PR - CEP

Comprehensive Protection of Civilians Course in Kenya Comes to a Conclusion

16. 2. 2026 | POTC, PR

The 10-day Comprehensive Protection of Civilians Course (CPOC) held in Nairobi, Kenya, has concluded.

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The training was the result of a collaboration between POTC, the International Peace Support Training Centre (IPSTC), and the British Peace Support Team – Africa (BPST – A). From Monday, 02 to Friday, 13 February 2026, a large group of participants was submerged into the world of protection of civilians, with the main aim being to equip participants with relevant knowledge and skills to effectively assess, plan, and implement Protection of Civilians (POC) activities in United Nations (UN) and African Union (AU) peace operations.

The training activity culminated in a full-day scenario-based exercise (SBE) that tested participants’ newly acquired knowledge and skills. You can see some pictures from the SBE below.

POTC would like to congratulate the participants on their participation and their certificates. A big thank you to the professional team at the IPSTC and to the colleagues at BPST-A for making this training a success.

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POTC po štirih letih sodelovanja z ukrajinskimi varnostnimi organi prvič na ukrajinskih tleh

13. 2. 2026 | Peace and security, POTC, PR

Usposabljanje z naslovom »Podnebne spremembe in obvladovanje tveganj nesreč« je namenjeno pripadnikom ukrajinske civilne zaščite in strokovnjakom s področja preventive ter pripravljenosti na naravne nesreče.

Čeprav je v vojnem času obseg nalog ukrajinske civilne zaščite razširjen na pomoč prebivalstvu, ostaja usposabljanje ključnega pomena tudi v takšnih razmerah, saj vojna dodatno povečuje zahtevnost odzivanja na naravne nesreče in njihove posledice. Usposabljanje hkrati predstavlja pomemben instrument za usklajevanje ukrajinskih sistemov odzivanja z mehanizmi za krizno odzivanje EU.

Izvedba programa je eden od mnogih konkretnih izkazov bilateralne pomoči, ki jo Slovenija nudi Ukrajini. Dejstvo, da se aktivnost odvija na ukrajinskih tleh, pa je dodaten izraz solidarnosti Slovenije z Ukrajino.

Pripadnike ukrajinske civilne zaščite usposabljamo na področju:

👉 razumevanja kompleksnih podnebno pogojenih nesreč in celostnih pristopov k večji pripravljenosti, v skladu s Sendajskim okvirom,

👉 mehanizmov zbiranja podatkov, kartiranja, napovedovanja in zgodnjega opozarjanja,

👉 evropskih mehanizmov kriznega upravljanja ter pripravljenosti in odzivanja na naravne in druge nesreče,

👉 mehanizmov za zaščito civilnega prebivalstva,

👉ocenjevanja tveganj v kompleksnih okoljih z več viri tveganj, vključno z aktualno vojno,.

Ključni cilj usposabljanja je krepitev kapacitet ukrajinske civilne zaščite, da se na nesreče vnaprej pripravi, se nanje učinkovito odzove ter nato hitreje okreva.

Usposabljanje je potekalo v dveh terminih – prvi med 9. in 11. februarjem ter drugi med 12. in 14. februarjem.

Kick-Off Meeting of the ENTER: CHANGE – Phase 2 Project in Sarajevo

13. 2. 2026 | Enter: Change, PR

From 9 to 11 February 2026, the Kick-Off Meeting of the project “ENTER: CHANGE – Establishing a Network and Capacity Building for Young Future Leaders in the Western Balkans – Phase 2 (2026–2028)” took place in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The meeting officially launched the second phase of the project, aimed at strengthening regional cooperation, fostering the development of emerging leaders, and expanding a network of talented young professionals across the Western Balkans.

During the visit, we met with our partner in the project, School of Political Studies BiH, and held a dedicated event with alumni from both SPS BiH and Phase 1 of ENTER: CHANGE.

During the launch event, we:

✔️ presented the project plan for 2026–2028,
✔️ collected valuable feedback and recommendations from partners and alumni to guide the further development of the project.

The event represented a significant step in reinforcing regional cooperation, promoting young leadership, and further developing a network that connects talented individuals across the Western Balkans. Participants had the opportunity to exchange ideas, share best practices, and contribute to shaping a shared vision for the project’s future activities.

During CEP’s visit to Sarajevo, we also met with key stakeholders to discuss potential synergies and avenues for collaboration, including:

Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Bosnia and Herzegovina
European Union Delegation in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Directorate for European Integration
Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI)
Regional Cooperation Council (RCC)

The Kick-Off Meeting has set a strong foundation for the successful implementation of ENTER: CHANGE Phase 2, reinforcing collaboration, inspiring young leaders, and guiding the project’s next steps across the Western Balkans.

Photo album from the visit

The activities under the ENTER: CHANGE project are supported by the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs through the Slovenian Aid programme.

EUTI Secretariat at EAB Meeting in Brussels

13. 2. 2026 | EUTI, PR

BRUSSELS – Nina Čepon and Urban Jakša are wrapping up their work visit to Brussels, where they represented the EUTI consortium at the Executive Academic Board (EAB) meeting that took place on 11 and 12 January 2026.

During the sessions, Nina and Urban collaborated with partners to update the HEAT (Hostile Environment Awareness Training) curriculum to include new modules that reflect the evolving realities of CSDP missions, such as threats from drones and doxing. They also gave an overview of the past and future EUTI plans to the participants of the meeting, ensuring continued alignment with European training standards.

One of the outcomes of EAB was the confirmation of several pilot trainings, including Environmental Management and AI Leadership. The ESDC network also expanded during this session with the inclusion of three new members, such as Democritus University.

In Working Groups 1 and 2, the focus remained on refining training for Project Management and mission orientation. Furthermore, new trainings to be carried out under the auspices of the ESDC were introduced, focusing heavily on psychological support and medical care in the field.

One of the highlights of the visit was a meeting at DG DEFIS (Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space). This session highlighted the growing intersection of space, the defense industry, and evolving training needs—ranging from specialized space programs like Copernicus and Galileo to vital administrative, HR, and procurement skills.

Furthermore, while in Brussels, the Urban held a meeting with representatives of the European Commission responsible for monitoring the EUTI project. He presented key milestones and innovations, highlighting how EUTI’s nature as a smaller consortium allows for agile testing of new tools and approaches. The goal remains ensuring the sustainability of these practices by successfully transferring knowledge and expertise to the ESDC.

A bit more on EAB: The Executive Academic Board (EAB) is a central body of the European Security and Defence College (ESDC). Its role is to ensure the quality and consistency of training activities provided under the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy. More information on their work is available here.

Upcoming Kick-Off Meeting of the ENTER: CHANGE – Phase 2 Project in Sarajevo

4. 2. 2026 | Enter: Change, PR, Regional cooperation, Youth

From 9 to 11 February 2026, the Kick-Off Meeting of the project “ENTER: CHANGE – Establishing a network and capacity building for young future leaders in the Western Balkans – Phase 2 (2026–2028)” will take place in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The meeting will bring together the project team of the Centre for European Perspective and representatives of the project partner SPS BiH, including members of the SPS BiH alumni network. The Kick-Off Meeting will focus on the presentation of the SPS BiH programme and curriculum, discussions on alumni networking and future ENTER: CHANGE activities, an overview of possible regional synergies (Montenegro and North Macedonia), as well as the exchange of recommendations and feedback from partners and alumni.

The Kick-Off Meeting marks the official start of Phase 2 of the ENTER: CHANGE project, which aims to strengthen the networks and capacities of young future leaders across the Western Balkans.

The activities within the project Enter: Change are supported by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia within the Slovenian Aid and Partnerships programme.

EUTI Training – Call for Applications: ToT for Human Rights Advisors

30. 1. 2026 | EUTI, PR

The Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, under the auspices of EUTI – European Union Training Initiative, will hold Training of Trainers for Human Right Advisors (HRA): Mainstreaming Human Rights into Civilian Crisis Management Missions’ Internal and External Activities: using a HRBA approach.

The call for applications is now open.

Training dates: 23–25 March 2026

Training location: Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy

Target Group: Human Rights Advisors of civilian CSDP crisis missions and human rights support elements at HQs

This training initiative directly supports the implementation of the 2021 Civilian Operations Commander Operational Guidelines on Human Rights Mainstreaming and Human Rights Due Diligence. While substantial progress has been made in policy development, a significant gap remains in the practical application of these standards within Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) civilian missions. To bridge this gap, this course equips Human Rights Advisors (HRAs) with the didactical and methodological skills necessary to train their colleagues and foster a Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA) across all mission mandates.

The key objective of this course is thus to contribute to building in-mission capacities for training purposes in the field of human rights mainstreaming. It will also enhance the ability of missions to adapt to the steadily changing capacity-building requirements and strengthen in-mission capability to deliver high quality trainings in the area of HRBA and human rights mainstreaming.

The curriculum of the training will move beyond theoretical definitions, focusing on the HOW of human rights mainstreaming. Participants will engage in practical exercises—including situational analysis, elaborating Theories of Change, and designing monitoring frameworks—all viewed through a human rights lens.

The training of trainers course will be targeted at human rights Advisors working in civilian CSDP missions – who, inter alia, conduct trainings and coaching sessions on issues related to human rights as subject matter experts or trainers and are called upon, in the Operational Guidelines on Human Rights Mainstreaming and Human Rights Due Diligence, to play a catalyst role to ensure internal and external human rights mainstreaming within the mission of assignment.

Applications for the Training of Trainers for Human Rights Advisors are now open. Deadline is 22 February 2026.

Apply here

Course concept