GENERAL SHAVENDRA SILVA VISITS KENYAN INTERNATIONAL PEACE SUPPORT TRAINING CENTER

General Shavendra Silva WWV RWP RSP VSV USP ndc psc MPhil, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of Sri Lanka, was invited by the Chief of Defence Forces of Kenya, General Francis Omondi Ogolla EGH EBS HSC ‘ndc’(K) ‘psc’(FRA), to pay a visit to the Kenyan International Peace Support Training Center (IPSTC) as part of his official tour to Kenya.

Brigadier Joyce C Sitienei, the Director of IPSTC, warmly welcomed the CDS to the training center. Then, the CDS was appraised about the IPSTC, including its role, training programs geared towards peace support operations, and research initiatives undertaken by the IPSTC related to peace support operations. Afterwards, during the discussions with the Director and the staff, General Shavendra Silva leveraged his extensive experience from his tenure as Deputy Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations and as a Senior Advisor in the United Nations High-Level Advisory Panel on Peacekeeping Missions in New York, imparting valuable insights that could assist the staff in furthering the noble cause of peacekeeping.

Further, CDS elaborated on how he initiated the deployment of Sri Lanka Air Force Squadrons, equipped with six helicopters, to the United Nations Missions in the Central African Republic, and South Sudan. Similarly, his initiatives spearheaded the establishment of a Sri Lanka Army Level 2 hospital in South Sudan and the deployment of over two hundred police personnel to various UN missions across Africa and other regions during his tenure in the UN. Subsequently, General Shavendra Silva expressed his heartfelt appreciation for the unwavering commitment demonstrated by the Director and staff of the center towards global peace initiatives. In response, the Director of IPSTC conveyed sincere gratitude to General Shavendra Silva for gracing the training center with his esteemed presence and for sharing invaluable insights drawn from his vast experience and knowledge of the peacekeeping domain.

The Kenya Peace Support Training Center (PSTC) was established in 2001 and subsequently renamed the International Peace Support Training Center (IPSTC) in year 2011. Through partnerships with the UN, countries such as the USA, the UK, Germany, Japan, and numerous non-governmental organizations, alongside a skilled staff of instructors from Kenya and partner nations, the IPSTC currently stands as one of the leading peace support training centers in Africa.

At the conclusion of the event, as a gesture of gratitude and to commemorate the occasion, General Shavendra Silva planted a sapling on the premises and exchanged tokens of appreciation with the Director of IPSTC, symbolizing the strengthened ties between Sri Lanka and Kenya in their collaborative efforts for peace and security. The CDS also took a moment to express his sentiments and extend his best wishes by signing the Visitors’ Book of the IPSTC.