State Secretary for Political Affairs Zdravka Bušić received female police officers from Africa, South America and Europe attending the United Nations Police Officers Course (UNPOC) in Croatia as part of preparations for participating in the UN peacekeeping missions.
Bušić thanked the officers for trusting in Croatia and underlined the importance Croatia places on participating in peacekeeping missions. She highlighted Croatia’s unique experience, having grown in a relatively short period of time during the 1990s from a recipient of peacekeeping missions into a country that is actively contributing to the preservation of global peace and security.
The two-week international course for female police officers is part of Croatia’s international development cooperation aimed at motivating women to participate in peacekeeping missions and operations. The course has been taking place since 2015 at the International Military Operations Training Centre in Rakitje as part of the UNMOC Military Observers Course, and is co-organized by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of Defence. The course has so far been attended by 50 or so female police officers from all over the globe.
Croatia places special importance on the role of women in peacekeeping. Since 2003, when first female members of the Croatian Armed Forces joined the first Croatian ISAF contingent in Afghanistan until today, more than 350 women have been participating in peacekeeping missions and operations around the world. As of 2005, they are being joined by female police officers.