IMPACT OF UN FINANCIAL CRISIS ON TROOP-CONTRIBUTING DEVELOPING COUNTRIES CAUSE FOR CONCERN, SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON PEACE-KEEPING TOLD
Press Release
GA/PK/139
IMPACT OF UN FINANCIAL CRISIS ON TROOP-CONTRIBUTING DEVELOPING COUNTRIES CAUSE FOR CONCERN, SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON PEACE-KEEPING TOLD
19960402 The impact of the United Nations financial problems on its peace-keeping operations and on troop-contributing developing countries was a particular concern of speakers this afternoon as the Special Committee on Peace-Keeping Operations continued its general debate.The representative of Jordan suggested the Committee explore the possibility of a mechanism that would give priority to reimbursing troop- contributing developing countries. The representative of India said the United Nations should be able to mount peace-keeping operations without anxiety about finances. Non-payment of reimbursements owed to developing countries on the peace-keeping account was likely to hamper their ability to contribute to peace-keeping operations.
The representative of Algeria said the permanent members of the Security Council in particular must pay their assessments on time and without preconditions, and the United Nations must pay its obligations to the troop- contributing countries, especially to the poorer countries. He also said it was essential for the United Nations to respond quickly to the need for peace- keeping operations, so as to avoid such massacres as have recently been witnessed, particularly in Africa.
Also speaking during the general debate were the representatives of Indonesia, Kenya, Pakistan, Republic of Korea and Romania.
The Committee agreed to allow the Congo and Jamaica to participate as observers.
The Committee will meet again at 11:30 a.m. tomorrow, 3 April, to continue its general debate.
Special Committee Work Programme
The Special Committee on Peace-keeping Operations met this afternoon to continue general debate as part of its efforts to make a comprehensive review of the whole question of peace-keeping operations in all its aspects. Under the mandate entrusted to it by General Assembly resolution 50/30 of 22 December 1995, the Committee was also to review the implementation of its previous proposals and consider new proposals so as to enhance the capacity of the United Nations to fulfil its peace-keeping responsibilities. (For more information, see Press Release GA/PK/137.)
Statements
NALIN SURIE (India) said peace-keeping operations would remain a significant arm of the United Nations in its efforts to maintain international peace and security. He said it was now opportune for the Committee to build on guiding principles it had begun to formulate at its last session. His delegation supported expansion of the Special Committee membership. It believed in effective consultation between the Security Council and troop- contributing countries for effective implementation of Council's mandates.
He said proposals on establishment of a rapid reaction capability should be looked at with caution and assessed, inter alia, on grounds of need, accountability, effectiveness, financial impact and attendant legal and political consequences. Studies on the subject so far raised more questions than answers, he said. Recommendations on reimbursement of contingent-owned equipment should be accepted in toto and implemented early. He also called for early resolution of the issue of equal compensation for death and disability benefits. He recalled a United Nations regional peace-keeping training workshop held in New Delhi last January to provide a comprehensive view of the existing and planned peace-keeping trend in the region. The Department of Peace-keeping Operations had assessed the workshop to have been successful.
He said the United Nations should be able to mount peace-keeping operations without anxiety about finances. Countries should pay their assessed contributions in full, on time and without condition. Non-payment of reimbursement owed to developing countries on the peace-keeping account was likely to impact adversely on their ability to contribute effectively to United Nations peace-keeping operations.
HASAN ABU-NIMAH (Jordan) said that turning the Committee into an open- ended forum was a necessary step toward the reactivation of all Member States' participation. Should such an open-ended forum not prove acceptable, the only other viable alternative would be the incorporation of all troop contributors in the membership of the Committee.
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The Committee should consider carefully the issues of delays in reimbursement of troop-contributing countries and their impact on developing countries, he said. The Committee should explore the possibility of introducing a mechanism that would give priority to reimbursing troop- contributing developing countries. Otherwise, only those countries which can afford to pay their troops would contribute personnel to peace-keeping.
Cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations in the field of peace-keeping should be enhanced, he continued. The ability of such regional arrangements for sensing imminent conflicts could facilitate preventative diplomacy.
PETRU DUMITRIU (Romania) said his country subscribed to the statement made by Italy on behalf of the European Union. He said Member States should not be misled by the quantitative decrease in the number of peace-keepers deployed in conflict areas. That development did not mean a decline in the interest and importance of peace-keeping operations. His delegation was satisfied with a recent initiative to strengthen the mechanism of consultations between Security Council members and troop-contributing countries. It was grateful to the initiators of the move. His delegation welcomed the recent report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) on the reform of procedures for determining reimbursement to Member States for contingent-owned equipment.
He also expressed appreciation for the efforts of some States, particularly Denmark, Canada and the Netherlands, to elaborate ideas to improve the capacity for rapid reaction of the United Nations in crisis situations. The concept of multinational high readiness brigade proposed by Denmark deserved attention. His delegation also welcomed work done on a rapidly deployable headquarters, a proposal which, he hoped, would be implemented.
ISSLAMET POERNOMO (Indonesia) said it was essential that the Committee continue devoting attention to the adoption of a set of principles and guidelines for United Nations peace-keeping operations. Serious consideration should be given to the relevant provisions in the Final Document adopted at the Conference held in Cartagena from 18 to 20 October 1995 and the principles adopted at the Non-Aligned Movement conference held in Cairo in 1984.
Membership of the Committee should be open-ended, he said. As regards financing, he stressed the special responsibilities of permanent Member States of the Security Council. It was also important to deal with the question of reimbursement of troop and equipment contributors and to establish a uniform United Nations scale of death and disability compensation. The question of stand-by arrangements merited careful study and consideration, especially in
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light of its complex implications regarding funding and facilities, among other things.
CHOI SUNG-HONG (Republic of Korea) called for enhanced partnership between the United Nations and regional organizations in peace-keeping operations. His country's recent pledge to the Voluntary Fund for peace- keeping operations in Georgia and its provision of 30 vehicles and 20 office- convertible containers to United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) in 1995 was a gesture of support to the tripartite working relationship in peace-keeping among Member States, the United Nations and the regional organizations. He said the Department of Peace-keeping Operations should be restructured to implement future peace-keeping initiatives and their back-stopping requirements. His delegation welcomed the outcome of the two working groups on contingent-owned equipment and also urged Member States to pay their assessment in full and on time.
His delegation believed that improvement of United Nations stand-by arrangements would bolster the Organization's capability in peace-keeping operations. He called for a more formal and institutionalized mechanism of consultations between troop-contributing countries and the Security Council.
He announced that a United Nations Peace-keepers Garden was recently dedicated in Seoul to pay tribute to the more than 750,000 peace-keepers who had participated in United Nations peace-keeping operations since 1948.
NACERDINE SAI (Algeria) said that while the United Nations acted in the name of the international community as a whole, in reality decision-making remained the privilege of a small number of countries whose goals did not always represent the collective will of the Member States. All the majority of States had was some limited rights to express their opinions. Algeria had expressed itself in favour of a true right of review before the launching or prolongation of a peace-keeping operation. In that regard, the declaration of the President of the Security Council on 28 March 1996 regarding consultations on peace-keeping operations was a step forward, albeit limited.
It was essential, he continued, for the United Nations to respond quickly to the need for peace-keeping operations, so as to avoid such massacres as have recently been witnessed, particularly in Africa. The United Nations financial crisis was due in the main to the fact that certain countries were not meeting their financial obligations. Those countries -- in particular if they were permanent members of the Security Council -- must pay their assessments on time and without preconditions. For its part, the United Nations must pay its obligations to the troop-contributing countries, especially to the poorer countries. There must also be a uniform system of compensation for death and disability of peace-keeping personnel.
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AHMAD KAMAL (Pakistan) said the whole concept of peace-keeping should be thoroughly reviewed, with consideration also being given to the peace-making and peace-enforcement role of the United Nations. It was important that the Untied Nations evolve an early warning mechanism to act before the outbreak of a conflict. Greater attempts should be made to resolve disputes through recourse to the Chapter VI provisions of the Charter regarding mediation, arbitration and good offices. There was an urgent need for increasing use of the mechanism of special representatives, particularly in cases of unresolved conflicts on the United Nations agenda. He expressed his country's appreciation and gratitude to the troop-contributing countries currently providing observers to the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP).
United Nations peace-keeping operations should have a clear political direction, a precise mandate, an effective command and control structure as well as well-defined rules of engagement. A system of prior consultations between the Security Council, prospective troop-contributing countries and the Secretariat should be institutionalized before the mandate of a mission was decided. Command and control arrangements for the mission as well as groupings for various sectors or regions should be thoroughly discussed with troop-contributing countries. He said the force commander, the deputy force commander and other staff appointments should be decided at an early stage, with the concurrence of the concerned parties. They should determine the operational aims and objectives as well as supervise the deployment of troops. There should be no alteration in the mandate, character and duration of such operations, he said.
Joining several other speakers, he reiterated his country's concern about the present system of compensation for death or disability in the case of national contingents and added that a uniform criteria should be applied. He said the Department of Peace-keeping Operations, apart from abiding by the principle of equitable geographical representation, should also follow the laid-down procedure of short-listing candidates from a particular geographical region before a final selection was made.
PHILIP R.O. OWADE, observer for Kenya, said prevention, management and resolution of conflicts required more varied approaches than mere military operations. Considering the successes and failures of the recent United Nations peace-keeping operations, more attention should be paid to economic development and peaceful settlement of disputes at the subregional and regional levels. Funding of peace-keeping operations should not be at the expense of development activities.
While regional organizations could play an important role in the maintenance of international peace and security, it was imperative to recognize the variations and limitations of some of the regional
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organizations, he continued. The primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security lay with the United Nations, as enshrined in the Charter. Regional organizations should concentrate on the peaceful settlement of conflicts through mediation, reconciliation, arbitration and other forms of diplomatic initiatives.
IBRAHIM GAMBARI (Nigeria), Chairman of the Committee, reminded those Member States that were not members of the Special Committee and who wished to participate in its work to submit their requests in writing as soon as possible. He reiterated that the general debate would conclude tomorrow afternoon, 3 April.
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