Press Releases

1. Japan will dispatch 17 instructors from the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and 1 official to the second training under the UN Project for African Rapid Deployment of Engineering Capabilities (ARDEC), which is implemented by the UN Department of Field Support. The training which will take place in Kenya from August 22nd aims to instruct engineering personnel from the Kenya Defense Forces on the operation of heavy equipment.

2. In recent UN PKO activities, the lack of heavy equipment of engineering units and their operators has been a great challenge in conducting humanitarian assistance activities and ensuring the safety and security of peacekeepers. To overcome these challenges, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed a commitment to contribute to the rapid deployment of these equipment and personnel with engineering capabilities at the Summit Meeting on UN PKOs held in September 2014.

3. Following Prime Minister Abe’s commitment, Japan provided financial contribution to the UN for the procurement of heavy equipment and the implementation of training, and subsequent to the trial training held last year, instructed 31 engineering personnel from the Kenya Defense Forces on the operation of heavy equipment at the first training from June through July this year.