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The United Nations (UN) through its C4ISR Academy for Peace Operations (UNCAP) has opened up a Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT) facility at its Regional Service Centre Entebbe (RSCE), the first of its kind in Africa and the UN digital technology space.

VILT is a remote training class led by a facilitator through a virtual platform. It allows real-time collaboration and offers accessibility to subject matter experts, creates an immersive learning experience, enables tracking and measurement of success, reduces costs, and increases training capacity.

It differs from traditional methods by allowing participants to collaborate online, removing geographical constraints, and providing accessibility to subject matter experts.

The facility has been developed as a result of a partnership between UNCAP and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) through its Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) after the UN secretary-general in his action for peacekeeping initiative called on member states to join him in developing a set of mutually agreed principles and commitment to create peacekeeping operations fit for the future.

During the launch of the facility in Entebbe, Paulin Djomo, the director of RSCE said since RSCE is developing into a training hub for UN peacekeeping missions in Africa, the virtual instructor-led training centre will enhance the capacity of the centre and UNCAP to deliver training more seamlessly and cost-effectively.

“VILT employs online platforms for interactive sessions and enables real-time collaboration among participants. With VILT, we do not have to fly in participants from all over the world but we can have them receive instructions from their duty stations and locations with the feel of being inside the training room.”

He added that VILT also offers the centre the opportunity to accommodate more students globally without limitations in attendance and also increase the number of training held annually to meet the ever-increasing demand for training support. It will also be easy to track and measure learner progress and engagement, deliver interactive learning live presentations, break out sessions, feedback to individual learner needs and monitor their status and performance in real-time.

“UNCAP is committed to excellence in preparing peacekeepers for their roles under the UN flag and enhancing their operational readiness and performance on crucial technology in the areas of command and control communication computers, intelligence surveillance,” Djomo said.

Philip Odida, the acting director for regional and international political affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Uganda noted that the opening of the VILT presents yet another milestone for the RSCE that will further enhance its capacity as a training hub for UN peacekeeping missions in Africa and the UNCAP and NATO partnership will go along way in enhancing the training of personnel in African peacekeeping as it will unlock the possibility of scale-able training opportunities using technologies that transcend geographical boundaries.

“In today’s world which stands poised to engage in technological leaps through advances in ICT, it remains imperative that African peacekeepers should receive innovative training in relevant areas that can prepare them for the complexities of modern conflict situations. Uganda retaliates its steadfast commitment to continue supporting the UN and African peacekeeping operations where they occur,” Odida said.

This VILT centre in Entebbe is targeted to benefit troops and police-contributing countries, government officials involved in defence, security and foreign affairs, military professionals, technology and defence industry leaders, UN stakeholders, international organizations, security analysts, and peacekeeping training institutions among others.

PSFU, KCCA partner on One Million Trees initiative

The Private Sector Foundation of Uganda (PSFU) and Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) have inked a tree planting initiative dubbed ‘One-Million-Trees, Greening Kampala’.

The partnership that was unveiled at the 2023 PSFU Gala and Awards last week comes at the back of growing climate change concerns. Kampala, like many other parts of the world, is experiencing climate changes mostly with increased temperatures and more intense rainy seasons which are less predictable and more erratic leading to flooding, loss of life & property and food insecurity.

In 2023 alone, the capital city has struggled to contain dry spells that have eaten up several remaining green areas and reduced harvests. But even worse, whenever it rains, floods and impassable roads become the order of the day. The running water has greatly contributed to the hundreds of huge potholes around Kampala. All these happenings call for climate action and thus making the greening Kampala initiative a matter of urgency.

The agreement that is valid for five years will see PSFU plant at least 100,000 trees and beautifying at least 20 acres of green spaces, encourage its members to adopt sustainable business practices in their operations and to contribute towards planting trees, and work jointly with other relevant entities to avail information on innovative solutions, technologies and investment opportunities to the private sector to invest in green projects that help to reduce green-house gas (GHG) emissions.

Humphrey Nzeyi, the PSFU chairperson emphasized the importance of this ‘collective endeavor’, stating that “this partnership represents a significant step towards achieving the shared goal of a more sustainable and climate-resilient city. By combining both organizations’ expertise and resources, this collaboration can make a meaningful impact on the lives of millions of people across the nation.”

KCCA will on its part provide the necessary authorization to PSFU and its members to plant trees on the streets of Kampala, ensure maintenance and protection of planted trees and attract more like-minded organizations/individuals to participate in the campaign and support PSFU to advocate for enabling policies and frameworks that promote greening of cities, environmental protection and ease of doing business.

According to Kabuye Kyofatogabye, minister of State for Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs, the tree initiative is timely and will enhance climate resilience.

“Our city is facing a lot of climate change problems. Our green areas have reduced, we are experiencing floods and other problems. On one hand, we are working to address the infrastructure problems while on the other hand addressing the climate issue. This partnership with PSFU and its members will go a long way in making Kampala greener. One million trees will greatly improve the beauty, weather, health and quality of air in Kampala,” Kabuye explained.

To actualize this initiative, KCCA and PSFU will work with private sector players and individuals. Already on board is Uganda Baati, that has promised to provide hundreds of trees to those willing and with free space to plant them. To kick off this, Uganda Baati gave attendees of the PSFU Gala fruit trees to go and plant at their homes and workplaces.

 “This collaboration with the Private Sector Foundation Uganda signifies our promise to forging a sustainable future. Uganda Baati has a background of nurturing various forest reserves nationwide. Through our extensive experience and unwavering dedication, this tree-planting exercise underscores our ongoing efforts to create a positive environmental impact while fostering a business environment that ensures prosperity for future generations,” Ian Rumanyika, the head of external & corporate affairs at Uganda Baati noted.

This one million trees ‘Greening Kampala’ initiative sits well with the Kampala Climate Change Action strategy that was unveiled in 2016 as a flagship programme for the city to achieve its sustainability ambitions. Only time stands between knowing whether the former will be more successful than the latter.

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