YouSaid · the spoken record

Major General Ngondi

lines on the record: 11
first: 2013-06-26
most recent: 2013-06-26
sittings or episodes: 1
sources: un-security-council

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“There should be an opportunity to train troops to address emerging issues; otherwise such emerging issues could throw the mission off completely. I also wanted to respond to the question regarding what the United Nations can do to end the cycle of violence. I do not know who should be responsible, but my own view is that, in my own experience, violent conflict is the result of exclusion within a country. Therefore, if it is possible to focus on the need to create inclusive political and economic institutions within the country, where everyone feels a sense of ownership and enjoys the fruits of the country, then perhaps we will see the end of such cycles of violence. But as long as extractive and non-inclusive institutions exist within a country, it is just a matter of time until grievances will grow into violence. That is my opinion.”
2013-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6987 (2013) · source
“With regard to the issue of which criteria should be used, let me say that as of today there are manuals and documents, and more continue to be produced; they are shared between the United Nations and troop- contributing countries, including guides on what pre-deployment training activities should be provided. Those same activities are to be applied in the field. Where new trends and challenges emerge, the new component I have called an "evolution team" will be on hand to analyse what is going on and formulate appropriate training plans and directives to ensure that troops received appropriate training within the mission to deal with an emerging situation. We cannot wait for them to go back to their countries to be trained there.”
2013-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6987 (2013) · source
“If a Force Commander is in a position to know that all of those areas are going well, then he or she can be confident when it comes to detailing the troops to undertake various tasks. With regard to the question of whether such evaluation should be carried out even before troops deploy, I would say yes. It would be even better if, before the troops deployed to the mission area, their training could be validated to establish, in particular for the Force Commander, that they are ready for operations. However, I addressed this topic only within my area of responsibility.”
2013-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6987 (2013) · source
“Major General Ngondi: I wish to say how humbled I am and thankful for all the kind comments and gratitude expressed to our troops, which I promise I will pass on. I addressed the need for in-mission assessment of pre-deployment training conducted and administered by troop-contributing countries. To make my point clear, the gap that exists in force headquarters - and not necessarily mine alone, but all force headquarters - is in the ability of the Commander to understand or know the standard of operational readiness of the troops because he or she does not have the capacity to check that standard. The performance of the troops basically involves three areas: the ability to conduct essential mission tasks which are well covered and documented, the staff functions, and the sustenance of the contingents.”
2013-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6987 (2013) · source
“The team would be invaluable in evaluating contingents and the force headquarters itself, and in drawing the attention of commanders to areas requiring their intervention. Lastly, the evaluation team should comprise experts in all of the envisaged functional areas, which mainly encompass mission essential tasks, staff functions and sustainability. The team should be directly responsible to the force leadership with respect to monitoring, evaluating and sustaining the operational readiness of the entire force.”
2013-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6987 (2013) · source
“Every mission is unique and has its own challenges. There is a need to keep on analysing emerging trends and challenges with a view to developing viable intervention measures. Such measures include the formulation of training plans and training objectives and the conduct of training in order to impart the necessary skills. That function requires a suitable arrangement in the field. Additionally, force headquarters have several staff functions that make the entire force effective. Those functions also require monitoring and evaluation to ensure that the headquarters operates at an optimal level. Owing to the aforesaid, I strongly recommend the establishment of an evaluation team within force headquarters that will assist the force leadership in sustaining mission-capable troops as well as a functional headquarters.”
2013-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6987 (2013) · source
“However, bridging can be done only through in-mission training, and evaluation to ascertain the achievement of the training objectives is necessary. For this reason, force headquarters are required to have the capacity to formulate training plans and training objectives, and subsequently to evaluate the achievement of the same. Over the years, it has been observed in the field that some contingents encounter numerous challenges in maintaining their equipment. Therefore there is a need to assess the contingents' sustainability procedures and policy to ensure that they meet the desired effectiveness and United Nations standards. Timely interventions on sustenance efforts will guarantee mission capability. Force headquarters do not have the capacity to evaluate the sustainability frameworks of the deployed contingents.”
2013-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6987 (2013) · source
“The aim of this short briefing is to highlight the need for an in-mission assessment of pre-deployment training and the TCCs' capability to self-sustain in accordance with the United Nations standard level of contingents' operational readiness, with a view to recommending the establishment of a mechanism within force headquarters that will undertake the same. I am fully aware that the TCCs are responsible for pre-deployment training before deploying their contingents into the mission area. This training should be validated on arrival in the mission area in order to assure the force leadership of the contingents' operational readiness. Currently, force headquarters do not have the capacity to conduct the validation. Capability gaps may be established during the in-mission assessment andrequire bridging orrectifying.”
2013-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6987 (2013) · source
“While both the training and contingent-owned equipment inspections are valuable, there is no assurance of mission-capable sustainability. Basic guidance documents and policies are available and continue to be produced to inform and steer the TCCs in training their contingents on mission-essential tasks to ensure that their troops have mission-capable capacities. The documents, including the generic TCC guidelines, also guide the TCCs on how to conduct an evaluation of the training activities undertaken. It is worth noting that, while the same documents are a considerable source of information for field commanders to ensure that their units conform to United Nations operational standards, the force headquarters does not have the means in the field to ascertain the same.”
2013-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6987 (2013) · source
“The expectations are that troops deployed to a peacekeeping operation will be mission-capable in terms of knowledge, skills and attitudes; have the right equipment and enablers, as asked for in the statement of unit requirements by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations; will be covered for reimbursement purposes by an agreed and signed memorandum of understanding; and are expected to have a high state of operational readiness which needs to be maintained and sustained by the force throughout its deployment period. Prescribed induction-training and initial inspection of contingent-owned equipment are conducted when troops arrive in the mission area. This training focuses on individual skills, not the collective ones, and cannot therefore be relied upon to validate the entire pre-deployment training.”
2013-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6987 (2013) · source
“Major General Ngondi: It is a great honour to brief the Security Council on the need for an in-mission assessment of pre-deployment training of United Nations peacekeepers. Troops selected for United Nations missions undergo pre-deployment training that is administered by the troop- contributing countries (TCCs), as part of national preparations. The main purpose of the pre-deployment training is to re-orientate the troops' operational capabilities to operate in a specific peacekeeping environment and situation. In addition, the pre-deployment training period is used to organize and equip troops in accordance with approved and agreed operational requirements, as well as to establish mechanisms for being able to self-sustain their contingent and/or contingent-owned equipment in the field.”
2013-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6987 (2013) · source