Kinshasa, 11 July 2011 - The first ever medal parade of the Corrections Advisory Unit of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) was held on 8 July 2011 in Kinshasa. In all 46 Government Provided Personnel (GPP) including five females from seven countries were honored. Those honored came from Burkina Faso, Senegal, Kenya, Benin, Madagascar, Tanzania and Sweden.

Government Provided Personnel (GPP) is a term used to refer to corrections officers seconded by member states to serve with UN peacekeeping missions. These experts work independently from the regular UN Police (UNPOL), and in the case of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), they are deployed in all eleven provinces of the country. Their work is felt not only in the 12 central prisons that the country boasts of, but also at the district and town levels throughout this vast land.

The ceremony, therefore, was in recognition of the work of this 'special' force since its inception in February 2010.

The parade was organized in collaboration with the Ghana military battalion and the UNPOL represented by the Indian contingent. It was attended by prominent figures of the national and international communities, including the Secretary-General of the country's Ministry of Justice, Mr. Sylvain Bikango Bituki, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Ms. Leila Zerrougui, several members of the diplomatic corps and representatives of the contributing countries.

Patience Sai/ MONUSCO