ASSEMBLY WOULD URGE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROPOSALS OF PEACE-KEEPING COMMITTEE BY TERMS OF FOURTH COMMITTEE DRAFT, APPROVED WITHOUT VOTE
Press Release
GA/SPD/79
ASSEMBLY WOULD URGE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROPOSALS OF PEACE-KEEPING COMMITTEE BY TERMS OF FOURTH COMMITTEE DRAFT, APPROVED WITHOUT VOTE
19951116 Proposals Include Improved Peace-keeper Safety, Peace-keeper Training, Peace-keeper Code of Conduct, Stand-by ArrangementsThe General Assembly would urge Member States, the Secretariat and relevant United Nations bodies to take all necessary steps to implement the proposals of the Special Committee on Peace-keeping Operations by the terms of a draft resolution approved this afternoon by the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) as it concluded its consideration of peace-keeping operations.
The draft, which was approved without a vote as orally amended, would have the Assembly recommend that additional costs resulting from any of the proposals be accommodated within appropriation levels approved for 1994-1997, in accordance with the Organization's financial rules and regulations.
The Assembly would request the Special Committee to consider expanding its membership and its Chairman would be invited to consult with interested States and to submit specific recommendations to the next Assembly session.
The Special Committee's proposals include the intensification of efforts to improve the safety and security of peace-keepers, and the strengthening of peace- keeping training programmes. It also recommends the completion of a code of conduct for peace-keepers, further progress on stand-by arrangements, and the development of a rapidly deployable Headquarters team of personnel skilled in essential military and civilian functions.
The draft resolution was sponsored by Argentina, Canada, Egypt, Japan, Nigeria and Poland.
The representatives of Angola, Iran, Nepal, Qatar, Australia, Botswana, South Africa, Thailand, Nigeria, Iran and Nepal addressed the Committee. Representatives from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) also spoke.
The representatives of Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia spoke on a point of order.
The Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. tomorrow, 17 November, to begin consideration of the question of Israeli Practices in the Occupied Territories.
Committee Work Programme
The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) met this afternoon to conclude its general debate on the question of peace-keeping operations in all its aspects and take action on a related draft resolution.
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 on Peace-keeping Operations' 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 should 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 (document A/50/230) and the Secretary-General's report on conflict prevention and peace-keeping in Africa (document A/50/711). Other documents before the Committee include a letter from the Netherlands (document A/49/886), which contains a preliminary study on a United Nations rapid deployment brigade, letters from Ukraine and Austria, and the report of the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) entitled "Investigation of the relationship between humanitarian assistance and peace-keeping operations" (document A/50/572). (For details of those documents see Press Release GA/SPD/75 issued on 13 November.)
JOSEFA GUILHERMINA COELHO DA CRUZ (Angola) said her country was beginning to see an end to the years of conflict which had plagued it. In order to rebuild peace in Angola, the United Nations had established the United Nations Angola Verification Mission (UNAVEM III) which would have 7,000 blue helmets working under its flag. In order to carry out the operation the United Nations and the Angolan Government had signed a headquarters agreement. Although there had been some delays in de-mining and demobilization due to logistical considerations, her Government was satisfied with the United Nations role in furthering peace in Angola and was grateful to the international community and humanitarian organizations for their efforts to help achieve peace in her country.
Noting the report of the Special Committee, she said her Government stressed forcefully that all peace-keeping operations should act strictly within the principles and purposes laid out in the Charter. Such operations should be impartial and authorized in agreement of the Member States involved. To be effective, peace-keeping operations must be provided with adequate financial and material resources.
Mr. THAMER (Qatar) said that peace-keeping operations had been effective in a number of countries such as Namibia, Mozambique, Angola and Haiti. But in other areas there had been serious failures such as the operation in Somalia. Some of the conflicts had deep roots and efforts to achieve peace had failed because they really needed years of diplomacy. Other operations had organizational problems as well as problems with their mandates and financing. Peace had been strengthened through
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such United Nations activities as the monitoring of elections, de-mining, the monitoring of disarmament and post-conflict reconstruction.
The failure in Somalia was related to unusual and complicated political considerations. The situation in the Former Yugoslavia was similarly complicated. But those missions had not been useless as they had enabled the international community to understand the limits of peace-keeping operations. The Secretary- General's report had stressed the importance of certain principles for establishing future peace-keeping operations. They included the principles of impartiality, the non-use of force, and respect for legality, sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs. Regional organizations could play an important role in helping to maintain peace and security.
CHRISTOPHER RICHARD PRICKETT (Australia) said recent conflicts had highlighted the importance of strengthening the United Nations collective security capacity. The Organization could and should do more to stop disputes from escalating into armed conflict, by building stronger preventive machinery and by operating as an active agent for the resolution and management of disputes as envisaged in Article 33 of the Charter. His Government shared the concern of others that double standards in the handling of peace-keeping operations in different regions would be allowed to develop in the Security Council. Such a development would have specially serious implications for those regions that could least afford it, and would impair the credibility and authority of the Council.
The failure of the largest Member State contributor and its high level of arrears was a considerable concern to Australia and it rejected a unilateral decision by any Member State to alter its agreed level of assessment. The burden of the current financial crisis was being shifted to troop contributors. Delays in reimbursement of troop contributors would constrain the ability of some countries to participate in United Nations peace-keeping operations, thus affecting their universal composition. Mandates formulated by the Security Council must be realistic and achievable. There had been too many examples of politically influenced Security Council mandates -- driven by the need to be seen to be doing something -- which had not been achievable in the field or which lacked the necessary resources.
LEAPOTSWE BANTSI (Botswana) said the effectiveness of peace-keeping missions depended on the willingness of parties to the conflict to establish and maintain a peaceful, stable and secure environment and their readiness to cooperate with the Security Council. However, the Council was under close scrutiny from Member States who believed that it should be expanded to take into account the increase in United Nations membership. That perceived lack of legitimacy might be why the United Nations resolutions and decisions were not heeded by some Member States. The size and composition of the Special Committee also needed to be urgently addressed.
The Organization's financial situation was particularly disturbing, she said. No peace-keeping operation could be successful without adequate resources. Member States that had not honoured their financial obligations should make their contributions to the regular and peace-keeping budgets on time and in full. Recent conflicts had tested the capacity of the United Nations to respond in a timely manner to crises. However, her Government had some reservations about the establishment of a permanent rapid deployment brigade. Where the brigade would be stationed when it was not operating, its financing, who would keep it in a state of
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readiness and whether it would give the United Nations an undesirable military image were all questions which needed to be addressed.
BRUNO ZIMMERMAN, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said on a number of occasions, peace-keeping forces had been called upon to carry out full- fledged military operations, confronting entirely new problems related to methods and means of combat, detention of prisoners or protection of civilians. The question of the applicability of international humanitarian law to peace-keeping had become extremely topical. The ICRC believed that all the provisions of international humanitarian law were applicable when United Nations contingents resorted to force, whereas the United Nations believed that it was bound only by the "principles and spirit" of the humanitarian law treaties. There was a need for clarification and detailed study of this question.
He said the ICRC had produced a document entitled "International humanitarian law for forces undertaking United Nations peace operations", which would shortly be the subject of informal consultations with the Secretariat. The text sets out a number of basic principles and essential provisions of international humanitarian law relating to all categories of victims protected under this body of law. It also establishes that United Nations forces are bound to observe those rules from the moment they resorted to the use of force against organized armed forces. The ICRC hoped the document would be distributed to all peace-keepers. Sound training in international humanitarian law had preventive value and was the best guarantee that operations would be conducted in compliance with the law.
MARSON SHARPLEY (South Africa) said the management of conflicts could not be looked at in military terms alone. The promotion of human rights, democracy, good governance, development, protection of the environment were also important, as were the prohibition of arms proliferation, drug trafficking, the status of women, the protection of children and a will to address the needs of the marginalized.
He said South Africa supported the international community's efforts to bring peace and stability to the African continent, and was fully committed to preventive diplomacy, peace-keeping and peacemaking. His Government would continue to cooperate with fellow members of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) to explore appropriate systems of conflict prevention. Its policy of military transparency and the use of resources to ensure regional stability should lay the cornerstones for future inter-State cooperation to ensure peace and stability in the region. Today it was imperative for the African continent to recover from its recent pessimism characterized by political instability, dictatorship, civil war, refugee flows, persistent economic decline and continued impoverishment.
NITYA PIBULSONGGRAM (Thailand) said that respect for the principles of consent, impartiality and non-use of force was essential to the success of peace- keeping operations. His Government fully supported the views expressed in the final document of the Summit of the Non-Aligned Countries convened in Colombia this past October. In Cambodia, the exclusion of one of the factions from the final settlement process nearly led to violence and the return to the use of force, and could have resulted in the peace-keeping operation's failure.
He said proliferation of peace-keeping was producing an imbalance within the United Nations system. There should be a balance between expenses incurred in peace-keeping and in development. Prosperity and fair distribution of wealth could
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help avoid major conflicts. While the Security Council held primary responsibility for peace-keeping, the General Assembly should also participate, particularly in such areas as assessment of effectiveness, coordination between United Nations bodies, as well as the formulation of guidelines and principles. Consultations should include not only troop-contributing countries but also the nations directly concerned. It would make good sense to curtail the dramatic increase in the expense of peace-keeping operations. The membership of the Special Committee should be expanded.
Mr. VAHER, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), said it was time to develop field operational guidelines for humanitarian and peace-keeping collaboration in such areas as joint training, strategy development and cooperation with specific national peace-keeping contingents. He noted that
there was a JIU study under preparation entitled "Involvement of the United Nations System in Providing and Coordinating Humanitarian Assistance" and he asked that UNICEF be involved and receive adequate opportunity to provide views to the inspector.
The JIU report before the Committee entitled "Investigation of the Relationship Between Humanitarian Assistance and Peace-keeping" stressed the need for further coordinated action not only between the different actors and agencies but also between the field and headquarters. The UNICEF was working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the World Food Programme (WFP) to increase coordination in complex emergency situations. The UNICEF viewed the Inter- Agency Steering Committee as the major instrument for coordinating policy issues related to humanitarian assistance and strongly supported the process. The UNICEF agreed with the recommendation emphasizing the need for Member States to afford protection against land-mines to staff in the field. A top priority was to establish clear lines of responsibility among the various United Nations agencies while recognizing the need for improved coordination and cooperation among the different components.
IBRAHIM GAMBARI (Nigeria) said the international community must not relent in the quest for global peace and security through measures relating to preventive diplomacy, peacemaking and strategies for global economic and social development. Peace-keeping operations should comply with the guiding principles of the Charter. Rapid reaction capabilities should be developed further taking into account the views of Member States and the wider legal, political and financial implications. Nigeria welcomed the coming into being of the stand-by arrangements and would provide a unit for the system.
He expressed the hope that arrangements for consultation between the Security Council and troop contributors be developed further. Given national experience in West Africa, in particular Liberia, the need could not be overemphasized for improved cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations. Such support could include support in the provision of financial and material resources, logistics as well as political backing. Peace-keeping operations should not be financed through voluntary contributions. There was a trend towards selective treatment of crises in different regions of the world, particularly in Africa. The United Nations must remain even-handed and impartial.
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MAJID TAKHT-RAVANCHI (Iran) said the unprecedented growth in the number of peace-keeping operations had strained the financial capacities of the United Nations. There was a growing awareness among Member States of the need to clearly establish a set of principles and guidelines to govern all operations. All aspects of peace-keeping operations should adhere strictly to
the principles and purposes of the Charter. The distinction between peace-keeping and other United Nations activities should be maintained at all times, and operations such as humanitarian assistance should be distinct from peace-keeping operations.
He said there should be full transparency in the establishment of peace-keeping operations as well as in their composition. Peace-keeping operations should not evolve into operations of a military nature and their resources should not be provided at the expense of development activities. The role of the General Assembly in peace-keeping should be enhanced, and expansion of the membership of the Special Committee could be helpful in this regard.
KRISHNA K. RAI (Nepal) said the nature, content and context of peace-keeping operations had undergone a fundamental transformation in recent years and their functions were different from the traditional role of monitoring cease-fires and truce agreements. They had to perform multiple tasks ranging from electoral assistance to humanitarian activities and relief works in excessively dangerous situations. It was therefore important that peace-keeping mandates be precisely defined and adhered to the principles and purposes of the Charter. The United Nations must enhance the operational efficiencies and effectiveness of its peace- keeping operations. His Government welcomed recent initiatives to streamline the Department of Peace-keeping Operations.
Stand-by arrangements could be an important framework to enhance the preparedness of the United Nations in emergency situations, he continued. He welcomed the Secretary-General's effort to develop the system and reiterated his Government's support for the initiative concerning the stand-by forces to be made available within pre-arranged times for any new or expanded peace-keeping operation. He also stressed the importance of providing adequate financial and material resources for peace-keeping operations. Timely and full payment of assessed contributions by all Member States was essential. It was painful to see the United Nations smarting under the acute financial problems at a time when it was expected to carry out an increasing number of functions.
The representative of Greece, speaking on a point of order, said that in connection with the use of the name used by the representative of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, he reminded him that Security Council resolution 817 (1993) had entered the name of that Member State as the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and any differences on that matter had not yet been settled.
The representative of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia said that the representative of Greece had incorrectly interpreted the Security Council resolution and there was no reason why he could not use his country's constitutional name.
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The representative of Greece said it was not a question of interpretation because it was quite clear that if the Security Council had intended that the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia could be called by any other name it would have said so.
Draft Resolution
The representative of Canada introduced an oral amendment to the draft text. A new preambular paragraph 8 would be inserted and read as follows:
"Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General on improving preparedness for conflict prevention and peace-keeping in Africa (A/50/711) and the recommendations therein, which should be considered further in consultations with the Organization of African Unity (OAU)."
The Committee approved the inclusion of the preambular paragraph without a vote.
The resolution as orally revised was then approved without a vote.
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