SPECIAL COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF UN ABILITY TO RESPOND SWIFTLY TO PEACE-KEEPING NEEDS
Press Release
GA/PK/143
SPECIAL COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF UN ABILITY TO RESPOND SWIFTLY TO PEACE-KEEPING NEEDS
19960502 Adopts Report to General AssemblyThe Special Committee on Peace-keeping Operations urges that the Secretariat both continue to improve the Organization's ability to deploy peace-keeping operations quickly and develop further the system of stand-by arrangements, in the report of its 1996 session which the Special Committee adopted today. It recommends that Member States be invited to consider participating in various aspects of these arrangements, such as headquarters support, communications personnel and logistics. And it requests that the Secretariat keep Member States informed with regard to the development and composition of a rapidly deployable headquarters team.
In the report to the General Assembly on its 1996 session, which was held from 1 to 26 April, the Special Committee also urges that the Secretary- General and the competent bodies of the General Assembly take steps to correct the growing imbalance within the Department of Peace-keeping Operations between posts financed by the United Nations and the number of military officers on loan. United Nations financing should be provided for posts presently occupied by officers on loan, and recruitment for those posts should be conducted in accordance with established procedures and the Charter, it states.
The report of the currently 34-member Special Committee also clears the way for a substantial expansion of its membership. The 109 Member States who were past or present personnel contributors to United Nations peace-keeping operations, along with any other Member States who were observers at the 1996 session of the Special Committee, could become members at the 1997 session of the Special Committee, upon request in writing to the Chairman. In the future, Member States who become personnel contributors to peace-keeping operations or who participate in the Special Committee for three consecutive years as observers could become members at the following session of the Special Committee.
Further, the Special Committee welcomes the arrangements for consultation and exchange of information with troop-contributing countries set out in the statement of the President of the Security Council on 28 March. The report notes in particular the statement that the President of the Security Council will chair consultations with troop contributors and will report to the Council on the views expressed by troop contributors at each meeting.
The Chairman of the Special Committee, Ibrahim Gambari (Nigeria), said this morning he believed that the outcome of the Special Committee's 1996 deliberations would, once again, have a practical and positive impact on United Nations peace-keeping.
Introducing the report on behalf of the Rapporteur, Moataz Zahran (Egypt) said that "although there has been a decline in the number of United Nations personnel deployed on peace-keeping missions in the past year, the Committee considers it essential for the United Nations to be able to respond to threats to international peace and security". The United Nations has an opportunity to learn from recent experiences and enhance its efficiency.
The representative of Ukraine, Konstyantyn P. Elisseev, also spoke at the meeting, drawing attention to an error in the French translation of a part of the report. The report will be presented to the General Assembly at its fifty-first session later in the year.
Report of Special Committee
The Special Committee's report contains proposals, recommendations and conclusions concerning: the guiding principles, definitions and implementation of peace-keeping operations; consultations between troop- contributing countries and the Security Council; enhancing the United Nations capacity for peace-keeping; and Committee membership. While peace-keeping is one of the key instruments available to the United Nations to resolve conflicts and to maintain international peace and security, the report states, it is not a preferred method of containing conflicts. Every effort should be made to avoid the need for new peace-keeping operations, and to achieve the pacific settlement of disputes by the parties concerned through such means as negotiation, mediation and resort to regional agencies or arrangements.
The report stresses that peace-keeping operations need to be provided with clearly defined mandates, objectives, command structures and secure financing. And in the formulation and implementation of peace-keeping mandates, it is important to ensure congruence between mandates, resources and objectives. In cases where an existing peace-keeping operation is given additional mandates, the resources necessary for the implementation of those mandates should also be made available to the peace-keeping operation.
Peace-keeping Operations Committee - 3 - Press Release GA/PK/143 138th Meeting (AM) 2 May 1996
The section on enhancing United Nations peace-keeping capacity contains observations and recommendations regarding: planning, organization and effectiveness; safety and security; training; and cooperation with regional arrangements. The Special Committee encourages the continuing efforts of the Secretary-General to improve the Organization's structure and capacity for planning and managing peace-keeping operations, bearing in mind the need to give due regard to equitable geographical and gender representation. The Special Committee intends to address the issues raised by the Department of Peace-keeping Operations use of loaned personnel once the Secretary-General has presented his report on this question, as requested by General Assembly resolution 48/226C. The Special Committee notes with appreciation the ongoing work of the Department's Lessons Learned Unit. It urges that the Secretary- General seek regular, predictable financing for the Unit and that the Secretariat make available the Unit's already completed studies in all the official languages of the United Nations as soon as possible.
Concerning safety and security, the Special Committee expresses its grave concern at all attacks and acts of violence against United Nations peace-keeping and associated personnel. It urges the Secretariat to intensify further its efforts to provide an adequate level of protection and safety for peace-keepers, and to consider measures that could be taken to prevent attacks of all kinds, including those by snipers, against both United Nations personnel and civilians.
In the area of training, the Special Committee encourages the Secretariat to intensify its efforts to identify the particular police skills required for peace-keeping operations, to coordinate national civilian- training programs for peace-keeping operations and to take differences in national rank levels into account in its operational planning. It stresses that all civilian police involved in United Nations operations should have the necessary knowledge, skills and experience to perform their duties effectively.
The Special Committee believes that further reforms are necessary to ensure that the Department of Peace-keeping Operations has a predictable and stable financial base, the report states. It welcomes the efforts of the Secretary-General and the action taken by the General Assembly to reform the budgetary procedures and methods of managing and providing logistic support for peace-keeping operations. It expresses concern over protracted delays in the reimbursement of troop contributors, including delays in the processing of claims for troops and equipment provided by Member States to operations whose mandates have been completed. It urges that the Secretary-General accord high priority to the early settlement of all pending claims and ensure that all reimbursement takes place in a timely fashion -- among other things, through the provision of an adequate level of personnel to those units of the Secretariat dealing with these issues.
Peace-keeping Operations Committee - 4 - Press Release GA/PK/143 138th Meeting (AM) 2 May 1996
Regarding possible revisions to the current arrangements for death and disability benefits for peace-keeping personnel, the Special Committee notes the report of the Secretary-General (document A/49/906) on this subject, and it encourages the competent bodies of the General Assembly to arrive at an early decision on this matter. It welcomes General Assembly resolution 50/223, which among other things requests the Secretary-General to examine the possibility of a commercial insurance scheme to cover all troops and to report to the General Assembly thereon by 15 July.
General Debate
Resources for peace-keeping operations, proposed headquarters rapid- deployment capability, staffing of the Department of Peace-keeping Operations, command and control, and reimbursement of troop-contributing countries were among issues which stood out in the Special Committee's general debate held on 1, 2 and 3 April. The importance of early deployment of peace-keeping missions was stressed, with many delegations favouring the strengthening of stand-by arrangements and improving the pre-planning of operations within the Secretariat. Delegations supported ongoing efforts to establish a rapidly deployable operational headquarters team in the Secretariat and called for the recruitment of such a team from as many countries as possible. Many suggested that proposals on the establishment of a rapid-reaction capability should be examined cautiously because of the complex legal, financial, political and practical issues it raised.
Many speakers expressed concern about the inordinate delay in reimbursing Member States for their contributions of personnel and equipment. They also called for the establishment of a uniform scale of death-and- disability compensation for peace-keeping personnel. The Non-Aligned countries said funding for peace-keeping operations should not be at the expense of development activities. Expressing concern over the staffing of the Department of Peace-keeping Operations, they also urged strict observance of the principle of equitable geographical representation in the recruitment of personnel. They requested the Secretariat to provide the Special Committee with a comprehensive list of Department personnel, giving full details of those on secondment or regular contract, their nationalities, designations, levels and responsibilities.
Many delegations welcomed the new process of consultations between troop-contributing countries, the Security Council and the Secretariat announced by the President of the Security Council on 28 March. One delegate also said the Office of the Secretary-General's Military Adviser should be strengthened and that the Adviser should meet regularly with members of the Security Council Military Staff Committee.
Many representatives emphasized the importance of clear and achievable objectives for peace-keeping missions and the resources to carry them out.
Peace-keeping Operations Committee - 5 - Press Release GA/PK/143 138th Meeting (AM) 2 May 1996
Some said a distinction should be made between peace-keeping and peace- enforcement. Peace-keeping operations should follow guidelines, including respect for State sovereignty, principles of impartiality, consent of the parties, non-interference in internal affairs and non-use of force except in self-defence.
Greater attempts should be made to resolve disputes through mediation, arbitration and good offices as provided for in the Charter, some said. Many called for the enhancement of the Organization's early-warning and preventive- diplomacy capabilities.
Delegations stressed the importance of the unity of command and control of United Nations peace-keeping operations, observing that the overall political direction and control of such operations was the responsibility of the Secretary-General, acting through his special representative and the force commander. A view was expressed that one or a few Security Council permanent Member States should not be allowed to carry out military intervention in the name of the United Nations. No State should arrogate to itself the right to claim to be the main guarantor of peace and security in a region.
Opening the Special Committee's session on 1 April, the Under-Secretary- General for Peace-keeping Operations, Kofi Annan, reviewed reforms undertaken within the Secretariat to strengthen the Organization's peace-keeping capabilities.
Membership; Officers
The members of the Special Committee are: Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Mauritania, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Sierra Leone, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela and Yugoslavia.
The Committee also welcomed the participation of observers from Armenia, Azerbaijian, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Central African Republic, Chile, Colombia, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Ecuador, European Commission, Finland, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Slovak Republic, South Africa, Sweden, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay, Viet Nam and Zimbabwe.
Officers for this year's session were: Mr. Gambari (Nigeria), Chairman; Emilio J. Cardenas (Argentina), David Karsgaard (Canada), Yukinari Hirose (Japan) and Zbigniew Matuszewski (Poland), Vice-Chairmen; and Mr. Abderahman S. Abderahman (Egypt), Rapporteur. * *** *