In progress at UNHQ

PKO/57

BOLIVIA JOINS STAND-BY ARRANGEMENTS FOR PEACE-KEEPING OPERATIONS

23 May 1997


Press Release
PKO/57


BOLIVIA JOINS STAND-BY ARRANGEMENTS FOR PEACE-KEEPING OPERATIONS

19970523 Bolivia yesterday became the first country from the Latin American region to sign a memorandum of understanding on the stand-by arrangements for peace-keeping operations.

The signing ceremony took place in the Office of the Under-Secretary- General for Peace-keeping Operations. The Permanent Representative of Bolivia, Edgar Camacho Omiste, signed the memorandum for his country; the Under-Secretary-General for Peace-keeping Operations, Bernard Miyet, signed it on behalf of the United Nations.

Under the arrangements, Bolivia will place infantry, military observers, engineers and Headquarters staff on stand-by for United Nations peace-keeping operations.

To date, seven countries have signed the memorandum of understanding. These are: Jordan, Denmark, Ghana, Malaysia, Austria, Italy and Singapore.

A total of 65 countries have expressed willingness to participate in the stand-by arrangements regime, which was created in 1994 as a means to fill the three-to-six month gap between authorization of a peace-keeping mission by the Security Council and full deployment by standard recruitment methods.

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For information media. Not an official record.