The Swiss Armed Forces have been participating in the United Nations Triangular Partnership Programme (UN TPP) since 2016. The aim of this programme is to train military engineering units from the armed forces of African countries so that they can be deployed in UN-mandated peacebuilding missions to carry out horizontal and vertical civil engineering tasks, such as preparing and compacting terrain, and building or reinforcing camps, roads and airfields. For this purpose, a member of the Swiss Armed Forces is regularly deployed as a UN TPP project officer in Kenya or Rwanda, for example to set up and carry out instructor and advanced training courses for construction machine operators. Staff Warrant Officer Mattia Saglini from the SWISSINT Centre of Competence is one such staff member. Colonel Markus Schefer from the International Relations Division for Defence (IB V) is responsible for the Swiss Armed Forces’ participation in the UN TPP.

UN TPP workshop in Switzerland

The Triangular Partnership Program Stakeholders Workshop was held from 14 to 17 May at SWISSINT’s military training area at Wil, near Stans-Oberdorf. Staff Warrant Officer Saglini was responsible for the overall organisation of the host nation for the event. The aim of the workshop was for all nations involved in the UN TPP to conduct a joint consultation and analysis. This included taking stock of the first eight years of the programme, discussing its continuation or expansion, and ascertaining planning requirements for the coming years. A total of 6 programme officers from the UN headquarters in New York and 32 civilians and military officers (from captain to four-star general) from 19 countries and six continents travelled to Switzerland for the workshop. At the end, Staff Warrant Officer Saglini drew a positive conclusion: ‘After the intense preparation of the workshop, I am very pleased with the outcome. It was extremely interesting and constructive to discuss with representatives of the various nations and to plan the continuation of the programme together. As host nation, Switzerland was also able to demonstrate to the UN that it is a reliable and competent partner.’ The participants also paid a cultural visit to Lucerne, accompanied by the Deputy Chief of Joint Operations Command, Major General Stefan Christen.

UN certified training site

The Swiss Armed Forces’ SWISSINT training centre fully meets UN requirements and is hence a UN certified training site. The courses held there in recent years have proven the suitability of the military training area in Wil, SWISSINT’s support services and its international experience with UN courses. Switzerland and the UN mutually benefit from each other through this international cooperation: the UN can use the SWISSINT training site and in return the Swiss Armed Forces benefit directly from UN know-how and the latest course content, which also helps to improve the interoperability of the Swiss Armed Forces. The first UN training course was successfully held at the SWISSINT training centre in 2019, and it was subsequently decided that the further use of this location was in the interest of both the UN and Switzerland.