19 May 2023
Over the years, the function of UN Security has frequently been misunderstood as a traditional military/police force. Unfortunately, when such misinformation is taken as the truth, relationships with Host Governments are strained impacting the overall execution of the UNDSS role of providing reliable security leadership and solutions to enable United Nations programme delivery.
To address the misunderstanding, the Chief Security Adviser (CSA) in Ethiopia, Mr. Prince Bruce, conducted a workshop for the senior officers from the Ethiopian Federal Police (EFP). Mr. Bruce said ¡°Our role as UNDSS in Ethiopia has been misunderstood for a very long time, and it¡¯s time we cleared the air with our counterparts from the host government security services. That is the only way to build mutual trust and lasting honest partnerships.¡±
Mr. Ben Owusu-Firempong (Chief Training and Development Section a.i.) and Teshale Deriba Yada (UNDSS Ethiopia) facilitated the workshop. In addition to awareness creation, the training focused on explaining the UN¡¯s security risk management process, with a focus on how the EFP contributes to the various processes. "It is important for host government security actors to understand how UNSMS conducts security analysis, and what informs the various reports," said Mr. Owusu-Firempong. This event offered a forum for open discussion and a chance to clarify myths regarding UN security. "UN security is not a counterintelligence or surveillance agency, and our ability to work successfully depends greatly on the Government of Ethiopia's cooperation. As a result, the basis for our ability to support the safe delivery of UN programmes is premised on our relationship with the Host Government,¡± added Mr. Bruce.
The initiative's results became apparent quickly; after receiving the preliminary training workshop reports, the EFP Commissioner-General invited the CSA and the facilitators to a formal Federal Police event. The Commissioner-General committed his support for such workshops in the future and stated his hope that such training will be replicated at the security area level. According to Mr. Bruce, "we will be replicating the initiative to other regions in Ethiopia to strengthen and leverage collaboration in light of the success and interests of this pilot workshop."