WORLD COMMUNITY MUST NOT NEGLECT INTERNATIONAL CONFLICT AREAS EVEN WHEN PARTIES NOT READY TO SETTLE, COMMITTEE IS TOLD

18 November 1996

Press Release
GA/SPD/96

WORLD COMMUNITY MUST NOT NEGLECT INTERNATIONAL CONFLICT AREAS EVEN WHEN PARTIES NOT READY TO SETTLE, COMMITTEE IS TOLD

19961118 Debate Begins on Peace-Keeping; Under-Secretary-General Reviews Lessons Learned from Recent United Nations Operations

When the parties to a conflict were genuinely interested in achieving settlement, "mountains could be moved in the interest of peace", Kofi A. Annan, Under-Secretary-General for Peace-keeping Operations, told the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) this morning. But even when they were not, that was not a reason for the rest of the world to neglect its responsibility towards international conflict areas. As the Committee opened debate on peace-keeping operations, the Under- Secretary-General reviewed major lessons learned from recent efforts in behalf of peace. He said the conflicts of recent years had called for new ways of understanding how to solve the problems of international peace and security. Many speakers addressed the financing of peace-keeping, the compensation of troop-contributing countries, and rapid deployment. The representative of China said some countries that withheld their assessed contributions also loaned officers to the Department of Peace-keeping Operations; that practice had altered its composition in a manner that was unfavourable to developing countries. It was unjust that compensation to peace-keepers injured or killed in operations should be at different levels that depended on country of origin, said the representative of Bangladesh.

The representative of Thailand, speaking on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, said peace-keeping was not the solution to conflict, but a means to contain conflicts while ways to resolve them peacefully were pursued.

The representative of Ireland, on behalf of the European Union and associated States, urged the Committee to adopt the recommendation to enlarge the membership of the Special Committee on Peace-Keeping Operations.

Statements were also made by representatives of Ecuador, Tunisia, Uruguay, Nepal, Norway, Jamaica, Egypt, and the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU).

The Fourth Committee meets again at 3 p.m. today to resume its consideration of peace-keeping in all its aspects.

Committee Work Programme

The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) met this morning to begin its comprehensive review of the question of peace-keeping operations. It has before it the report of the Special Committee on Peace- keeping Operations and a related resolution and also a draft text on the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel.

The report of the Special Committee on Peace-keeping Operations on its 1996 session (document A/51/130 of 7 May) presents a number of observations and recommendations on those operations. It states that the recent decrease in new operations and decline in the numbers of peace-keepers deployed provides an opportunity to put the Department of Peace-keeping Operations on a more stable footing, enhance its efficiency, implement the Special Committee's recommendations, and respond to lessons learned from recent experience.

The report describes peace-keeping as a the key instrument available for resolving conflicts and maintaining peace and security. It is not a preferred method for containing conflicts but can prevent conflicts from escalating while efforts at peaceful resolution are being pursued. Every effort should be made for the early resolution of conflicts through negotiation, inquiry, mediation, arbitration and other peaceful means.

Stressing that peace-keeping operations should strictly observe the principles and purposes of the United Nations Charter, the Special Committee emphasizes that respect for the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of States and non-intervention in matters essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any State are crucial in peace-keeping operations.

Operations must be provided with clearly defined mandates, objectives, command structures and secure financing, the report states. There must be congruence between peace-keeping mandates, resources and objectives, and unity of command must be ensured. The Committee encourages the Security Council and troop-contributing countries to make full use of the new arrangements for consultation and information-exchange among them.

The report also addresses efforts to enhance the United Nations peace- keeping capacity. It encourages the efforts of the Secretary-General to improve the structure and capacity for planning and managing operations, both at Headquarters and in the field. Both he and the competent bodies of the General Assembly are urged to provide for United Nations financing of posts now occupied by officers on loan, recruiting for those posts in accordance with established procedures. The need for regular and predictable financing for the purposes of planning is stressed.

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Among other matters, the Secretary General is also urged to seek regular, predictable financing for the Lessons Learned Unit and to keep the Special Committee and Member States apprised of its work. The Special Committee calls for greater coordination between the units responsible for demining operations with the Department of Peace-keeping Operations and the Department of Humanitarian Affairs. It also reaffirms the importance of an effective public information capacity, appropriate to the size of the operation, to spread awareness of its nature and purposes.

The Special Committee expresses its grave concern at all attacks and acts of violence against United Nations peace-keeping and associated personnel, and urges the Secretariat to intensify its efforts to provide an adequate level of protection and safety for peace-keepers. It encourages the Secretary-General to expand the use of training assistance teams and encourages him to continue efforts to share training information among national and regional institutions.

The Secretariat is encouraged to intensify its efforts to identify particular police skills requirements for peace-keeping operations, while Member States are encouraged to include police elements among those units they identify in standby arrangements with the United Nations. The Committee again states its concern over the length of time taken to deploy peace-keeping operations after establishment of their mandates. It encourages Member States to provide information on the time needed to deploy standby troops.

Concern is expressed over protracted delays in the reimbursement of troop contributors, with the Committee urging the Secretary-General to give high priority to the early settlement of all pending claims. He is also asked to ensure that all reimbursement takes place in a timely fashion. It is stressed that Member States must pay their contributions in full and on time, so as not to undermine the effectiveness of United Nations peace-keeping operations.

The Special Committee encourages the strengthening of cooperation between the United Nations and regional arrangements. It recognizes the need to enhance cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and encourages the Secretary-General to continue his work, in consultation with the OAU and its member States, to reinforce African capacity to participate in peace-keeping.

In addition, the Special Committee recommends that its membership be expanded to include Member States which are past or present personnel contributors to United Nations peace-keeping operations and which are observers at its 1996 session, upon their request. Lists of those States, as well as of the Special Committee's current members, are annexed to the report.

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The report also reviews the Special Committee's discussions during its 1996 session.

Addressing its opening meeting, Kofi Annan, Under-Secretary-General for Peace-keeping Operations, said a number of operations had been terminated over the past year and that funding for the Department of Peace-keeping Operations was likely to be reduced. Nevertheless, proposals introduced by the Secretary-General, if adopted, would enable the Department to preserve its structural integrity, thus maintaining the Organization's capacity to manage existing operations, and, if necessary, launch new ones.

He said reforms aimed at strengthening peace-keeping had included creation of a Mission Planning Service to design complex operations in coordination with other Departments, and a Situation Centre to maintain 24-hour contact with personnel worldwide. A Policy and Analysis Unit and Lessons Learned Unit were established, as well as a Training Unit, to promote standardized peace-keeping training among troop contributors. A Civilian Police Unit advised on operational police matters. New procedures for consultations among the Security Council, troop-contributing countries and the Secretariat were also established.

Also before the Committee is a draft resolution (document A/C.4/51/L.9) which would have the Assembly endorse the proposals, recommendations and conclusions of the Special Committee and urge Member States, the Secretariat and relevant organs of the United Nations to take all necessary steps to implement them.

Also by the draft, the Assembly would recommend that, should any of the proposals contained in the text result in budgetary implications for the bienniums 1996-1997 and 1998-1999, such additional costs should be accommodated within the appropriation levels approved by the Assembly for those bienniums, in accordance with the Financial Regulations and Rules of the Organization.

In addition, the Assembly would decide to expand the membership of the Special Committee in accordance with the provisions of its report; those Member States which are past or present personnel contributors to United Nations peace-keeping operations and those which were observers at the 1996 session of the Special Committee should, upon request in writing to the Chairman of the Committee, become members at its 1997 session. It would also decide that those Member States which become personnel contributors to United Nations peace-keeping operations in years to come or participate in the future in the Special Committee for three consecutive years as observers should, upon request in writing to the Chairman of the Committee, become members at the following session of the Committee.

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The Assembly would further decide that the Special Committee, in accordance with its mandate, should continue its efforts for a comprehensive review of the whole question of peace-keeping operations in all their aspects, including a review of the implementation of its previous proposals and consider new proposals so as to enhance the capacity of the United Nations to fulfil its responsibilities in that field.

The draft is sponsored by Argentina, Canada, Egypt, Japan, Nigeria and Poland.

Another draft before the Committee (document A/C.4/51/L.10) concerns the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel. Under its provisions, the Assembly would welcome all signatures, ratifications, acceptances, approvals and accessions to the Convention. It would urge all States that have not yet done so to consider ratifying, accepting, approving or acceding to the Convention, to bring about its entry into force at the earliest possible date.

Also by the draft, the Secretary-General would be requested, within existing resources, to take the necessary steps to facilitate the dissemination of information relating to the Convention and to promote its wider appreciation. He would also be requested to inform the Assembly at its fifty-third session on the status of the Convention and on steps taken relating to it.

The draft is sponsored by Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Denmark, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Haiti, Honduras, Italy, Japan, Kyrgyz Republic, Liechtenstein, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Sweden, Togo, Tunisia, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay and Uzbekistan.

Statements

KOFI A. ANNAN, Under-Secretary-General for Peace-keeping Operations, said that conflicts in recent years had posed many questions that required a new approach to problems of peace and security. "The international community has suffered inevitable setbacks, and it has enjoyed resounding successes in which all of us can take pride", he said. Accomplishments and setbacks alike had provided important lessons.

The first of those, he said, was that the United Nations needed to be able to deploy troops more quickly, to create a credible presence before a conflict got completely out of hand. That had been tragically illustrated by the experience in Rwanda in 1994, as well as in Burundi, and now in eastern Zaire. Progress was being made in learning from that lesson.

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A Mission Planning Unit had been established in the Department of Peace- keeping Operations, he said. A logistics base had also been established in Brindisi, Italy, where non-military components of operations had been assembled for deployment in future missions. The Secretariat was also working with Member States to establish the nucleus of a rapidly deployable mission headquarters.

Such a headquarters required troops, he said, and a number of Member States were also developing standby units that could be deployed immediately upon decision of the Security Council, should those countries decide to participate. It was hoped the international community could, in future, move quickly enough to ensure that yet another crisis did not catch the world unprepared.

He said another lesson that had been learned had been that the effectiveness of peace-keeping operations was enhanced when personnel were prepared according to common standards. The Department had developed training programmes that had been distributed to Member States to assist in preparation of troops and military and civilian police observers. United Nations workshops had been conducted in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America.

The third lesson, he went on, had been that "mountains can be moved in the interest of peace" when the parties to a conflict were genuinely interested in a settlement. The fourth lesson had been that securing the parties' cooperation could sometimes be nurtured by the international community, when it was possible to assist short-term stability while providing inducements for longer-term reconciliation. These often included development assistance, local infrastructure and water projects and the provision of small business loans.

He said that it had also been learned that although the parties might have consented to an operation, there were cases in which peace-keepers must deploy with sufficient means to give credibility to their right to self- defence. An impressive show of force was sometimes the best way to avoid having to use force, he said. That had been seen in the United Nations Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium (UNTAES) and the multinational implementation force in Bosnia.

Finally, he said, only on the basis of an in-depth understanding of the conflict could a clear mandate be formulated, the operational means assembled to achieve it, and public information be disseminated so that the world's peoples understood the mission and the limits of peace-keeping.

"The key to successful peace-keeping lies, first and foremost, with the parties to conflict", he said. But that was not a reason for the rest of the world to neglect its responsibilities towards conflict areas.

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ABDERAHMAN S. ABDERAHMAN (Egypt), Rapporteur of the Special Committee on Peace-keeping Operations, introduced the Special Committee's report.

SANTIAGO APUNTE (Ecuador) said peace-keeping operations should comply with the principles of non-interference in States' internal matters, impartiality, and consent of the parties involved. Force should not be used except for self-defence. Peace-keeping and peacemaking should not be contained in the same mandate.

On Security Council transparency, he said he supported holding consultations with those governments that supplied contingents. On the financing of operations, developed countries should bear greater responsibilities than developing countries. Member States must pay their assessed contributions without conditions.

He said that peace-keeping operations could be enhanced by rapid reaction deployment and preventive diplomacy. However, attempts should also be made to solve the perennial problems of poverty and inequality, which generated violence and instability. He emphasized the importance of attempting the peaceful resolution of disputes through negotiations, judicial settlements, and other means agreeable to the parties involved. In that area, the Organization could improve its procedures. Potential conflicts could be better resolved in cooperation with neighbouring States, who understood the region. He supported the proposal to increase the number of members of the Special Committee at its next regular session.

SLAHEDDINE ABDELLAH (Tunisia) said it was crucial that the Organization's peace-keeping missions be based on impartial action that respected the principles of the sovereignty of States and non-interference of internal affairs. Force could not be used to impose peace; it should be used only in the context of self-defence and only as a last resort. Peace-keeping operations must act with the consent of the parties concerned; the full cooperation of parties concerned was basic to the continuation of the operations. To abandon a population for budgetary considerations was not acceptable.

He said that budgetary constraints could mean that developing countries ran the risk of not being able to contribute to the Department's operations. At present, there were individuals working within the Department at the expense of their own governments. While that practice had some positive aspects, it tampered with the Organization's respect for equitable geographical representation among personnel. Financial problems in the United Nations had to do with the lack of full payment by certain Member States.

He welcomed rapid deployment headquarters as a constructive idea aimed at shortening the time-frame of peace-keeping operations. Some aspects of the concept still required adjustments. All Member States should be informed at

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all stages in the development of this process. Transparency in this matter must be strictly upheld so that it did not become the "preserve of a closed club of States". He said financing was a major difficulty in the implementation of that new idea; while the trust fund was an interesting proposal, it was limited because of the inherently precarious nature of any fund.

He welcomed the Security Council's recent affirmation of its determination to increase its consultations with troop-contributing countries and the Secretariat. Stressing the need for increased cooperation between the Organization and regional groupings, he said that, in particular, it should work more closely with the OAU.

RONAN CORVIN (Ireland), also on behalf of the European Union and Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and the Slovak Republic, urged the enlargement of the membership of the Special Committee, and said he looked forward to endorsement of that recommendation by the General Assembly. The European Union supported United Nations peace- keeping operations, and collectively had supplied over a third of the logistics, matériel and personnel deployed, as well as some 37 per cent of the costs. He said the crisis of underpayment to United Nations peace-keeping had resulted in a situation where troop-contributing nations were now owed almost $1.5 billion; that had created a huge burden for those countries.

He emphasized the importance of enhancing the Organization's capacity to plan, deploy and manage peace-keeping efficiently and effectively. He said he attached great importance to the contributions which regional arrangements and agencies could make. The European Union had supported closer collaboration with the OAU, as well as the Secretary-General's efforts to improve preparedness for conflict prevention and peace-keeping in Africa. The safety and security of United Nations personnel was of primary concern for all troop- contributing countries, he said

GUSTAVO ALVAREZ (Uruguay) said the report of the Special Committee had become a practical and theoretical contribution to the Organization's work in peace-keeping. He pledged the best efforts of his country to participate in its ongoing work. He expressed concern about delays in payments to troop- contributing countries and said that burden was heightened by delays in reimbursement for donations of equipment. Those delays in payment reflected a gap between the contributions of troop-contributing countries and those who were in arrears in payment for peace-keeping operations.

He said he supported the concept of rapid deployment, whose benefits were clear and self-evident. The management of consultations, however, had not involved major troop contributors from all the regions. His country had expressed its concerns on this matter in the past. Another concern were the methods of financing of posts for maintaining the rapid deployment

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headquarters. It should ensure adequate geographical representation. He expressed satisfaction with consultations between troop-contributing countries and the Security Council.

ANANDA DHUNGANA (Nepal) said he supported the proposal to expand the membership of the Special Committee. Of great importance to his delegation was the strengthening of the Organization's capacity for peace-keeping operations. Improved cooperation between the Departments of Peace-keeping Operations, Humanitarian Affairs and Political Affairs was essential to any successful peace-keeping efforts. He noted with satisfaction the system of standby arrangements that had been steadily developing. "The United Nations should always be in a state of preparedness for peace-keeping", he said. He supported the development of the rapidly deployable mission headquarters, taking into account the views of Member States, particularly troop- contributing countries, regarding financing and staffing.

HE YAFEI, speaking for WANG XUEXIAN (China), said that while the Organization's peace-keeping operations had improved over the years, certain aspects required further consideration. Peace-keeping operations should be mandated by the Security Council, subject to the Council's political guidance, and implemented by the Secretary-General. Multilateral mechanisms should not be replaced by unilateral mechanisms.

Although the number and scale of peace-keeping operations had been reduced, their functions had been increased, he continued. The Organization needed to strengthen its peace-keeping capabilities and also to cooperate with other bodies in a realistic manner, differentiating primary from secondary responsibilities. The United Nations should not try to act as a "world cop", he said, but instead should consider each situation in light of the attitude of concerned parties, as well as the Organization's actual capabilities.

He said preventive diplomacy and post-conflict peace-building should not be confused with peace-keeping. Shortage of funds, caused by the delayed payment of assessed contributions by a number of countries, had hampered the Organization's operational capability. It was interesting that some countries withheld their assessed contributions, forcing the Department to reduce its staff, while simultaneously sending large numbers of "loaned officers" to the Department, in order to enhance its capacity. That practice had changed the Department's composition in a manner unfavourable to developing countries, and had undermined the Charter's provisions on respect for the international character of the Secretary-General's responsibilities.

Because most peace-keeping operations took place in developing countries, he continued, the Organization should ensure institutionally the greater participation of developing countries in discussions, decision-making and implementation of peace-keeping issues. In that regard, he welcomed the expansion of the Special Committee's membership.

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HELGA HERNES (Norway) called for better and clearer links between military operations and the political framework of which they were part. Communication and coordination between all parties should be strengthened. In light of the wide spectrum of activities necessary to achieve the objective of international peace and security, Norway had proposed the establishment of a Fund for Preventive Action.

She welcomed the increase of information-sharing and the coordination of activities among various departments. The decision to establish a rapidly deployable mission headquarters within the Department had been endorsed by the Assembly last year. Efforts should now focus on the timely establishment of such a unit. Recognizing the importance of a balanced geographical representation in the new unit, her country had pledged to cover the expenses for one person from a developing country to hold a position in it. The Department was governed by cumbersome administrative procedures. Even within the existing budgetary constraints, she said those rules could be revised to simplify procedures without compromising the need for control.

The length of time between a Security Council mandate and the germane appropriation of funds should be reviewed. It was also necessary to pay attention to the Department's outstanding reimbursement claims to Member States, as well as operational finalization and financial liquidation of operations. On the Organization's general financial situation, she urged all Member States to honour their financial obligations. The Department of Peace- keeping Operations was understaffed, and more positions should be included through the Organization's regular budget.

As a major troop contributor, she said, Norway welcomed the decision to expand the membership of the Special Committee and appreciated the mechanisms established for consultations with troop-contributing countries prior to deliberations in the Security Council.

PATRICIA DURRANT (Jamaica), speaking for the member States of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said she was pleased that those countries had contributed to peace-keeping and had participated in the multinational force and in the United Nations Mission in Haiti (UNMIH). It was sad that members of missions had been killed in their effort to support peace.

She said she welcomed the establishment of the "lesson learned unit" of the Department of Peace-keeping Operations, and supported the views of the Special Committee that clear lines of authority and command and control must be maintained, under the overall political direction and control of the Security Council. A multi-faceted approach to peacemaking, peace-keeping and conflict prevention was needed. She said the Central African situations were deeply troubling; prompt and effective action was needed to bring the humanitarian tragedy in Zaire to an end. Closer to home, she said, she urged full support for continuation of the United Nations efforts in Haiti.

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She said development programmes should be considered an important mechanism to address the conditions that gave rise to tension and conflict, and should be considered an important corollary to the subject of peace- keeping and peacemaking. She supported efforts to establish the rapidly deployable mission capacity and saw as a priority the prompt reimbursement of troop-contributing countries.

ASDA JAYANAMA (Thailand), speaking for the Non-Aligned countries, said that 9,255 troops from those nations were being deployed in peace-keeping all over the world. That illustrated the commitment of the Non-Aligned Movement to international peace and security. Peace-keeping operations were not a solution to conflict, and neither were they permanent measures. Rather, they were a means to keep conflict situations from escalating, while efforts to resolve them peacefully were pursued. Such operations should strictly observe the strict principles of the United Nations Charter, particularly the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of States, and non-intervention in matters that were essentially the domestic jurisdiction of any State.

He said that as peace-keeping operations were being reduced in scale and number, it was time to take stock of the lessons learned, he said. The Non- Aligned Movement believed the membership of the Special Committee should be expanded. The practice of having "loaned" or "gratis" officers in the Department of Peace-keeping Operations was not the real solution to the problem of the Department's inadequate resources, and it should not be permanent. He expressed serious concern with the imbalance between personnel in the Department funded by the United Nations regular budget and the loaned officers; personnel recruitment should attempt to reflect the principle of equitable geographical representation.

He said adequate financing was crucial to effective peace-keeping operations, and it was regrettable that certain developed countries did not pay their contributions in full and on time, and that the United Nations at present owed about $1.44 billion to 71 Member States for troops and equipment used in 16 operations. Almost $400 million of that was owed to developing countries. He said he supported the development of the United Nations standby arrangements. Member States should be consulted and given an opportunity to discuss and decide on the rapidly deployable mission before it was finalized; questions remained on issues of its staffing, functions and finances.

Mr. ABDERAHMAN (Egypt) stressed the importance of preventive diplomacy for international peace and security. Noting the importance of the Organization's capacity to respond rapidly and appropriately, he approved initiatives designed to improve the speed of organizational response. Such measures must be approved by consensus and designed on the basis of transparency.

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He said the geographical imbalance in the Department remained a source of concern. He noted with great concern the report of the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) on the period of July 1995-July 1996, which described negligence, degradation and deterioration of peace-keeping operations costing the Organization millions of dollars over the years. The Secretariat should engage in an investigation to ascertain who was responsible for the crimes.

As a founding member of the Special Committee, his country welcomed its expansion, recognizing that such reform would help enforce and strengthen its activities. Methods to increase the Department's financial resources should be considered, and the Department should continue its reform efforts with the objective of establishing adequate financial resources.

He hoped for further cooperation between the Council and troop- contributing countries and welcomed steps taken to strengthen cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations. His country would try to further such cooperation by urging continued cooperation between the United Nations and the OAU.

ANWARUL KARIM CHOWDHURY (Bangladesh) said that, as a major troop- contributing country, Bangladesh wished to be part of the Special Committee's expanded membership. There was need for a unified command structure in peace-keeping operations. He commended the efforts under way to consolidate the standby arrangements regarding military force and civilian police, as well as agreed standards of equipment and other capabilities. Member States unable to provide troops should provide equipment to enable the speedy deployment of peace-keeping missions. He supported the creation of a rapid deployable mission headquarters with representation from the widest spectrum of countries. The establishment of the trust fund could help enable wide international participation. He noted with appreciation Norway's pledge to fund an officer from a developing country in the new unit.

Turning to the practice of "loaning officers" to the Department, he said it was a cause for concern because developing countries were unable to provide such officers. The number of loaned officers from developed countries in the Department had reached serious proportions and reflected wide disparity among the functionaries of the developed and developing countries.

In the midst of the Organization's financial constraints, some countries seemed reluctant to pay their dues, he continued. This hampered reimbursement to troop-contributing countries. The Organization owed around $400 million to troop-contributing developing countries. All Member States should pay their contributions on time and without conditions. Resources for peace-keeping should not be granted at the expense of resources for development activities, and funds for peace-keeping operations must not be diverted from the regular budget.

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On the matter of compensation to peace-keepers injured or killed in operations, he said the application of different levels of payments, based on country of origin, was unjust. The United Nations Charter stipulated the equality of all Member States. He urged that compensation for death and disability be applied on a most immediate basis irrespective of country of origin.

KHALIL I. OTHMAN, Vice-Chairman, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU), introduced its report on military component of United Nations peace-keeping operations (document A/50/576), which advances recommendations for the management of mandates for peace-keeping; availability of troops and equipment; and capacity of the Secretariat. He stressed the need for cooperation among the Secretariat, the Security Council and troop-contributing countries on management issues, and underlined the importance of unity of command and control.

On availability of troops, he said the inspectors pointed to such problems as the readiness of troops to participate in peace-keeping, and the need for timely deployment. Specific recommendations on those and other matters were contained in the report. There were also recommendations on the functioning and restructuring of different departments. It was recommended that the Secretary-General ensure that the Department of Peace-keeping Operations should build up its skilled military and civilian personnel from which a rapidly deployable military headquarters team could be dispatched to the field at short notice. Full integration of the Field Administration and Logistics Division within the Department should be undertaken.

BORIS KRASULIN, Inspector, JIU, said the JIU report had been prepared in response to the dramatic increase in the number of peace-keeping operations in recent years. "The capacity of the United Nations to carry out activities for peace and security has been overstretched", he said. As partners were needed to share responsibilities of collective security, the study concluded there was need to prepare for the General Assembly a comprehensive strategic programme of cooperation with regional organizations in peace-keeping and peace-related activities. The aim should be to decentralize peace-keeping and to enhance the role of regional organizations. "Since the aim of the programme is to enhance the role of regional organizations, it would be useful to involve some of them at one point in the work of the proposed team", he added.

He said the report made other recommendations on bilateral framework agreements. Eligibility for receiving United Nations training and advisory services related to peace-keeping should be extended to regional organizations, and the Assembly might also wish to consider establishing different funds on the basis of voluntary contributions for peace-keeping activities of regional organization.

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