The Departments of State and Defense are co-hosting Seventh Annual Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI) Worldwide Conference at the State Department, October 19-21.

This three-day conference, sponsored by the Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs and the Defense Department’s Office of the Secretary of Defense Peacekeeping Policy’s Special Operations/ Low-Intensity Conflict & Interdependent Capabilities, furthers U.S. commitment toward meeting the growing worldwide demand for military and civilian peacekeeping personnel to protect vulnerable communities in conflict zones and promote peace and security.

In addition to wide participation from within the State Department, representatives from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, and the five DoD Regional Combatant Commands will review ongoing GPOI activities and reach consensus on proposed activities for Fiscal Years 2012-2014.

GPOI is a U.S.-led initiative launched in 2005 that has trained and equipped more than 180,000 foreign peacekeepers from around the world. To date, nearly 140,000 of these personnel from 31 GPOI partner countries have deployed to 19 United Nations, African Union, and other regional peace support operations around the world.

GPOI has continued building on its success to date by shifting focus from direct training by U.S. personnel to activities that increase the self-sufficiency of GPOI partners to train peacekeepers on their own. By doing so, GPOI is further multiplying the number of future peacekeeping forces and empowering partner countries to enhance their own roles in the shared global challenge of enhancing international peace and security.

To learn more about the GPOI Program, visit //2009-2017.state.gov/t/pm/ppa/gpoi/.