The aims of the Peacekeeping English Project funded by the UK Ministry of Defence Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and Department for International Development are:

			To ensure an increased contribution to international peace support, security & humanitarian/disaster relief operations through improved interoperability by establishing a locally sustainable system of EL training for military & other security personnel.
			To facilitate the short term rapid build up of a specific number/target of English language users to meet a country’s multinational peace support obligations or facilitate international contact for senior personnel.
			To promote the development of a long-term sustainable host nation infrastructure to eventually enable a self-sufficient strategy to meet that country’s peace support operation provision and international contact needs.

In Ethiopia the project began in February 2008 and is based in the Ethiopian Ministry of National Defence in Addis Ababa with the following short term aims:

			To raise the language level of Ethiopian defence force personnel in order that they can effectively participate in training in the UK and other English speaking countries, participate in international training through the medium of English and Peace Support missions though the United Nations or the African Union.
			To establish a long term sustainable English language training system in the Defence staff college in Addis and in the regional command centers in Ethiopia.
			To establish self-access study facilities in the regional training centres of Mekele (Northern Command), Shire (Central Command) and the Peacekeeping training centre in Addis, based on UK best practice.
			In future, assignment to PSOs from the Ethiopian defence forces will have English language proficiency as a criterion in accordance with the AU language policy for peacekeeping.

Initially, the project will support the Ethiopian Ministry of Defence in the set up and delivering of intensive English courses with teaching conducted by Ethiopian teachers contracted by the Ethiopian Ministry of National Defence and through training inputs provided by the British Council in Addis Ababa. Future priorities are yet to be decided but could involve a range of different training courses for teachers as well as the set up of a suite of English for Military Purposes courses.

The project is managed by the British Council through a Steering Group in London consisting of the London global PEP manager and UK sponsoring clients. In-country there is a country project management team consisting of the project manager, the Country Director and representatives from the British Embassy. In the future this country project management team will also include a high level representative from the EMOND.

For more information contact us via email or visit the Peacekeeping English global website.