Source: United Nations Informations Centres
Taking advantage of their presence in New Delhi to participate in a Peacekeeping Vision 2015 Seminar hosted by the United Services Institution of India, UNIC New Delhi organized a press conference on 6 April 2011 with DPKO ASG Anthony Banbury and Margot Wallström, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict.

Over 50 media persons attended the press conference moderated by UNIC Director Kiran Mehra-Kerpelman. It was also the very day when the UN flag was flying at half-mast in memory of the recent peacekeepers who had lost their lives during recent attacks on UN peacekeepers.

The issues at the Press Conference ranged from ASG Banbury acknowledging India as one of the strong pillars of the international community committed to UN Peacekeeping, and his taking questions on the the recent situation in Afghanistan, Libya, Cote d’Ivoire and the DR of Congo.

SRSG Wallström introduced the media to a new resource for pre-deployment and in-country training of UN peacekeepers, which harnesses the practical experience and promising practices of peacekeepers, including Indian peacekeepers in eastern DRC, the Indian all-female FPU in Liberia, etc. The aim of these tools is to capture good practice in preventing and addressing sexual violence, including as a tactic of war, to inform future training.