Innovating and strengthening the capabilities of United Nations peacekeeping operations is essential to ensure safety and security, to adequately protect civilians, and to modernize mission postures in line with the evolving nature of conflict, a top officials from the UN peacekeeping department told a special review committee.
"Flexibility and innovation at Headquarters and within our missions is no longer an option, but an acute necessity," Herve Ladsous, Under-Secretary-General for UN Peacekeeping Operations told the opening of the 2014 session of the General Assembly body charged with reviewing all aspects of those operations.
"Taken together, growing demand and high expectations, coupled with constrained resources, must lead to an equally high international responsiveness and commitment," he added.
Known informally as the "C34," the Special Committee established by the Assembly in 1965 works through the Fourth Committee on Special Political and Decolonization. This year, the Committee has reports before it on issues ranging from implementation of the global field support strategy, to special measures for protection from sexual exploitation and abuse, and civilian capacity in the aftermath of conflict.
Providing some statistics, Ladsous said nine peacekeeping operations covering 95 percent of the Department's total field personnel currently have mandates to protect civilians, often in extremely challenging conditions and in the face of high expectations.
In addition, he said that studies revealed that when peacekeeping missions are deployed in post-conflict situations, countries are 50 per cent less likely to experience an outbreak of conflict again.
As such, he set out five factors that impact how peacekeeping operations can effectively carry out their mandated tasks: continued high demand for UN peacekeeping; a heightened level of new threats; continuing high resource constraints; the complexity of contemporary threats requires close and enhanced partnerships; and the need for high political engagement and support.
"Peacekeeping remains a vital tool for international peace and security and a flagship of the United Nations," he said, underscoring that peacekeeping it is a collective effort demanding that the highest standards of conduct are upheld by all UN personnel.
"It rests upon strong cooperation between the Security Council, the General Assembly, and the Secretariat; between the Member States contributing personnel and financial support. The C34 brings together the full range of Member States in support of peacekeeping. Your voice and guidance in policy matters is an important signal of the political commitment and support of the UN for our peacekeepers," he told Special Committee members.
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