UNITED NATIONS SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON PEACEKEEPING
Country Statement
Statement by Ms Maria Pergaminelis for the Australian Delegation
18 June 2001
Mr Chairman
I would like to begin by recording Australia's appreciation for the work done by you and the Vice Chairmen over the past year, and for the excellent work done by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations under the leadership of Under-Secretary-General Guehenno. I would also like to pay tribute to the men and women who serve in peacekeeping missions around the world.
The past year has, as we know, been a demanding one for peacekeeping. The United Nations continues to play a critical role in a range of operations -such as in East Timor, Sierra Leone, Kosovo, and Ethiopia/Eritrea. These operations underline the continuing critical importance of peacekeeping in the United Nations system, as well as the changing nature of UN peace operations. This has been brought home to Australia, in no small way, as a consequence of our experience in East Timor.
Australia appreciates the close cooperation and coordination on East Timor undertaken with us by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) over the past year. Effective and timely consultation and the flow of information has been, and is, critical to the current operation and in progressing towards independence for the East Timorese people. We see continued international support as crucial to the future of UNTAET and continued UN involvement post-independence.
Mr Chairman
Australia is a longstanding supporter of the United Nations peacekeeping role. Our main international peacekeeping commitment over the past year continues to be in East Timor. Australia's contribution to UNTAET continues to represent the largest deployment of Australian troops in over 25 years.
The experience of East Timor and the success and effectiveness of the UN's role there provides us with a valuable experience and lessons that the UN can draw on for future operations. But we are equally pleased to have worked alongside the UN in monitoring the peace process in another regional neighbour, on Bougainville.
Mr Chairman
As we begin this session of the Special Committee, we have before us the Secretary-General's report on the implementation of the Brahimi Report recommendations and of the Special Committee. The Report underlines the urgent challenges facing the Department of Peacekeeping Operations in resources and staffing, and on planning and strategic policy development, and we need to look seriously at redressing a situation which is ultimately unsustainable.
At this stage, I would like to mention that Australia has been broadly supportive of Brahimi recommendations. We have submitted our revitalised Standby Arrangements Scheme contribution and undertaken to update this on a quarterly basis.
Australia looks forward to contributing to the discussion of this Report over the coming weeks. There are a number of issues that Australia will be particularly interested in.
- Updating DPKO's management practices, without which we can neither expect to attract or retain quality personnel, nor operate effectively.
- The report foreshadowed by the Secretary-General addressing the resources issue.
- The proposed changes to the structure of DPKO, and in particular those designed to improve coordination, strengthen the Military Advisor's office and improve management of civilian police.
- The need to improve the Secretariat's capacity for analysis and strategic planning. For its part, Australia supports the establishment of an Information and Strategic Analysis Secretariat or some similar body.
- Efforts to strengthen consultation between the Security Council, the Secretariat and troop contributing countries (TCCs), which have been strongly supported by member states.
Mr Chairman
Peacekeeping is central to the United Nations' ability to carry out its core responsibility of maintaining international peace and security. It is thus essential that the organisation's peacekeeping activities are organised as efficiently and effectively as possible. The Brahimi recommendations set out a blueprint for such a reorganisation. It is important that from this session of the Special Committee on peacekeeping we emerge with a broad consensus on how these recommendations are developed and implemented.
Thank you, Mr Chairman