ASSEMBLY WOULD ENDORSE RECOMMENDATIONS OF SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON PEACEKEEPING, BY FOURTH COMMITTEE DRAFT

14 November 1997

Press Release
GA/SPD/121

ASSEMBLY WOULD ENDORSE RECOMMENDATIONS OF SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON PEACEKEEPING, BY FOURTH COMMITTEE DRAFT

19971114 Committee Concludes Review of Peacekeeping Operations

The General Assembly would endorse the proposals, recommendations and conclusions of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations and urge their implementation, by a draft resolution approved this afternoon in the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) as it concluded its review of peacekeeping operations in all their aspects.

In its annual report, the Special Committee considers it essential for the United Nations to continue to maintain international peace and security by effectively planning, deploying and managing current and future peacekeeping operations. However, it also continues to attach great importance to the prevention and early resolution of conflict and urges the United Nations and the parties concerned to continue exploring ways to do more to that end.

Among its recommendations, the Special Committee says it is important that peacekeeping operations be provided with clearly defined mandates, objectives, command structures and secure financing, and that the congruity between mandates, resources and objectives must be ensured. It also stresses the requirement for consultations between the troop contributors and the Security Council.

In view of the cost to Member States of poorly managed peacekeeping assets, as detailed in reports of the Office of Internal Oversight Services, the Special Committee states that comprehensive and clearly stated matériel management policy should be instituted. The Secretariat is encouraged to continue to enhance the transparency, efficiency and responsiveness of its procurement procedures.

The Special Committee urges the Secretary-General to continue to strengthen the Civilian Police Unit within the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, which should develop a coherent strategy for the logistic support of peacekeeping operations. It also expresses the belief that the United Nations should be able to promptly deploy a peacekeeping operation on the adoption of an authorizing mandate by the Security Council and encourages the Secretariat to intensify its efforts in that area.

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Prior to action on the draft resolution, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Bernard Miyet responded to questions which had been raised during the Committee's discussions. He addressed such issues as the use of gratis personnel, efforts to finance a rapidly deployable mission headquarters, the increasing role of civilian police in peacekeeping and the question of multinational forces and regional organizations.

Statements were also made by the representatives of Kyrgyzstan, Slovakia, Georgia, Kenya, Cyprus, Mongolia, United States, Poland, Ukraine, Botswana and Bangladesh.

The Fourth Committee will meet again at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, 17 November, to begin its consideration of questions relating to information.

Committee Work Programme

The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) met this afternoon to conclude its review of peacekeeping operations and to take action on a related draft resolution (document A/C.4/52/L.9/Rev.1). By its terms, the General Assembly would endorse the proposals, recommendations and conclusions in the report of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations and urge Member States, the Secretariat and relevant organs of the United Nations to take all necessary steps to implement them.

It would reiterate that those States which become personnel contributors to United Nations peacekeeping operations in years to come or participate in the future of the Special Committee for three consecutive years as observers would, upon request in writing to the Chairman of the Committee, become members at its following session.

The Assembly would also decide that the Special Committee shall continue its efforts for a comprehensive review of peacekeeping operations, review the implementation of its previous proposals, and consider new proposals so as to enhance the peacekeeping capacity of the United Nations.

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

The report of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (document A/52/209) covers that body's 1997 session and presents a number of observations and recommendations on recent operations.

While noting recent trends, including the decrease in the establishment of new peacekeeping operations, the total number of personnel involved in them and the average size of operations, the Special Committee considers it essential for the United Nations to continue to maintain international peace and security by effectively planning, deploying and managing current and future peacekeeping operations.

Peacekeeping is used to prevent conflict situations from escalating while ways to resolve them peacefully are being pursued, but that is not a preferred method of containing conflicts, the report states. The Special Committee continues to attach great importance to the prevention and early resolution of conflict, which can reduce the need for new and costly peacekeeping operations. It urges the United Nations and the parties concerned to continue exploring ways to do more to that end, in accordance with Chapter VI of the United Nations Charter. [Chapter VI concerns the peaceful settlement of disputes.]

The Special Committee stresses the importance of consistent application of the principles and standards it has set forth for the establishment and conduct of peacekeeping operations. It emphasizes the need to continue to

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consider those principles, as well as peacekeeping definitions, in a systematic fashion and in the light of the lessons learned from peacekeeping operations.

It is important that peacekeeping operations be provided with clearly defined mandates, objectives, command structures and secure financing, the report states. It stresses the need to ensure, in the formulation and implementation of mandates, congruity between mandates, resources and objectives. It emphasizes further that, when changes are made to existing mandates, commensurate changes should be made in the resources available to the operations to carry out its new mandate. It also stresses the requirement for consultations between the troop contributors and the Security Council.

To ensure that operations are led and managed by the best available personnel, the Special Committee asks the Secretary-General to consider the possibility of improving the method of selecting and preparing senior military commanders, in the light of the increasingly difficult and dangerous conditions in which peacekeeping operations are conducted. It further recommends that he consider strengthening the selection and preparation procedures for chief administrative officers.

With respect to the organization, planning and coordination of operations, the Special Committee welcomes the Secretary-General's intention to continue his efforts to improve the structure and organization of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and encourages him to intensify them. It considers that those efforts should include the development of appropriate structures, at Headquarters and in the field, for periods of both low- and high-intensity activity in United Nations peacekeeping. The Secretariat is encouraged to continue to enhance the transparency, efficiency and responsiveness of its procurement procedures.

The Department of Peacekeeping Operations is urged to develop a coherent strategy for logistic support of peacekeeping operations, according to the report. In view of the cost to Member States of poorly managed peacekeeping assets, as detailed in reports of the Office of Internal Oversight Services, the Special Committee states that comprehensive and clearly stated matériel management policy should be instituted to guide the development of a workable inventory and matériel control system.

The Special Committee expresses grave concern at the continuing attacks and acts of violence against United Nations and associated personnel. It urges all Member States, which have not yet done so, to consider becoming parties to the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel, to bring about its entry into force at the earliest date. With respect to the training of peacekeeping personnel, it reaffirms that such training is essentially the responsibility of Member States but also affirms the United Nations role in assisting in such training.

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Also in the report, the Special Committee urges the Secretary-General to continue his efforts to strengthen the Civilian Police Unit within the Department of Peacekeeping Operations. It also expresses the belief that the United Nations should be able to promptly deploy a peacekeeping operation on the adoption of an authorizing mandate by the Security Council and encourages the Secretariat to intensify its efforts to address that issue.

The Secretary-General is urged to accord high priority to the processing of pending claims, including those for troops and equipment provided by Member States to operations whose mandates have concluded. He is asked, as a matter of priority, to address the operational and financial liquidation of completed operations, with a view to finding mutually agreed arrangements with the troop- and equipment-contributing Member States concerned.

In addition, the Special Committee encourages the strengthening of cooperation between the United Nations and regional arrangements and agencies, within their respective mandates, scope and composition, to enhance the capabilities of the international community in the maintenance of international peace and security. It appreciates the possibility of practical realization of such cooperation at the regional and subregional levels.

Statements

ZAMIRA B. ESHMAMBETOVA (Kyrgyzstan) said that, in recent years, the peacekeeping had generally been used for internal conflicts which threatened the fabric of societies and led to massive violations of political, social and human rights. Nevertheless, the potential for inter-State conflict remained and could again require international attention. Flexible approaches should therefore be worked out to address conflict situations brought about, for example, by rival national claims regarding maritime jurisdiction or disputes over strategic marine resources.

A peacekeeping mission was born only when the negotiating process failed and massive atrocities had been committed, she said. "We must therefore also search for ways and means of strengthening the peacemaking component of the United Nations. Preventive diplomacy should, as decided by the Security Council Summit of 1992, be given the priority, and should seriously be considered as the most desirable, most economically applicable preventive measures in a nascent dispute or conflict." That implied reinforcing the Organization's capacity to conduct skillful negotiations, as well as the capacity of its Secretariat to analyse the root causes of conflict.

TOMAS HRBAC (Slovakia) said that deep-rooted hatred, mistrust and animosity were symptomatic of most of today's conflicts, which destroyed local economies and infrastructures and resulted in refugees and displaced persons. Post-conflict peace-building was of crucial importance. However, as in the former Yugoslavia and some parts of Africa, that was no simple task. In recent years, the reconstruction of conflict-torn societies had involved such

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actions as the creation or strengthening of national institutions, the monitoring of elections, the provision of reintegration and rehabilitation programmes, and the creation of conditions for resumed development.

Many actors, including specialized agencies and non-governmental organizations, had been engaged in the process, he said. Nevertheless, integrated coordination was lacking. Slovakia welcomed the Secretary- General's decision to entrust the Department of Political Affairs with responsibility for defining objectives, criteria and operational guidelines, as well as his intention to strengthen the role of his Special Representative responsible for the implementation of peace-building initiatives in the field.

ZAAL V. GOGSADZE (Georgia) said that peacekeeping operations were among the most effective means for the maintenance of international peace and security. Based on the multitude of peacekeeping operations and the experience already acquired by the Organization, it seemed timely to elaborate a comprehensive theoretical and practical framework for the planning, preparation and carrying out of preventive operations. That task could best be handled through the establishment of a United Nations preventive diplomacy centre. Since the complex nature of modern intra-State conflicts required peacekeeping operations to use a wide range of traditional and not so traditional measures, their mandates must be clearly defined.

In some cases, in order to achieve the full realization of mission goals, mandates should be broadened, he said. For example, the role of civilian police in strengthening confidence had been proven. Nevertheless, despite active involvement of the United Nations in Abkhazia, Georgia -- including 17 Security Council resolutions -- 300,000 refugees were still awaiting security guarantees which would allow them to return home.

NJUGUNA M. MAHUGU (Kenya) said that Kenya was proud to have contributed both troops and equipment to peacekeeping operations in various parts of the world. Peacemaking, peace-building and post-conflict peace-building were essential for the maintenance of peace.

He said the reluctance of the international community to support operations in Africa -- as experienced earlier in Rwanda and Burundi and more recently in Sierra Leone and the Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville) -- represented a departure from the United Nations responsibilities under the Charter. The role of peacekeeping and peace enforcement must remain the responsibility of the United Nations, and in particular of the Security Council, in accordance with the Charter. Kenya hoped to see the timely handling of conflicts in Africa.

Concerted efforts by the affected countries and others in the region were necessary in the settlement of conflicts, he said. However, the involvement of regional organizations in the prevention, management and

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resolution of conflicts should not entail a derogation of the United Nations responsibilities under the Charter.

JAMES C. DROUSHIOTIS (Cyprus) said the situation in his country was the best proof that intensive peacemaking must be pursued with every peacekeeping operation. The lesson to be drawn from Cyprus peacekeeping efforts was that as long as one of the parties concerned was not willing to comply with the dictates of the international community -- as spelled out in unanimously adopted and binding resolutions of the Security Council -- and as long as the international community was not willing or able to implement the resolutions for which they had voted, peacemaking would lag behind, resulting in the indefinite continuation of the problem.

He said that was an unsatisfactory situation, both to the Government concerned and to the troop-contributing countries. However, the answer did not lie in abandoning the peacekeeping effort, thereby abdicating responsibility and leaving the weak at the mercy of the strong, but in pressing on with effective peacemaking through implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions by all available means.

RAVJAA MOUNKHOU (Mongolia) said that while recent years had seen a decrease in the number and size of United Nations peacekeeping operations, the need for them would not soon diminish. On the contrary, more complex, multidimensional peacekeeping tasks should, perhaps, be expected. It was therefore imperative that operations be established and deployed in a manner that would make them as effective as possible. In that process, there must be strict observance of the principles and purposes of the Charter.

It was also necessary to clearly distinguish between peacekeeping and other types of field missions, including peace-enforcement operations, he said. Mixing them could undermine the viability of peacekeeping operations and pose a serious threat to the lives of the peacekeepers. Clearly defined mandates were necessary. Real peace could not be achieved through the threat or use of force. For a durable solution, the underlying issues which triggered violence must be addressed. Efforts to that end should involve long-term programmes aimed at strengthening the foundations of peace.

RICHARD SKLAR (United States) said his country was strongly in favour of the rapidly deployable mission headquarters, which would make peacekeeping more effective and efficient. It represented a concrete reform and the United States had recently donated $200,000 to the trust fund for it.

The United States recognized its obligations with respect to the funding of peacekeeping, he said. It had an obligation to pay the arrears in its assessments so that the United Nations could reimburse troop-providing nations. The enormous service and sacrifice rendered by many Member States through their faithful and consistent contribution of troops and equipment to peacekeeping operations was recognized and appreciated.

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However, the methodology of the scale of assessments for peacekeeping could also be improved, he said. "We see no need for ad hoc arrangements for each mission. A standardized equitable scale should be agreed on and implemented. We will be describing our proposal for peacekeeping funding reform in the sessions of the Fifth Committee shortly." While working with other Member States to reach agreement on that important issue by year-end, the United States was prepared to remain the largest contributor to peacekeeping resources, but believed certain reforms were needed to make the scale truly equitable.

ZBIGNIEW MATUSZEWSKI (Poland) said that cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations could only strengthen the ability of both to assist in resolving actual and potential crises. The modalities of such cooperation in the area of peacekeeping should be thoroughly discussed, with a view to making the fullest possible use of the relevant provisions of the United Nations Charter.

Poland welcomed the ongoing efforts to improve the Organization's capability to respond more quickly to emerging conflict situations, he said. The concept of stand-by arrangements, which was being continuously developed, enjoyed increasing support from Member States. However, while the multinational United Nations stand-by forces high readiness brigade was getting closer to operational status, consultations were still required on the rapidly deployable mission headquarters, especially with regard to its funding.

The issue of proper staffing within the Department of Peacekeeping Operations had attracted considerable attention, he said. It was hoped that the process of replacing gratis personnel with personnel selected in accordance with United Nations employment procedures would not undermine the Department's ability to carry out its work.

VOLODYMYR Y. YELCHENKO (Ukraine) said that a lack of clearly defined approaches and adequate instruments and resources seriously hampered the United Nations response to complex and intricate conflicts. That was one reason why the number of conflicts was increasing, while the number of United Nations peacekeeping operations was falling.

He said his country had been participating in the United Nations peacekeeping activities for over five years. Within that relatively short period, it had become a significant troop-contributing country. In fact, its participation of peacekeeping activities was a main priority of its foreign policy. Ukraine had taken part in more than 10 peacekeeping and humanitarian operations, including election monitoring.

Preventive diplomacy should become an integral feature of United Nations activities aimed at maintaining international peace and security, he said. His country fully shared the Secretary-General's view that the United Nations

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of the twenty-first century must increasingly focus on preventive measures. All the constructive initiatives by Member States in that field were welcome, including the establishment of a trust fund for preventive action.

Measures to ensure the safety of United Nations personnel should remain integral to any peacekeeping mandate, he said. Unfortunately, recent years had seen the continued taking of peacekeepers as hostages by conflicting parties. Peacekeepers were often the target of snipers. Widespread use of anti-personnel mines in the area of peacekeeping operations also posed a serious threat to the safety of their personnel.

ROSS SANOTO (Botswana) said that preventive diplomacy, peacemaking and post-conflict peace-building should remain the guiding lights of United Nations efforts for the maintenance of international peace and security. The Organization should evolve and strengthen its early warning mechanisms to enable it to act before the outbreak of conflict. That would not only be cost-effective but would also enhance the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations.

He said that cooperation between the United Nations and such regional bodies as the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) had proven most useful. While Chapter VIII of the Charter provided for the peaceful settlement of local disputes through regional arrangements, it clearly stipulated that no enforcement action would be undertaken by the regional organizations without the prior authorization of the Security Council. Such authorization would guarantee transparency and ensure strict observance of the Charter's purposes and principles.

The international community, he said, should step up its cooperation with the OAU in the training of peacekeepers and in the prevention and management of conflicts, he said. The role of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in resolving the conflict in Liberia could not have failed to attract the attention of the international community. The sterling work in West Africa would act as an encouragement to the efforts of other subregional groups, such as the newly formed Southern African Development Community (SADC) organ on politics, defence and security, as well as to United Nations peacekeeping in general.

F.A. SHAMIM AHMED (Bangladesh) stressed the importance of United Nations operations having clearly defined mandates, based on objectives that were militarily achievable within fixed time frames. The situation on the ground should be analysed on a case-by-case basis. The United Nations should evolve an early warning mechanism so that indications of conflict could be nipped before they became serious. This would not only make peacekeeping operations more effective, but also reduce costs substantially.

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There must be a clear-cut political direction and a united command and control structure for each peacekeeping mission, he said. Command-and-control arrangements must be streamlined so that objectives might be realized successfully in the shortest possible time. Commanding officers at all levels must be allocated specific responsibilities and authority, thus ensuring the maintenance of a viable, durable and effective chain of command.

He said that Bangladesh supported the concept of a rapidly deployable mission headquarters. It was hoped that a plan would soon emerge that would take account of the constructive positions and views of all Member States. There must be parity between the developed and developing countries in the appointment of the personnel for the proposed headquarters

BERNARD MIYET, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, said he wished he could have heard the statements of each representative on the question of peacekeeping. Although he had not been present at each meeting, he had been kept abreast of the substance of the meetings.

Addressing the question of gratis personnel, he said that the Department of Peacekeeping Operations currently depended on such personnel for half of its professional staff. That was an altogether unsatisfactory situation. However, it would be suicidal for the Department to do away with such personnel overnight. It was therefore trying to determine how to proceed. By next spring, an assessment of the Department's needs would be ready.

In his nine months as head of the Peacekeeping Department, he had been impressed by the quality of the gratis personnel, Mr. Miyet said. He wished to sincerely thank each country that had provided such personnel. It was appropriate to return to a more balanced situation in which all States felt as if they were being represented and that their rights were being considered. The spirit at work in the Department was that its neutrality must be respected.

He said the Department had done everything possible to try to finance the rapidly deployable mission headquarters but had not as yet been able to get the necessary contributions. It was necessary to have the administrative capacity to make the headquarters work. Therefore, the use of gratis personnel would have to be considered.

With respect to multinational forces and regional organizations, he said the Secretariat would continue to cooperate as actively as possible with such organizations. Nevertheless, there were limits to what could be asked of them. The Security Council had an essential role to play. A balance could be found.

Citing the ever-increasing role of the civilian police element of peacekeeping operations, he said the Department was aware of the need to strengthen its civilian police unit. With regard to demining, he said that

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active cooperation with United Nations agencies would be a priority. Complementarity, not competition, would be stressed.

MACHIVENYIKA TOBIAS MAPURANGA (Zimbabwe), Committee Chairman, asked whether there was a time-frame for the phasing out of gratis personnel.

Mr. MIYET, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, said the question was being addressed on a case-by-case basis. Personal situations were being considered, as well as the basic needs of the various departments. Nevertheless, the possibility of using gratis specialists was not being ruled out.

Approval of Peacekeeping Text

MOHAMAD SULEIMAN FARGHAL (Jordan) said he wished to draw attention to inaccuracies in the Arabic translation of the peacekeeping draft. He said he would provide his proposals in writing to the Committee Secretary.

Mr. MAPURANGA (Zimbabwe), Committee Chairman, said that was acceptable, as they were not substantive changes.

Mr. FARGHAL (Jordan) said some of them were substantive.

Mr. MAPURANGA (Zimbabwe), Committee Chairman, said that as the Committee did not wish to know what the proposed changes were, the representative of Jordan could hand his proposal to the Secretary.

The Committee then approved the draft resolution without a vote.

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