The Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI) is a U.S. Government-funded security assistance program working to meet the growing global demand for specially trained personnel to conduct international peace operations by building the capabilities of U.S. partner countries to train and sustain peacekeepers; increasing the number of capable military troops and police units available for deployment; and facilitating the preparation, logistical support, and deployment of peacekeepers. GPOI promotes international peace and security, helping to save lives while reducing the burden on U.S. military forces, and furthering post-conflict recovery around the world.

Launched in 2005, GPOI currently partners with 69 countries and regional organizations. Through these partnerships, GPOI implementers have:

• Facilitated the training of 272,747 foreign military personnel to serve on international peacekeeping missions through both direct training activities (209,120 peacekeepers) and enabling training by GPOI partner countries (63,627 peacekeepers);
• Supported 52 national and regional peace operations training centers and three regional headquarters for the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), as well as financial, technical, and staffing support to the Center of Excellence for Stability Police Units (COESPU), an Italian-led center to facilitate the training of stability/formed police unit trainers.
• Facilitated the deployment of 197,934 personnel from 38 countries to 29 operations around the world. Currently, there are over 117,000 military, police, and civilian personnel from 122 countries serving in 17 UN peacekeeping operations deployed on four continents.

GPOI is managed by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, which works in close coordination with Department of State regional bureaus, as well as the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Regional Combatant Commands, and other DoD organizations, to develop regional program plans and implement train and equip activities with partner nations worldwide.

GPOI was launched in 2005 as the U.S. contribution to the G8 Action Plan for Expanding Global Capability for Peace Support Operations, adopted at the 2004 G8 Sea Island Summit.

The primary objective of GPOI in FY 2005-2009 was to train and equip at least 75,000 peacekeepers by 2010. GPOI implementers met and surpassed this target, training nearly 87,000 peacekeepers by September 30, 2009. More than 77,000 of this total were African troops trained through the Africa Contingency Operations Training and Assistance (ACOTA) program. In GPOI’s current activities, program emphasis has shifted from the direct training of peacekeepers by U.S. personnel to building sustainable, self-sufficient, national training capabilities by partner countries, with the target of facilitating training for an additional 242,500 troops.

GPOI personnel assisted with the development of the U.S. Government’s first ever National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security (NAP). GPOI implements key aspects of the NAP by promoting the participation of women in peace operations and ensuring the protection of vulnerable communities by peacekeepers. GPOI has trained more than 4,800 female peacekeepers and trains all peacekeepers, male and female, on the prevention and response to sexual and gender-based violence, gender issues, and human rights.

For further information, please contact the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, Office of Congressional and Public Affairs at PM-CPA@state.gov.