United Nations Staff Officer Course No 02 (GPOI) UNSOC 2023 was conducted on 06 - 22 March 2023 at IPSOTSL with the directions of Brigadier C A Rajapaksha RSP the commandant of Institute of Peace Support Operations Training Sri Lanka. The course consisted with 38 Student Officers of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces and foreign student officers from Indonesia, Mongolia, Nepal and Bangladesh. IPSOTSL has mainly focus on the prime responsibility which a Staff Officer has to perform and formulated the course curriculum according to the guide lines provided by the UNDPO.

The Lecture Panel was consisted with 02 Subject Matter Experts (SME), Mr. Bengt Folkeson from Sweden, Mr. Jens Winther Anderson from Denmark, Assistant Officer Instructor Sujan Gurung from Nepali Army Who has been sponsored from the GPOI Organization and other 04 In-house instructors, Lieutenant Colonel M L N U Liyanage RSP SLAC, Lieutenant Colonel M A A P Perera RWP RSP psc SLLI, Lieutenant Colonel D G E M R B Dhammanthota psc SLE and Major K H D Mendis USP SLAGSC to facilitate and educate student officers on the Staff Officer Duties with real ground experience.

GPOI is a U.S. Government-funded security assistance programme intended to enhance international capacity to effectively conduct United Nations and regional Peace Support Operations (PSOs) by building friendly foreign nations’ strength, capabilities to train and prolong peacekeeping proficiencies.

The chief guest of the certificate awarding ceremony was Brigadier D K S K Dolage USP psc the Director of Directorate of Training. Special Representatives of United States Embassy in Colombo, Lieutenant Commander Sean Jin - the Chief of Office of Defence Cooperation was the special guest of the day’s proceeding.