Statement by H.E. Mr Jim McLay , Ambassador and Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of New Zealand, on behalf of Australia, Canada and New Zealand, to the United Nations Fourth Committee on Item 53 'Comprehensive Review of the Whole Question of Peacekeeping Operations in all its aspects'. As delivered 22 October 2010.
(as delivered)
Mr Chairman,
I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the CANZ group of countries – Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
CANZ thanks Under-Secretaries Alain Le Roy and Susana Malcorra for their presentations, which provide an excellent summary of how much we have achieved over the past year - and of how much remains to be done.
Mr Chairman,
When this Committee met last October, it had before it the most ambitious agenda for reform of UN peacekeeping since the Brahimi Report.
The release of the New Horizon non-paper had set out a series of wide-ranging proposals for strengthening UN peacekeeping policy and practice. Overall, good progress has been made in implementing these over the past year, with broad agreement on the way forward in several areas and progress towards reaching a shared understanding of key concepts.
But this has been the easy part. Our challenge over the coming year is to mak real progress on translating the New Horizon proposals into more effective and sustainable mandate implementation on the ground.
Mr Chairman,
In recent years, the goals and tasks we have set for UN peace operations have grown increasingly ambitious, both in scope and complexity. The operational environments faced by those serving under the UN flag pose unprecedented challenges, while the tools with which they are asked to fulfill their mandates - in terms of resources, clarity of mandates and operational guidance – too often fall short of what is required.
CANZ pays tribute to the courage and determination of these brave men and women, and to their contribution to enabling the people and Governments of conflict-affected countries to knit together the fabric of their shattered communities.
Nowhere is this truer than in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the presence of UN troops since 1999 has provided a framework for beginning the long task of rebuilding after a devastating 15-year conflict, the remnants of which persist. In many ways, the challenges faced by MONUC, and now MONUSCO, encapsulate both the enormity and the urgency of contemporary peacekeeping challenges. The mass rapes that took place in the Walikale region in North Kivu just under three months ago exemplify these challenges, and remind us that there is much work to be done.
Mr Chairman,
These events raise several issues that must remain foremost in our minds during our discussions over the coming year.
They require us to ask whether UN Missions are currently provided with sufficient guidance to effectively protect civilian populations.
CANZ has been pleased at recent progress towards achieving a shared understanding of this concept. We hope the strategic framework requested by Member States in March will provide a solid foundation for enhanced planning and the development of Mission-specific strategies, and for the elaboration of guidelines to assist troops and mission leadership in the field. Such guidelines should assist with the development of relevant pre-deployment and in-theatre training, and the identification of the resources necessary for effective mandate implementation.
Peacekeepers are currently tasked to protect civilians in over half of all DPKO-led peacekeeping missions. This brings with it expectations, both internationally and amongst those in the area of operations. Further work is required to manage these expectations, and to reach common understandings on what is expected of peacekeepers and on their specific operational requirements. There is also a need for a focused and coordinated capacity within the UN Secretariat to ensure that effective linkages between Headquarters and the field are maintained.
Contemporary UN peacekeeping operations are faced with fragile post-conflict situations characterised by continued violence and ongoing armed conflict. These require missions to perform a wider range of tasks than those demanded by more ‘traditional’ mandates. In addressing these challenges, missions must be capable of adapting their activities to the complex operational realities with which they are confronted.
To be able to do so effectively, commanders at all levels require enhanced situational awareness, to ensure they can act to prevent or deter challenges to mandates and determine appropriate responses to specific incidents. Contemporary forces also require increased flexibility, including through improved force mobility and potentially the increased availability of reserves.
Moreover, Mission leadership and personnel are not currently provided with sufficient guidance regarding the adoption of deterrent postures, or how they are expected to respond when a situation demands the targeted use of force. We therefore welcome the regional workshops being hosted by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations on “Deterrence, Use of Force and Operational Readiness in Peacekeeping”, and look forward to the development of guidelines on this issue in early 2011.
Mr. Chairman,
Almost ten years to the day since the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1325, the international community has been provided with another painful reminder of the continuing need for sexual and gender-based violence to be effectively addressed within protection strategies. These must be backed with the necessary resources, including personnel with relevant expertise and training, and a capacity to accurately assess in advance the likelihood of such acts occurring and to respond swiftly and appropriately.
We therefore welcome the launch earlier this year of the analytical inventory of peacekeeping practice for addressing conflict-related sexual violence, and hope these and other relevant tools can form the basis of appropriate pre-deployment training and tailored Mission-specific strategies.
The Secretary-General’s appointment of a Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict was an important step towards promoting coherence and accountability in the UN’s approach to these issues. We also congratulate Ms Michelle Bachelet on her appointment as head of UN Women, and look forward to UN Women working with all relevant partners within the UN system to provide support and leadership on women, peace and security issues.
The interests of women in post-conflict environments are of course not restricted to issues of sexual violence. It is also critical that women are sufficiently represented in peacekeeping operations. As such, we welcome the DPKO/DFS Guidelines on Integrating a Gender Perspective into the Work of UN Peacekeeping Operations, which will assist with implementation of key aspects of UNSC resolution 1325.
Mr Chairman,
A sustainable peace requires the development of effective and stable domestic institutions capable of protecting its citizens. Primary responsibility for this of course lies with the state, its national army, police force and other rule of law institutions. In any environments where such institutions lack sufficient resources or operational capabilities to meet these responsibilities, the international community has an obligation not only to assist them in so doing, but also to support locally-owned capacity building processes to enable host nations to perform key security and governance functions independently.
The DRC is just one of many environments in which the fundamental importance of fostering effective Rule of Law institutions has been clearly demonstrated. In UN Missions in Haiti and Timor-Leste we have learned that, where building the capacity of these institutions is necessary and mandated, it must form part of Mission planning from the very earliest stages and draw upon the expertise of a wide variety of actors.
More broadly, our discussions over the past year have laid the foundations for a more coherent and concerted approach to post-conflict peacebuilding. There is now a clear understanding among Member States that peacekeeping and peacebuilding are not distinct and sequential tasks, but rather interwoven elements of the same complex transition from conflict to sustainable peace.
There is also broad acceptance that core peacebuilding tasks must be integrated into Mission mandates, planning and operations from day one. We look forward to DPKO's upcoming report on critical early peacebuilding tasks, which we hope will provide further clarity and guidance to Mission leadership. Going forward, we encourage DPKO to work with all key stakeholders in the UN system to ensure coordination in this area. We also see scope for enhanced collaboration on these issues between the Security Council and the Peacebuilding Commission, and for enhanced coordination both within the UN system and with external actors, particularly the World Bank.
Peacebuilding also demands a range of specialised skills and expertise currently in short supply in many Missions. Improving the UN's ability to rapidly source specialist personnel is therefore an urgent priority.
Mr Chairman,
Providing our peacekeepers with effective, flexible and appropriate support arrangements must be a top priority. CANZ is pleased with the progress made in taking forward the Secretariat’s proposals for strengthened field support arrangements. We are confident these have considerable potential for enhancing the delivery of UN support services. We welcome the inclusive and transparent approach adopted by USG Malcorra and her team to date in developing these proposals, and encourage them to maintain this.
Mr Chairman,
In its statement to this Committee last year, CANZ stressed the fundamental importance of the principle of partnership that underlies UN peacekeeping, and the need for a strong unity of purpose among all stakeholders. No partnership is more fundamental than that between the international community and the Governments that host UN operations. Host country consent remains one of the bedrock principles of UN peacekeeping. At the same time, events over the past year have highlighted some of the complex challenges that emerge when it is qualified or withdrawn by Host Governments.
This topic merits further consideration over the coming year. We must address both the specific question of how the UN and Host Governments can responsibly manage the drawdown of a Mission where this is requested, as well as the broader issues regarding management of the compact between the international community and Governments hosting UN Missions.
Mr Chairman,
Taken together, the various proposals this Committee has before it represent a rare opportunity to strengthen UN peacekeeeping policy and practice, and to bring this organisation, and those who serve under it, another step closer to realising its potential and achieving the lofty goals set by its Member States.
It is incumbent on us all to approach these discussions in a spirit of cautious but constructive engagement, with a view to implementing measures that will have substantial benefits for operations on the ground. The brave men and women who serve under the UN flag, and the vulnerable communities they seek to protect, deserve nothing less.
I thank you.