FOURTH COMMITTEE CONTINUES DISCUSSION ON HOW TO IMPROVE PEACE-KEEPING OPERATIONS
Press Release
GA/SPD/77
FOURTH COMMITTEE CONTINUES DISCUSSION ON HOW TO IMPROVE PEACE-KEEPING OPERATIONS
19951115 The need to address the root causes of conflict and their link to peace and development were among the issues discussed this afternoon in the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) as it continued its consideration of peace-keeping operations.The representative of the Lao People's Democratic Republic said the United Nations should explore ways to carry out more through preventive diplomacy and peace-making. Increased attention should be paid to causes of conflict, such as poverty and inadequate social development. Peace and development were mutually complementary and deserved equal consideration. Resources for peace-keeping should not be at the expense of the resources for development activities.
The representative of the Russian Federation said it was important to "drastically modernize the United Nations peace-making potential and, first of all, to establish uniform criteria for organizing and conducting peace-keeping operations". The activities of the Security Council sometimes lacked consistency and were even marked by double standards in approaching different situations, as well as by attempts to artificially divide crises into "first" or "second grade" brands. It was obvious that such practices could seriously undermine the prestige of the United Nations.
Pakistan said peace-keeping operations should remain in place until the problem was resolved; imposed time-limits would only encourage recalcitrant parties to buy time and move away from commitments. Measures should be devised to provide equipment to troops from developing countries. The Organization's deteriorating financial situation was affecting the reimbursement of troop contributors and was "already threatening the continuation of existing peace-keeping operations".
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The United States expressed concern at the lack of progress in establishing an effective public information capacity as an integral part of peace-keeping operations, and coordinated headquarters support. The Secretary-General should use the resources at his disposal, particularly within the Department of Public Information, to correct the situation as soon as possible. Serious management issues in the Field Operations and Logistics Division should also be addressed promptly and effectively.
India said that while regional organizations had an important role to play in accordance with Chapter VII of the Charter in matters pertaining to international peace and security, the United Nations must have complete control. The primacy of the Organization's role in maintaining peace and security must be ensured.
The representatives of Egypt, Tunisia, Kuwait, Sudan, Jordan, Guatemala, Georgia, Kenya, Cuba, Mali, Myanmar and the Republic of Korea also spoke. A representative of the United Nations Development Programme also addressed the Committee.
The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 16 November, to continue its consideration of peace-keeping operations.
Committee Work Programme
The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) met this afternoon to continue its consideration of the question of peace-keeping operations in all its aspects.
It had before it a draft text (document A/C.4/50/L.10*) whereby the General Assembly would, among other things, urge Member States, the Secretariat and relevant United Nations bodies to take all necessary steps to implement the Special Committee's proposals, recommendations and conclusions on Peace-keeping Operations. The Assembly would recommend that should any of the proposals contained in the resolution result in budgetary implications for the bienniums 1994-1995 and 1996-1997, such additional costs be accommodated within appropriation levels approved by the Assembly for those bienniums, in accordance with the Organization's financial rules and regulations.
The draft resolution is sponsored by Argentina, Canada, Egypt, Japan, Nigeria and Poland.
The Committee also has before it the annual report of the Special Committee on Peace-keeping Operations and the Secretary-General's report on conflict prevention and peace-keeping in Africa. Other documents before the Committee include a letter from the Netherlands relating to rapid deployment, letters from Ukraine and Austria, and the report of the Joint Inspection Unit on the link between humanitarian assistance and peace-keeping operations.
The report of the Special Committee (document A/50/230) discusses the definition and implementation of peace-keeping mandates; consultation with troop-contributing countries; command and control; and safety and security for peace-keepers. The section on enhancing the capacity of peace-keeping operations examines planning, organization and effectiveness; training; rapid deployment and stand-by arrangements; public information; finances; and cooperation with regional organizations.
The Secretary-General's report on improving preparedness for conflict prevention and peace-keeping in Africa (document A/50/711), discusses issues relating to preventive diplomacy, peacemaking, peace-building, and peace- keeping in Africa. The section on peace-keeping covers such areas as personnel and training and stand-by arrangements, planning and financing, and cooperation with the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and subregional organizations. The report also contains proposals to enhance the capacity for conflict prevention and peace-keeping in Africa.
The letter from the Netherlands to the Secretary-General (document A/49/886) contains a preliminary study on a United Nations rapid deployment brigade. The report of the Joint Inspection Unit entitled "Investigation of the relationship between humanitarian assistance and peace-keeping operations"
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(document A/50/572) deals mainly with the coordination of activities of the United Nations organizations and agencies involved in conflict emergencies wherein humanitarian operations and peace-keeping operations are performed simultaneously by personnel of the United Nations system. (For details of those documents before the Committee see Press Release GA/SPD/75 issued on 13 November.)
ABDERAHMAN S. ABDERAHMAN (Egypt) said that given the United Nations current financial crisis, paying outstanding assessed contributions was the first and most important step in providing needed resources for peace-keeping operations. Delaying reimbursements would only constrain the ability of developing countries to contribute to peace-keeping and would work against the universal composition of troops taking part in such operations.
The lessons drawn from the United Nations operations in the former Yugoslavia should guide the international community's future peace-keeping endeavours, he said. The logic of peace-keeping flowed from political and military premises that were quite distinct from enforcement. When the Security Council authorized an operation under Chapter VII of the Charter, it should be clear in everyone's mind that the United Nations was departing from traditional peace-keeping, which is based on the consent of parties. When adopting enforcement measures the Council should strictly follow the Charter's provisions under Chapter VII. Expanding the definition of what constituted a threat to international peace and security could have a negative impact on the Organization's stature and credibility. That was also true when the political will to enforce peace was missing, as had been witnessed in Bosnia.
He stressed the important role of regional organizations as crucial to the success of preventive diplomacy measures. The Secretary-General's report on improving preparedness for conflict prevention and peace-keeping in Africa included promising proposals. His Government had decided to establish a training centre in Cairo for conflict resolution and peace-keeping in Africa and looked forward to exploring ways in which the centre's services could be used to implement some of the Secretary-General's proposals.
DMITRY YUDIN (Russian Federation) said there was a dangerous new tendency to downplay the role of the United Nations in peace-keeping or to act in circumvention of the Charter and the collective will of the Security Council. Also, there were voices advocating the mass use of military force to settle international problems, contending that the United Nations was unable to cope with new challenges by peaceful means. His country disagreed with such gloomy forecasts. The Organization should be provided with the appropriate means to carry out its tasks.
He said it was important to "drastically modernize the United Nations peace-making potential and first of all to establish uniform criteria for organizing and conducting peace-keeping operations". Such operations should
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respond to real threats to international or regional security. They should take political guidance from the Security Council. The transformation of operations, surpassing the decisions of the Council, was "inadmissible". All missions should have a feasible mandate, reasonable time-frame and adequate financing. There should not be automatic extensions of mandates.
The activities of the Security Council sometimes lacked consistency, he continued, and were even marked by double standards in approaching different situations and by attempts to artificially divide crises into "first-" or "second-grade" brands. It was obvious that such practices could seriously undermine the prestige of the United Nations. His Government was also concerned about the dangerous tendency of "favouring the use of enforcement elements and military force and departing from the established principles of peace maintenance in settling conflicts". His Government supported measures aimed at the improvement of the command and control structures of peace- keeping. Interaction among the Organization and regional organizations should be strengthened. The establishment of working relations between the United Nations and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was of particular importance. Unfortunately, repeated calls to the Organization to render more substantive support to peace-keeping efforts in the CIS did not meet adequate response. Rapid response and stand-by arrangements capability should be enhanced. Solutions were needed to the problems of the financing and the establishment of information components of peace-keeping operations.
SLAHEDDINE ABDELLAH (Tunisia) said peace-keeping should always be carried out with respect for the Charter principles. The need to define mandates clearly as part of a clear-cut strategy with unified command and control was also important. The peaceful settlement of disputes through the use of dialogue and negotiations could not be replaced. Enforcement action should only be used as a last resort. It was also important not to lose sight of the importance of development, as the improvement of peoples' living conditions was the best way to avoid conflict and disputes.
Regional organizations played a major role in peace-keeping, particularly in Africa, he said. OAU was increasing its efforts to prevent a continuation of conflicts on the continent and to promote development. Other countries outside Africa had shown their agreement with that role by funding the OAU's efforts to promote peace and development. The proposals in the Secretary-General's report would encourage increased cooperation between the United Nations and the OAU. The proposal that the United Nations help organize situation centres to help improve the OAU's capacity to deal with conflict situations, particularly urgent ones, was one example. He welcomed steps for the Security Council to improve its consultations with troop contributors who should be given sufficient time to examine pertinent documents, including resolutions, so that they could make a substantial contribution to the consultations. There should also be improved consultations between the Secretariat and potential troop contributors.
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The United Nations financial crisis was having a negative effect on troop contributors, particularly developing countries, he continued. It was crucial that all Member States pay their assessed contributions on time and in full. Measures to ensure the safety and security of United Nations personnel must be carefully studied as part of all peace-keeping operations. There was a need to standardize the norms of payment for death, illness or injury and to establish a unified scale for payment.
MANSOUR AL-OTAIBI (Kuwait) said the question of peace-keeping was one of the most important agenda items before the General Assembly. Peace-keeping operations were vital to alleviate hotbeds of tension, and were performing new roles in the humanitarian and development fields. However, problems in chain of command, training and financing remained serious obstacles to their success, which depended on the support of the international community. The only way to overcome the financial crisis was for Member States to pay assessments in full and on time. There should be a collective commitment to the financing of operations according to the Charter. Consultations with troop-contributing countries should be strengthened. The Department of Public Information (DPI) had a vital role to play in increasing understanding of the missions.
Since 1991, he continued, Kuwait had been host to the troops of the United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observer Mission (UNIKOM), which were stationed at the border with Iraq, and his Government continued to support their presence. He commended the leadership of UNIKOM and thanked all troop contributors. The responsibility for the failure of peace-keeping operations, due to delayed deployment and shortage of resources, was shouldered by the Secretariat and all Member States. He expressed support for the proposal of the Netherlands to create a rapid deployment brigade.
TARIG ALI BAKHIET (Sudan) said there must be respect for national sovereignty and the principle of non-interference in the domestic affairs of States. Effective machinery for auditing and monitoring the budgets and costs of peace-keeping operations was needed and those costs must be shared by all countries.
Noting proposals in the report of the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and the relationship between peace-keeping and humanitarian operations, he said some of the proposals were tantamount to interference in mandates. Conflicts must be solved and peace extended, and those tasks were the responsibility of the Security Council. It was the Economic and Social Council that dealt with human rights.
His Government supported suggestions contained in the Special Committee's report to ensure peace and security for United Nations staff, including civilian police. Non-governmental organizations must respect the integrity of the territory of Sudan as well as agreements they might have
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entered into with Sudanese authorities. Greater cooperation was needed between the Security Council and regional organizations which better understood the situation in their regions. That did not mean, however, that the Council's role in the settlement of disputes should be reduced.
EDWARD OMOTOSO, of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), said the Programme fully shared the view of the JIU that the task of humanitarian coordinator should be assigned to the United Nations Resident Coordinator, who was almost always the UNDP Resident Representative. In accordance with General Assembly resolutions, the Resident Representative was responsible for coordinating United Nations humanitarian assistance at the country level. No other organization had the network of 136 field offices that UNDP had.
He said the UNDP Administrator strongly believed that a separate humanitarian coordinator should be appointed only in the most exceptional circumstances, a view that was shared by the Department of Humanitarian Affairs (DHA) and the Inter-Agency Standing Committee. When the Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator required special assistance, he or she should be given adequate backstopping by the United Nations system through a humanitarian adviser or a support unit with the necessary resources.
In the last two years, he continued, UNDP had made a major commitment to strengthening the resident coordinator system. The quality of such coordinators had been upgraded through the selection mechanism, the training process, resource allocation and headquarters backstopping. Special terms of reference had been developed for the resident coordinator when he or she was also the humanitarian coordinator. Revised procedures for financial, administrative and personnel actions during emergencies and natural disasters had been issued. Also, the recruitment of resident coordinators had been opened to other United Nations organizations.
AHMAD MASARWEH (Jordan) said the Department of Peace-Keeping Operations (DPKO) had made important improvements in its operations, but the situation with regard to the staffing by military officers was a cause of concern. The Department had encouraged home countries to pick up the costs of their officers serving with DPKO at no cost to the United Nations. His Government extended its deep gratitude to countries which cooperated with the Organization and donated the costs of their officers.
But that situation had many drawbacks, he continued. It could lead countries with the capacity to pay for their officers to dominate the posts at Headquarters, thus depriving countries who did not have similar resources of the opportunity to dispatch soldiers, who were highly qualified, to New York. It would also deprive the Organization of the ability to avail itself of different military expertise and could diminish the necessary legality of peace-keeping operations.
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His Government, he said, did not wish to deprive the affluent countries from donating their services and was, in fact, grateful to them. However, the practice could be limited so that some officers were on loan and some were on secondment, with the Organization picking up the costs. That arrangement should be applicable to all the positions at DPKO.
JULIO ARMANDO MARTINI HERRERA (Guatemala), speaking on behalf of the Central American countries, said the region was particularly concerned with peace-keeping operations, which had contributed to peace in several countries there. The United Nations Observer Group in Central America (ONUCA) had made substantial contributions, as had the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador (ONUSAL).
He said Central America supported the recommendations of the Special Committee that peace-keeping operations should observe the Charter principles on respect for national sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs. Resources for operations should not be taken from resources for development activities.
He went on to say there must be a standard scale for death and disability benefits. Consultations between the Secretariat and troop contributors should be held early on, and equal opportunity should be provided to ensure the broadest possible participation of Member States. He expressed the hope that the Convention on the Safety and Security of United Nations Staff would soon come into force.
PETER FROMUTH (United States) said that the Special Committee's report emphasized several important areas in the peace-keeping infrastructure, and there had been significant action in some of them. The Secretary-General's initiative to form a rapidly deployable Headquarters element for future field operations, while not a complete answer to the problems associated in mission start-up, was a major step in that direction and could be achieved at relatively low cost. He also welcomed the proposal for a code of conduct for peace-keeping personnel and looked forward to its early completion and implementation.
He said his Government was concerned with a number of peace-keeping operation matters. First, there had been important progress in the last few years in the support provided to peace-keeping field operations and logistics. However, there were serious management issues which had been addressed in the annual report of the Office of Internal Oversight Services. The Field of Operations and Logistics Division could make or break efficient peace-keeping operations and it was important that the problems noted by the Office of Internal Oversight Services were addressed promptly and effectively. Second, the Special Committee had repeatedly emphasized the need for effective public information capacity as an integral part of peace-keeping operations, as well as the need for coordinated Headquarters support. But there had been little
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discernable progress in that area despite repeated requests to the Secretariat. He exhorted the Secretary-General to use the resources at his disposal, particularly within the DPI, to correct the situation as soon as possible.
His Government believed that a number of countries which were currently observers would make a highly positive contribution to the Special Committee's work. Membership in that Committee should be open to those observers from countries which were not contributing troops to peace-keeping operations or other personnel, or had previously done so.
PHONESAVANH CHANTHAVILAY (Lao People's Democratic Republic) said that given the complexity of peace-keeping operations today, there was a need to call for a collective thinking, and for taking into account the lessons learned from both past successes and recent failures. Peace-keeping operations should strictly adhere to Charter principles and purposes, particularly the principles of national sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs. The United Nations should explore ways to carry out more thorough preventive diplomacy and peacemaking. All Member States should pay their peace-keeping assessments in full and on time. And cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations should be strengthened.
He said that while playing an important role, peace-keeping operations would not resolve all conflicts occurring in the world, unless more attention was paid to the root causes of conflict, such as poverty and inadequate social development. Peace and development were mutually complementary and deserved equal consideration. Resources for peace-keeping should not be at the expense of resources for development activities.
E. A. AHMED (India) said the performance of the United Nations had been assessed mainly through the prism of peace-keeping, yet those activities had passed their peak with the operation in Yugoslavia winding down and the ending of the Haiti operation next year. Future operations should adhere to the following guiding principles: peace-keeping operations were no substitute for political solutions; they should be temporary and based on the consent of the parties; the use of force should only be undertaken as a last resort; they should adhere strictly to Charter principles and purposes; they should be distinct from other United Nations field operations; they must have clear mandates, time-frames, objectives, secured financing and adequate resources; and resources for peace-keeping should not be at the expense of those for development.
He said regional organizations had an important role to play in accordance with Chapter VII of the Charter in matters pertaining to international peace and security. Wherever the United Nations approved an
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operation it must have complete control and should have the capacity to carry it out. The primacy of the Organization's role in maintaining peace and security must be ensured.
ZAAL GOGSADZE (Georgia) said the proliferation of internal conflicts had placed ever-increasing demands on the United Nations. It had become obvious that preventive diplomacy was one of the most important stages in the peacemaking process. Preventive actions could take different forms, from economic development programmes and mediation to the preventive deployment of military and police personnel. The successful operation in The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia proved that preventive deployment was one of the most effective steps in promoting peace.
He expressed support for the establishment of a pool of special representatives and the creation of small-staff missions to implement the goals of preventive diplomacy. Any attempt to return to traditional peace- keeping would "limit the new role the United Nations plays in world affairs today". Some aspects of planning, managing and financing of peace-keeping operations had to be improved. A mechanism was needed to ensure the introduction of peace-keepers into the conflict zone immediately after the adoption of a decision. Stand-by forces of about 5,000 personnel, subordinated to the Military Staff Committee, should be established, he said. Although the United Nations acted exclusively through diplomatic channels, perhaps under the pressure of new realities, he said, the time had come to give the Organization "greater flexibility in exercising its own discretion when it comes to using coercive means, in absolutely outstanding cases".
GEOFFREY K. MURIITHI (Kenya) said it was important that all countries, particularly troop contributors and the affected States, should have the opportunity to participate fully in the Special Committee's deliberations. His Government had contributed both military and police personnel to various United Nations peace-keeping operations and was ready to continue to provide such assistance. There was a growing realization that prevention management and resolution of conflicts entailed wider approaches than limited military operations. Some options included support for development, peaceful settlement of disputes at the regional level through the full use of political and diplomatic avenues with the timely support of the United Nations and the international community.
There was a need to strengthen cooperation between the United Nations and the OAU, he continued. While recognizing the important contribution regional organizations could play in the maintenance of peace and security, it was also important to recognize their limitations. The United Nations must have the primary role in maintaining international peace and security. His Government was deeply concerned with the financial crisis facing the Organization. It was not acceptable that troop-contributing countries
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continued to subsidize countries which had refused to honour their assessed contributions. There should be no linkage between United Nations reform, on which there was general consensus, and the assessed contributions.
AHMAD KAMAL (Pakistan) said the whole concept of peace-keeping should be thoroughly reviewed. Peace enforcement measures should be sanctioned by the Security Council and employed for ensuring compliance of the parties with Council resolutions. Preventive diplomacy was the cornerstone of United Nations peace efforts. The concept of peace-keeping should be refined. Operations should not be put in strait-jackets.
He said Pakistan was the third largest troop contributor with almost 4,000 personnel participating in United Nations peace-keeping operations. To be effective, operations should have a clear political direction, a precise mandate, and an effective command and control structure, as well as defined rules of engagement. Operations should remain in place until the problem was resolved; time limits would encourage recalcitrant parties to buy time and move away from commitments. The problem of command and control was potentially inherent in the multinational structure. A system of prior consultation between the Security Council, troop contributors and the Secretariat should be institutionalized. The Force Commander and Deputy Commander should be appointed at an early stage to supervise the deployment of troops. Country groupings in multinational peace-keeping operations should not be on the basis of developed and developing countries.
In order for peace-keeping operations to be effective, he said, there should be no alteration in the mandate, character and duration of such operations. Like other developing countries, Pakistan was dependent on the United Nations for the provision of weapons and equipment for its troops. A reserve stock of standard equipment was needed. There should also be more than one logistics base, preferably on a regional basis. The Organization must apply uniform criteria for compensation in the case of death or injury. He expressed deep concern over the adverse effects that the deteriorating financial situation had on the reimbursement of troop contributors, which was "already threatening the continuation of existing peace-keeping operations". There was also an urgent need to develop training facilities like peace- keeping schools and colleges on a regional basis.
PEDRO NUNEZ MOSQUERA (Cuba) said the underlying premise of all peace- keeping operations was respect for the principles of national sovereignty, territorial integrity and impartiality. They must be governed by the Charter principles, and that was why respect for sovereignty of States and non- interference in their internal matters must be the foundation of all operations from their outset to their culmination. United Nations peace- keeping operations could not take place without keeping those principles in mind; thus it was necessary to have the consent of parties before starting any
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operation. Those operations should only be a tool of last resort and could not take the place of United Nations activities to settle conflicts peacefully. Such methods as mediation must be the machinery par excellence.
Increasingly over the last few years, the use of force on behalf of the United Nations had been used without the consent of parties, frequently with the excuse of humanitarian efforts which were really armed interventions. Bombs and bullets would not build development or peace. The wrongful use of both peace-keeping operations and other forms of intervention, such as humanitarian operations, clearly fell outside the purview of the Security Council and would only introduce negative elements into peace-keeping.
The command and control of peace-keeping operations must at all times be under the operational command of the United Nations -- a principle which continued to be breached. Operations must have clear-cut, precisely defined mandates with a definite concluding date. There must also be continuing consultations between the Security Council and troop contributors, a practice which should become institutionalized. Peace could not be imposed by military means or humanitarian interventions.
THEOPHILE SANGARE (Mali) said that during recent years, peace-keeping activities had broadened in a spectacular manner. Peace-keeping operations now involved new tasks, going beyond traditional activities. Mali was contributing to many operations. Peace-keeping operations should reflect the principles and purposes of the Charter. Their success depended on the full consent of the parties, impartiality, and the non-use of force except in cases of self-defence. They should have a clear mandate, a well defined command structure and the appropriate resources.
He said the slow deployment of troops had tragic consequences, and the international community should find a formula to set up a rapid reaction force. The most important factor was the presence in the field of competent and qualified staff, and training was essential. Many developing countries had encountered enormous difficulties in obtaining equipment for their troops. Bilateral partnerships should be created between countries to solve the problem. Mali remained committed to conflict prevention, which was less costly than managing conflict.
U HAU DO SUAN (Myanmar) said peace-keeping operations should strictly observe the principles of the Charter, particularly respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of States, and non- interference in the internal affairs of States. The United Nations should always maintain its credibility, effectiveness and neutrality in all its peace-keeping operations.
The increasing number and greater complexity of peace-keeping operations called for careful assessment of the experiences that the United Nations had
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recently undergone in its operations. One important lesson learned, he continued, was that the Security Council should be more conscious of when and under what mandate to begin operations. They must be clearly defined and, more important, agreement among major Powers must carry with it the support of the majority of Member States if they were to achieve the required result. Adequate funding and resources were prerequisites for peace-keeping operations to be successful. Their financing was the collective responsibility of all Member States.
His Government had contributed to a number of United Nations peace- keeping operations and had informed the Secretariat of its willingness to contribute military personnel and equipment to stand-by force arrangements and supported the strengthening of those arrangements. He noted the increased number of casualties in peace-keeping missions and agreed with the Special Committee that the Secretariat should intensify its efforts to improve the safety and security of United Nations personnel.
YANG LEE (Republic of Korea) said the past year marked a record number of peace-keeping missions. Successes were, in large measure, attributable to the heightened understanding of the concept of peace-keeping, continued enhancement of Secretariat capabilities and reinforced cooperation with regional organizations. Setbacks on Somalia and Bosnia were clear examples of how a mission could go awry without the proper resources and the lack of cooperation from parties.
He said his Government would provide about 800 men to the stand-by arrangement system. For the system to be effective, the Military Planning Unit must be strengthened. Stand-by arrangements were one of the most promising avenues to bolster rapid reaction capability in the short- and medium-term. He also expressed support for improving the Organizations's rapid deployment capability over the long-term.
He went on to say command and control needed improvement. Proper consultations were needed between troop contributors, the Security Council and the Secretariat. The international community should vigorously champion the safety and security of peace-keepers. He expressed support for the expanded membership of the Special Committee on Peace-keeping Operations.
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