Efficacy of Lessons Learnt and Best Practices in United Nations Training

Abstract

The United Nations (UN) finds itself involved in varied circumstances in present times. This necessitates increased emphasis on evolution of employment doctrine, instructions and training methodology. Drawing on lessons of history has always been considered a wise course of action while preparing for future, and in the same vein, UN Integrated Training Service (UNITS) also opted to tap into past experiences. In order to improve performance as well as to keep their contingents out of harm’s way the member states started to clamor for sharing of lessons learnt from previous missions within the community of peacekeepers, and to learn from an easily accessible repository of best practices which produced the best results. This article aims to analyze the whole process of revamping at UN headquarters level with a view to coming up with workable solutions to make it even better. It argues that pre-induction training institutions have been kept largely out of the loop, while relying entirely on post-induction training. A section on Lessons Learnt and Best Practices is also markedly absent from latest Core Pre-Induction Training Material (CPTM) / Specialized Training Material (STM) issued by UNITS. With lack of prior training and pre-occupation with their primary functions in the mission area, dedicated implementation of the policy at best becomes questionable. The article further identifies that the UNITS has mostly remained limited to available analytical reviews of its past operations which in turn have remained limited in scope to strategic level. Despite identifying this peculiarity, no attempt has been made to constitute special committees to review past mission experiences broken into individual, tactical and operational lessons and best practices. This reflects on the need to carry thorough review of the latest policy, following which the UN would be able to quickly remedy the shortfalls and thus be in a position to take on new challenges in a befitting manner. In this vein, the paper aims to establish and emphasize the potential to learn from the available best practices in terms of UN missions.