Exercise Southern Katipo in final phase
0 Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) personnel participating at the Exercise Southern Katipo will return home next week.
The exercise is on to its final phase.
Exercise Southern Katipo includes 3000 military personnel from Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Fiji, France, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, TimorLeste, Tonga, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The exercise is held over a sixweek period in October to November. It put the country’s military through its paces to test its expeditionary capability alongside foreign counterparts in the northern half of the South Island.
More than 100 vehicles, seven ships, six helicopters, 17 aircraft and 33 UAVs are involved. RFMF chief of staff Colonel Ratu Jone Kalouniwai said the team leader would submit a report of their participation to the Commander when they return. to realize commitments made to Peacekeeping – that also encompass commitments to gender and policing, plus the due recognition of serving in francophone environments,” he said.
Ratu Inoke told delegates that the safety and security of service women and men, the “boots on the ground”, those that actually enforced the various mandates of United Nations missions was number one priority.
“We will ensure our peacekeepers are empowered, capacity and capability wise.”
He also announced the adoption of three key principles which would enhance Fiji’s peacekeeping commitments at the UN Peacekeeping Deterial meeting. Fiji, he said would adopt the ‘Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Compact’ to protect the vulnerable in society from sexual exploitation and abuse. This he said was in tandem with Fiji’s shared values and principles with the UN member states.
In the same vein, he added that Fiji would formally endorse the “Kigali Principles for the Protection of Civilians.”
This is a set of 18 pledges for the effective implementation of the protection of civilians in UN peacekeeping.
“This is critical in today’s peacekeeping operations where civilians in conflict zones are provided a safe and stable environment through the assistance of our peacekeepers,” Ratu Inoke said.
He commended the vision of the Canadian government in tabling the “Vancouver Principles on Peacekeeping and the Prevention of the Recruitment and Use of Child Soldiers” and joined Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) in endorsing the Vancouver Principles.
He was accompanied by the Director Peacekeeping Operations, Lieutenant Colonel Pacolo Luveni and Director International Relations, Senior Superintendent Ulaiasi Ravula.
The two-day meeting attended by 49 countries was hosted by Harjit Sajjan, Canada’s Minister for Defence.