SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON PEACE-KEEPING APPROVES WORKING GROUP'S TWO-WEEK PROGRAMME
Press Release
GA/PK/142
SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON PEACE-KEEPING APPROVES WORKING GROUP'S TWO-WEEK PROGRAMME
19960404 The Special Committee on Peace-keeping Operations this afternoon approved the work programme for its working group, which will be meeting from 9 to 24 April.The work programme contains three clusters: issues for discussion in the working group before the consideration of draft conclusions and recommendations for the Committee's report; issues for Secretariat briefings which would be followed by discussion in the working group; and other issues.
The first cluster has four items: expansion of the Committee membership; directions for United Nations peace-keeping, including definitions, mandates and principles; consultations on peace-keeping issues within the Organization; and cooperation with regional organizations and arrangements.
The second cluster has six items: financing of peace-keeping operations and funding for the Department of Peace-keeping Operations, including troop- contributor reimbursement and death and disability issues; structure and staffing of the Department including the issue of loaned staff; lessons learned; rapid-reaction capabilities including stand-by arrangements and deployable headquarters issues; training; and civilian police.
Committee Vice-Chairman and Chairman of the working group, David Karsgaard (Canada), said the issues in the first cluster either did not require the Secretariat's involvement, or such involvement would be inappropriate. On the second cluster it had seemed beneficial for the working group to have Secretariat briefings to provide a framework for the discussions. In that way, the working group's recommendations and conclusions could be current and directly relevant. Also, the draft list of discussion points was not exhaustive. The inclusion of the third cluster was to make that clear.
The Committee Chairman, Ibrahim Gambari (Nigeria), said the working group would begin by discussing the expansion of the Committee's membership. After that, the order of discussion had not been determined and it would be adapted to fit with the availability of Secretariat staff for briefings. Responding to concerns expressed that various peace-keeping issues were being
examined by the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary), he said while there was overlap between the Special Committee's work and that of the Fifth Committee, the mandate of the Special Committee was to discuss peace-keeping in all its aspects. The Special Committee should take note of the Fifth Committee's work -- and vice-versa.
Also speaking in the discussion on the work programme were representatives of Brazil, Cuba, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Romania, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States and Uruguay.
The Committee agreed to allow Kyrgyzstan to participate as an observer.
The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m., Tuesday, 9 April.
* *** *