France Backs Cambodia’s UN Peacekeeping Role Through Training and Mine Action
France Backs Cambodia’s UN Peacekeeping Role Through Training and Mine Action
PHNOM PENH, Sept. 16, 2026 — France has praised the results of its longstanding cooperation with Cambodia’s National Centre for Peacekeeping Forces, Mine and Explosive Remnants of War Clearance (NPMEC), highlighting more than a decade of support for training Cambodian peacekeepers, particularly in mine clearance.
Major General Stephane Richou, Director of the Security and Defence Cooperation Department at France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, commended the work carried out through French cooperation with NPMEC during a visit on Monday.
Since 2010, France has supported NPMEC in training hundreds of Cambodian peacekeepers, with a particular focus on demining and explosive-remnants-of-war clearance.
The cooperation forms part of a broader French effort to strengthen Cambodia’s capacity to prepare personnel for United Nations peacekeeping operations.
French support has included specialised instruction in demining, explosive ordnance disposal and other technical areas. According to Cambodian officials, France provided 94 training courses between 2009 and April 2026, including 73 courses conducted in Cambodia that benefited more than 2,000 trainees.
France also maintains specialised expertise within NPMEC. A French defence cooperation adviser has been assigned to the centre, while French instructors have provided training in areas including explosive ordnance disposal and ammunition management. French support to NPMEC amounted to €240,000 in 2025, according to France’s latest reporting under the Mine Ban Convention.
Cambodia has been contributing uniformed personnel to UN peacekeeping missions since 2006, with deployments focusing particularly on engineering, mine action and military police.
The French-Cambodian partnership has therefore extended beyond bilateral military cooperation, supporting Cambodia’s role as a contributor to international peacekeeping and its specialised expertise in mine action.
The latest engagement comes as Cambodia continues to expand its peacekeeping training capacity, including French-language preparation for UN military staff officers. A French-language UN military staff officer course opened in Phnom Penh on September 14, co-presided over by Cambodian and French defence officials.
France’s continued support also reflects Cambodia’s broader effort to strengthen professional and technical capabilities among its peacekeeping forces, particularly in areas linked to mine clearance and explosive hazards.
