by Jack Lapauve Jr – EM TV, Port Moresby
Papua New Guinea Defence Force over the weekend has deployed an officer to United Nations Peace Keeping Missions in Darfur, Sudan.
Major Quadrat Larawin is now the number 12th PNGDF officer representing PNG on United Nations Peace Keeping Operations (UNPKO) since the first deployment of three officers in 2011, after the passing of International Obligation Act by the government in 2010.
He has been posted as a United Nations Staff Officer to UN headquarters in El Fasher in Darfur.
His posting is for one year which is a trend in any UN deployment. His duties will be liaising, writing and preparing briefs and reports for his superior officers, and the United Nations headquarters in New York.
The other three officers will also be deploying at the end of June 2015. Two will be deployed as military observers to United Nations Peace Keeping Mission in South Sudan.
The PNGDF in accordance with the National Security Policy and Defence White Paper 2013 has established a new Directorate of United Nations Peace Keeping Office at PNGDF headquarters in Murray Barracks.
The Office is responsible for liaising and co-ordinating all the future UN Peace Keeping Deployments with the PNG Department of Foreign Affairs and United Missions Headquarters in New York.
The PNGDF Directorate of Peace Keeping Operations is now in the process of building up its capacity for UN deployments.
