Visit to the International Peace Support Training Centre by Hon. Kazuya Shimba, Parliamentary Senior Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs

December 2012
Embassy of Japan in Kenya

On December 4th, 2012, Hon. Kazuya Shimba, Parliamentary Senior Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, made an official visit to the International Peace Support Training Centre (IPSTC) during his stopover in Nairobi, Kenya.  The IPSTC is one of the best PKO training centers in Africa, and the Government of Japan has been supporting the center since the year 2008.

Brigadier Kabage, Director of the IPSTC, provided a short briefing on the center’s history and recent activities to the Vice Minister.  Director Kabage expressed his appreciation towards Japan’s continued support to the center.  In response, Vice Minister Shimba welcomed African initiatives to address conflicts in the continent by themselves and stressed the important role played by Kenya in promoting the region's peace and stability.

After the briefing, Vice Minister Shimba and his staff moved to the Peace Support Operation Training Village, where the IPSTC provided a special demonstration on civilian protection.  The storyline of the demonstration was that an armed rebel group attacked an IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camp in a small village when the Red Cross was providing a health check-up inside the camp.  Vice Minister Shimba was highly impressed by the realistic operational trainings offered at the center.