UNITED NATIONS
Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations
Statement by H.E. Mr John Dauth LVO
Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Natio
ns
12 February 2002
Mr Chairman and Colleagues
Let me begin by thanking Under-Secretary Jean-Marie Guehenno for his very useful and comprehensive briefing yesterday. It addressed a number of operational and technical issues on which this committee should now focus.
Mr Chairman
We should all be encouraged by the progress that has been made to date in reforming the way in which the United Nations goes about peacekeeping.
As a result of the Brahimi report and detailed consideration of its implications in this committee and elsewhere, we now have a clearer understanding of what it takes to plan, manage and conduct successful peacekeeping operations.
We also have a far better appreciation of what it takes to complete the task of such operations and to exit responsibly.
We have made substantial resource and personnel commitments to enhance DPKO’s capability to carry out its mandate effectively. This is particularly appropriate as DPKO enters its tenth year.
But our task is by no means complete. Many challenges remain and I will highlight some of these. They all have this common element: how to ensure that reforms genuinely optimise our capacity to plan, deploy, conduct and conclude peacekeeping operations.
In this respect we are delighted that Under-Secretary Guehenno has made the consolidation and further professionalisation of peacekeeping operations the overarching theme of his briefing, and indeed the overarching theme for the next steps in the process of reforming peacekeeping. We also endorse the strategic objectives that Mr Guehenno has set out.
Consolidation is a particularly useful idea for us at this stage of the committee’s work. After the plethora of useful recommendations from the Brahimi report and elsewhere – including from our own committee – we should be careful not to overload the reform agenda. Our priority should be to implement the reforms already agreed, and to allow a period for evaluation and assessment.
It is encouraging that many of the Brahimi recommendations have been or are being implemented. Lessons from the more successful of the UN’s peacekeeping operations, including UNTAET, are already being evaluated and incorporated into DPKO’s work. But this needs to be done in a more systematic and deliberate way.
The Best Practice Unit is a critical element in accelerating the learning process. Making the lessons learned from UN missions operational and accessible through the development of manuals is a practical way to proceed. We are pleased, therefore, that DPKO is now developing such a manual for multi-dimensional peacekeeping operations.
The need for consolidation applies elsewhere as well. For instance, after a long process and much debate on how to improve consultation between the Troop Contributing Countries, the Security Council and the Secretariat we now have concrete mechanisms available – resolution 1353 and the Security Council President’s Note of 14 January. Admittedly, these may not satisfy everyone. We consider, however, that it would be prudent to test these processes, to work them, to use them. Perhaps they will prove to be more viable than some expect; perhaps not. But we are unlikely to see progress in the actual process of consultation until we try the mechanisms that are available. In this regard we welcome Ambassador Strommen’s commitment to make the new mechanism work.
A final area for consolidation which I would highlight relates to the coordination of the various elements and actors that go to making a successful peacekeeping operation. We note the value of the Integrated Mission Task Force concept. We would appreciate more detailed analysis from DPKO on how it has been working. We are also interested in exploring the quality of coordination between the field and headquarters. Is it as good as can be expected? Are there aspects that can be improved?
Professionalisation is also a key concept and an important objective in this phase of peacekeeping reform. In this regard we strongly endorse DPKO’s emphasis on training for military, police and civilian personnel. The training of peacekeeping personnel is critical to enhancing the overall effectiveness of UN peacekeeping operations. But training must be done in the most cost-effective way.
We know from our diverse institutional experiences that devoting resources to training does not, in and of itself, necessarily produce the intended results. Often results obtained can disappear once trained personnel move on. Therefore, sound and tested strategies need to be put in place to ensure sustained benefits. We look forward to hearing from DPKO what its strategies are, including the re-direction of training efforts away from individuals and towards improving the capacities of national and regional training centers.
Mr Chairman
Rapid deployment remains a litmus test of the effectiveness of peacekeeping reform. Is the UN able to deploy peacekeeping operations in the 30/90 day framework recommended by Brahimi? Several factors influence our ability to meet these targets. Among these, the development of the Strategic Reserve at Brindisi is critical. Given the potentially very large resource commitments that it will involve, we need to be sure that the approach adopted, both financial and operational, is genuinely best-practice. We look forward to further discussion on this issue during our work in this session.
Mr Chairman
I would finally like to highlight some areas where we believe there remains the need for further development of doctrine. First, in relation to the role of civilian police – in the peacekeeping context – and of law enforcement and judicial institutions more generally – we believe that the Brahimi report’s call for a "doctrinal shift" remains relevant. The integration, training and funding of police and law enforcement personnel needs to be considered further as an important part of the reform agenda. We welcome in this context, Mr Guehenno’s emphasis on the selection and training of such personnel for peacekeeping operations and look forward to be briefed on the results of the Helsinki conference on civilian policing.
Another area that needs attention can be broadly described as institution strengthening. We note the call by several delegations for the inclusion of such activities in the regular budget of peacekeeping operations. We certainly agree that there is a need for a holistic strategy from conflict prevention, to peacekeeping to peace building. As we in the South Pacific have learned from our experience in Bougainville, part of this must include disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration, which in our view are also key issues for us to consider as we look further at peacekeeping reform.
Two other areas are important: first, the safety and security of military and civilian personnel. This should be an extremely high priority for us all. And second, gender mainstreaming, which, as we have seen in the UNTAET experience, greatly enhances the success of any peacekeeping effort.
Mr Chairman
As is usual, we face a rather full agenda for this session of the committee. I am confident, however, that we will make good progress under your chairmanship. I can assure you of my delegation’s full cooperation.
Thank you.