UAE hosts UN Peacekeeping Chiefs Workshop with participants from 23 countries

The UN Peacekeeping Chiefs Workshop has opened in Abu Dhabi, hosted by the UAE Ministry of Interior from 31st August to 4th September, 2026, with participants from 23 countries.

The workshop brings together police chiefs and military components of UN peacekeeping missions worldwide, alongside representatives of the United Nations and the Ministry of Interior.

Held as part of ongoing cooperation between the UAE and the UN, the workshop reflects the country’s commitment to supporting international initiatives aimed at enhancing the performance of peacekeeping operations and strengthening their ability to respond to security and humanitarian challenges.

Discussions cover challenges facing UN Police, outcomes of the UN Chiefs of Police Summit, peacekeeping performance, knowledge management and guidance, permanent police capabilities, operational challenges, and responsive and gender-sensitive policing.

The workshop also enables police component chiefs from various UN missions to exchange experiences and addresses performance assessment standards for police units and individual officers, emergency planning, reporting, budgeting and ammunition management.

Further discussions focus on strengthening coordination between the police and military components of peacekeeping operations.

Colonel Saeed Al Dhaheri, Police Attaché at the UAE Permanent Mission to the UN in New York, welcomed participants and highlighted the workshop’s role in strengthening cooperation between the UAE and the UN and supporting international peace and security.

Al Dhaheri said the UAE’s hosting of the workshop reflects its firm commitment to supporting UN peacekeeping efforts and provides an important platform for exchanging expertise and best practices, developing performance assessment frameworks, and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of peacekeeping operations.

He added that the participation of military leaders alongside police chiefs represents an important step towards closer coordination between the two components, reflecting the shared belief that sustainable peace requires genuine cooperation among all those involved in peacekeeping operations.

Lieutenant General Faisal, UN Police Adviser, said the UAE’s hosting of the workshop reflects its unwavering commitment to supporting the UN system and expanding its contribution to peace operations.

He said the current phase requires the continuous development of policing and security methods and a shift towards more flexible and innovative models drawing on technology and data, while being based on efficiency, preparedness and rapid response.

He added that building qualified police capabilities able to operate in complex environments, alongside closer police-military coordination, is fundamental to improving the effectiveness of peace operations and achieving lasting impact on the ground.

Lieutenant General Faisal said stronger performance depends on effective leadership, coordination among different components, and the ability to adapt to rapidly changing conflict environments.

He stressed that aligning priorities and strengthening police-military coordination are crucial to enabling UN missions to fulfil their mandates, protect civilians, and support stability and the rule of law in host countries.

Lieutenant General Cheryl Pearce, Acting Military Adviser to the United Nations, said peacekeeping operations are taking place in an increasingly complex geopolitical and operational environment, marked by more complicated conflicts, transnational threats, the proliferation of drones, and growing information and technology challenges.

She said the future of peacekeeping requires missions to become more adaptable, mobile and responsive, with technology used to improve situational awareness, support decision-making and enhance operational effectiveness while preserving the fundamentally political nature of peacekeeping operations.

Pearce added that developing peacekeeping missions requires identifying their most important tasks, providing the capabilities needed to carry them out, and improving coordination among the various entities and teams involved.

She stressed that the safety and security of peacekeepers must remain a primary consideration in mission planning and implementation, supported by appropriate training and capabilities, stronger situational awareness, rapid medical support when required, and lessons learned from previous incidents.