mr. Gregory Starr, undersecretary general of UNO on Security and Safety.
The mission of the Centre of Excellence for Protection and Security is to develop certain programs of training the protection UN personnel, according to the requests of the United Nations Organisation, at the global level. The main objective of the course is to improve the protection officers’ way of action and to establish its uniform pattern. The general purpose is to carry out effective missions, under special conditions, specific to the operation theatre in the deployment area.
The event has been attended by Mr. Iulian Fota, Presidential Advisor and Head of the Department of National Security, Mr. Bogdan Aurescu, Secretary of State for Strategic Affaires at the Ministry of Foreign Affaires, ambassadors and military attaché, accredited in Bucharest as well as generals and officers in the leadership of the institutions that represent the national defense system.
The establishment of CEPS in Romania stands proof of the acknowledgement of the professionalism with which the Romanian militaries carry out their duties, as partners of UNO and NATO, in the joint effort to provide a climate of peace and security in the most difficult war zones in the world.
The Office of Information and Public Relations
of the Protection and Guard Service
for training the security personnel of the United Nations
In August 2009, Romania, through the Protection and Guard Service, became a partner of the United Nations Organizations, in the joint training program for the UN protection and security personnel; A Memorandum of Understanding between the Romanian Government and the United Nations was signed, at a ceremony, in New York.
Based on the above mentioned document, on the 22nd of March 2010 a Centre of Excellence for Protection and Security (CEPS) of the UNO is inaugurated in Bucharest. CEPS will have a training department, on the one hand, and a development and experimental one, on the other hand.
The Organization of the United Nations chose Romania and PGS to establish this education structure, due to the efficiency with which the Romanian militaries have carried out the protection missions with the UN and to the professionalism that the Romanian protection officers have proved in the difficult situations that they have come across during the last five years, since they have been in the operational theatres in Sudan and Afghanistan.
The main objective of the curriculum is to improve the way of action and establish its common pattern for the members of the close protection team, in order for them to carry out effective missions, under difficult conditions, in the operational theatres, in the deployment area.
The Centre has an international character; the persons that attend the training sessions have been selected, following their individual application for this course, from those who carry out protection missions in the operational theatres, according to the UN procedures. Those who are in charge with training the course students are PGS employees and UN personnel. They all are very well trained themselves in the field of military, police or security procedures; they have also great experience in the field of close protection, self-defense and security technics, in the operational theatres and in the international missions.
The training of the UN personnel that will attend this course will take place in the PGS training areas; the courses will have a span of four weeks. In 2010 it is planned that there will be four such training sessions.
The logistics costs for the training programs will be totally paid by UNO.
- până la data de 1 iunie 2009 a fost subsecretar general pe probleme de siguranță și securitate al ONU
„Acest centru ar fi o experiență deosebită sprijinind toate acțiunile ONU la nivel global și, totodată, va avea aduce un beneficiu deosebit în această zonă de interes. Va fi o bază excelentă de formare a ofițerilor de protecție pentru ONU, iar poziția geografică și geopolitică a României îl recomandă în acest sens.”
„This Centre would be a special experience, in support of all the UN activities, on the global level; at the same time it will be a great benefit for this area of interest. It will be an excellent basis, used for training the protection officers for the UNO. The geographical and geopolitical position of Romania strongly recommends it for the purpose.”
Kai Aage Eide:
„Organizația Națiunilor Unite este recunoscătoare pentru faptul că, în prezent, România pune bazele unui Centru de Excelență unde se vor antrena echipe de peste hotare, iar aceste echipe vor îndeplini misiuni sub egida ONU. Acest fapt constituie o contribuție valoroasă la siguranța și securitatea personalului ONU și a liderilor acestei organizații.”
„UN is grateful for the fact that Romania is now setting up a Centre of Excellence to train close protection teams from abroad, to serve at the UN mission. That will be a very valuable contribution to the safety and security of the UN personnel and leaders of UN missions.”
under the aegis of UNO
In 2004, UNO (Department of Security and Safety) signed a Memorandum with the Protection and Guard Service whose main provision was to provide protection for the high UN dignitaries who develop their activity in the operational theatres, in Sudan and Afghanistan.
The first PGS mission started in Sudan, in 2004, when 11 militaries were sent to the operational theatres. They were in charge with the protection of the UN dignitaries who were on a diplomatic mission in Sudan.
Since then the Protection and Guard Service has deployed 17 protective details for the UN dignitaries; 201 PGS officers have carried out so far missions in the operational theatres in Sudan (Khartum and Darfur) and Afghanistan.
At present, 36 PGS militaries carry out missions in the above mentioned countries.
Afghanistan – since 2005 till present, the Protection and Guard Service has deployed 5 groups, made up of 12 militaries, each; they have provided protection for the dignitaries in this country.
Between June – September 2009, in the context of the organization of the presidential elections in Afghanistan, the UNO Secretary General extended to the president of Romania his request to supplement the number of the PGS protection officers; thus, during these elections, 2 groups of PGS protection officers, that is 24 PGS militaries carried out their activity in Afghanistan.
Sudan – since 2004 till present 9 protective details have carried out missions in this country. Thus, between 2004 - 2006 a protective detail, made up of 9 PGS officers carried out protection missions in this area; the number of the protective detail members grew to 12 between 2006-2007. In 2007 UN officials requested to supplement the number of the protection details in that territory and, in this way, there were two teams, of 12 persons, each; they carried out missions in Khartum and Darfur, on an yearly basis.
The PGS details have carried out their missions successfully, every time; thus the dignitaries they provided protection for could develop their activity in good conditions, in ones of the most dangerous and challenging areas in the world.
Upon completion of each mission, the UN officials have extended their thanks to the Romanian officials and to the PGS leadership, for the responsibility and professionalism of the Romanian officers.