KATHMANDU, Nov 17: The French Embassy in Nepal has handed over a 120-hour French language training program to the Birendra Peace Operations Training Centre (BPOTC) of the Nepali Army, aimed at strengthening the communication skills of Nepali peacekeepers deployed in Francophone mission areas.
Developed by Alliance Française Katmandou (AFK) and funded by the Defence Wing of the French Embassy, the program was formally handed over during Ambassador Virginie Corteval’s visit to BPOTC on Monday. She was accompanied by Lieutenant Colonel Jean-Marie Holtzinger, Deputy Defence Attaché for Nepal and Sylvain Choin, Director of AFK.
Highlighting Nepal’s longstanding contribution to UN peacekeeping, Ambassador Corteval said, “France is proud to provide this program to support the training and professional development of Nepali Army personnel engaged in international missions through linguistic cooperation.”
The virtual course, delivered via the Apolearn platform and supervised by an instructor at BPOTC, focuses on strengthening oral comprehension and expression. The 120-hour curriculum features custom content translated into Nepali to better support learners.
Each participant will also receive an AFK membership card with access to its media library, workshops—both online and in-person—and the digital cultural platform Culturethèque.
The initiative underscores the growing cooperation between France and Nepal in enhancing the linguistic and operational capacities of Nepali peacekeepers.