Comments from students in fiscal 2023

I was very happy to be given the opportunity to take this course, as I had been eager to participate for some time. Through each lesson in this course, I learned new knowledge and revisited known matters, such as the history and outline of United Nations organizations and international peace cooperation activities related laws, and Japan`s effort regarding women, peace, and security.
　In particular, the lectures given by instructors who had actually participated in international peace cooperation activities based on their own experiences were an extremely valuable opportunity to real life lessons. In addition, the group discussions and exchange of opinions with participants from JMSDF and JASDF were a fun time in which we could understand each other`s differences in organizational culture and way of thinking, and experience what “integration” is all about.
　Finally, based on the knowledge and experience I gained from this course, I would like to further improve my knowledge and move forward with my future work.

What I learned from this course is the importance of accepting diversity.　Recently, the terms LGBTQ and diversity have become commonplace, and I feel that accepting diversity is essential, especially as someone who intends to engage in international peace cooperation activities. What made me think about diversity in this course was that the participants in this course were comprised of members of the all Self-Defense Forces. I feel the need to accept diversity from the perspective of integrated operations, and through my interactions with the instructors, external lectures, and students involved in this course, I have learned to respect myself and others as a first step toward peace. I felt that it was important to accept and recognize differences.
　I would like to move forward in my future work without forgetting what I felt, what I learned, and the connections I made with the people I met through this course. Thank you to everyone at JPC for giving me this valuable opportunity.

For about six years, I had been hoping to take the International Peace Cooperation Basic Course, and fortunately, I had the opportunity to do so. In this course, we learned the basic legal system and outline of activities related to international peace cooperation activities. In particular, the case studies on international peace cooperation activities that have been carried out so far were very meaningful as they allowed us to learn about the characteristics, problems, and lessons learned from each activity from a multifaceted perspective.
　In addition, although I myself have experience in international emergency relief activities, as a command post staff member. However, the experiences and lessons learned from other course participants shared through group work were extremely valuable.
　Currently, I have had the opportunity to put it into practice within a month of taking the course, so I plan to make the most of the knowledge and lessons learned from the course.

I am a legal officer of Japan Air Self-Defense Force and my present assignment is legal research in Command and Staff College. In this course, I learned how laws are actually applied to the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations (UN PKOs). Namely, from experienced instructors, I learned the challenges UN PKOs address today and I had a great opportunity to think of the challenges, which do not necessarily have right answers. I learned various topics ranging from basic things such as principles of UN PKOs or how to read a mandate, to some brand-new issues such as environmental protection. Not only I learned things in lectures but also from practical manner like role-playing of negotiation. I would like to utilize what I learned in this course from now on, and thank everyone for giving me this precious opportunity. I strongly recommend this course to those who are willing to participate in this course.

The UN Peacekeeping Operations Contingent Commanders Course (UNPKOCCC) offers a great opportunity for senior military to learn about the roles of contingent commanders in a contemporary UN peacekeeping environment. I am privileged to have been nominated by my country and accepted by JPC as one of the course participant.
　The course program has detailed and relevant content applicable in command, control, leadership and management of a contingent deployed in a multidimensional peacekeeping operations. The setup of practical exercises gives the students a practical example of typical scenarios in the mission area.
　The lectures and lessons were delivered by knowledgeable and experienced instructors from JPC and other subject matter experts, who have several years of experience. It was noble to have retired general and senior military officers on the instructors’ panel, who shared their first hand experiences from their military deployment as well as civilian deployment in which we could easily relate. This brought out a clear picture of complex military and civilian working systems, coordination, command and control.
　The knowledge acquired from this training has broadened my understanding of UN integrated and multidimensional peacekeeping operations especially in command, control and coordination.
　It is my hope that I will be apple to apply the knowledge in my future deployment either as a contingent commander, training officer or any other related deployment in UN peacekeeping set up.
　Finally, I would like to acknowledge and appreciate JPC leadership and staff for according me this opportunity to learn, network, interact and share diverse international culture and experiences. The training facilities and learning environment was cordial and conducive.

The opportunity to attend the 12th Peacekeeping Operations Contingent Commanders Course (12th PKOCCC) was very welcomed as it provided me with a great learning experience and excellent cultural exposure. The course is designed for experienced military officers to learn about the role and responsibilities of contingent commanders in contemporary UN peacekeeping environments.
　The course material was comprehensive and appropriately detailed. The instructors themselves were very experienced practitioners and adept at lesson delivery. The theory lessons were very well supported by real-life examples and practical exercises using actual scenarios from current peacekeeping missions.
　This course has broadened my understanding of UN integrated and multidimensional peacekeeping operations and I also valued the vast experiences of fellow students from Japan and across the world. Their shared knowledge and fellowship were highlights for me.
　I would like to acknowledge the excellent JPC staff for the outstanding administration, organisation and support to the delivery of this course.

JPC offers excellent conducive learning environment coupled with professional facilitators. This makes learning a pleasant experience. In relation to the UN Staff Officer’s Course (UNSOC) which I attended, I found it very responsive to contemporary requirements in the ever changing peace support operations environment. The exercises embedded into the course made it practical and easy to follow. Kenya should send more participants to JPC. Congratulations to JPC and its staff for such a pleasant experience. Keep it up!

UNSOC 2023 was a truly enriching course. The lectures and material were informative and comprehensive. I enjoyed tremendously the forthcoming sharing of operational experiences from instructors, facilitators and participants alike - these sharings helped me better understand the complexity and challenges of peacekeeping operations.
　The JPC staff were also gracious and attentive, and ensured that all the participants felt welcomed throughout our time at JPC. Thank you very much for the opportunity and the hospitality.