PEACEKEEPING FINANCING, REIMBURSEMENT TO TROOP CONTRIBUTORS AMONG ISSUES RAISED AT SPECIAL COMMITTEE
Press Release
GA/PK/153
PEACEKEEPING FINANCING, REIMBURSEMENT TO TROOP CONTRIBUTORS AMONG ISSUES RAISED AT SPECIAL COMMITTEE
19980401 If keeping the peace required the will to act, equally needed was the means to implement the peace process, the representative of Uganda told the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations this morning as it continued its general debate.The uncertainty of funds that plagued the United Nations because of non- payment of dues by some Member States had crippled the activities of its Department of Peacekeeping Operations, he said. People failed to realize that the cost of one B2 bomber was equal to the biennium budget of the United Nations, he added.
The Organization's incessant financial crisis had led to cross-borrowing from peacekeeping accounts to finance regular budget activities, resulting in long delays in reimbursing troop and equipment contributors, the representative of Singapore said. That had raised the real cost to Member States participating in peacekeeping operations and had undermined the prestige of such operations. He noted that the annual United Nations peacekeeping expenditure had decreased to less than $1 billion in 1997, from a high of $3 billion in 1994.
Reimbursement for troop contributions and contingent-owned equipment was a thorny issue for third world countries that were in effect giving the United Nations an interest-free loan, the representative of Fiji said.
The Representative of the Russian Federation said efficient peacekeeping required the existence of reliable financial resources and logistics. Despite its economic and financial difficulties, the Russian Federation had done everything in its power to pay its assessed contributions and arrears without conditions. Also, the payment was made despite its continued emphasis on the need for an integrated reform of the peacekeeping scale of assessments.
Statements were also made this morning by the representatives of Zambia, New Zealand, Poland, Tunisia, Mexico and Sudan. The Observer for Switzerland also spoke.
The Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. today to continue its general debate.
Special Committee Work Programme
The Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations met this morning to continue its general debate. It had before it a report of the Secretary- General on the implementation of the recommendations of the Special Committee (document A/AC.121/42). The five-part report covers such issues as guiding principles, definitions and implementation of mandates; consultations with troop contributors; enhancing the capacity of the United Nations; and cooperation with regional arrangements. (For information on the report, see Press Release GA/PK/150 of 30 March.)
Statements
HUMPHREY B. KUNDA (Zambia) said preventive diplomacy was a vital aspect of peacekeeping, and the United Nations should act before the outbreak of a conflict. Peacekeeping operations must have a clear political direction, a precise mandate, an effective command and control structure, and clearly defined and uniform rules of engagement. Noting that the Security Council periodically reviewed existing peacekeeping operations, he said restrictive time-limits should be imposed on them.
To be effective and successful, peacekeeping operations needed to be supported by the Member States, especially financially, he said. The Organization needed to reimburse troop-contributing countries, and it needed a healthy financial base to do that. It was imperative for all Member States to pay their financial dues in full, on time and without conditions. Zambia firmly believed that the Organization needed the assistance of regional organizations and arrangements to manage crises in different parts of the world. It was wise to improve its cooperation with those bodies.
The United Nations standby arrangements system was the key to the increased effectiveness and rapid deployment capacity of peacekeeping operations. Zambia was of the firm view that all other standby or high- readiness initiatives should be within the context of the Organization's standby arrangements system. The role that had eventually been played by the civilian police component had been of paramount importance.
He said Zambia was dismayed over the choice of Police Commissioners of peacekeeping operations. Although developing countries were the largest contributors of Civilian Police observers, to date, there had not been a single Civilian Police Commissioner from that group of countries.
MICHAEL POWLES (New Zealand) said that six years after the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) was first created, it was still no closer to having a clear definition of the permanent capacity needed to respond to the qualitative and quantitative fluctuations in peacekeeping activity. The Department had to rely on a variety of funding sources in order to implement its mandates. That had not been satisfactory for either the Secretariat or
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Member States, and must cease. New Zealand recognized that changes could not be made overnight, but as the number of personnel supplied by voluntary contributions was progressively withdrawn, care should be taken to ensure that the Department's ability to function was not weakened. In this regard, the full range of functions, expertise and specialist knowledge provided by military personnel, civilian police and civilian staff within the Department should be properly defined and incorporated in the structure.
He said there was little point in having troops ready to deploy rapidly if the necessary equipment capability to move and then sustain them was not at least in the same state of readiness. The development of an integrated logistics concept -- encompassing all phases of a peacekeeping mission and able to take into consideration the needs of other United Nations players, given the frequently multifunctional nature of today's peacekeeping tasks -- equally warranted further consideration. Such a concept could lead to standardized arrangements being put in place in order to aid efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Troop-contributing nations which paid on time, in full and without conditions continued to be penalized as a consequence of the delays in reimbursements caused by the non-payment by others. New Zealand noted that the total amount owed to troop contributors and contingent-owned equipment, far from diminishing, would be close to $900 million by year's end. While reimbursement for outstanding claims was beyond the control of the Secretariat, there was no reason for it not to expedite the processing, by the Headquarters Property Survey Board, of claims for write-offs of contingent owned equipment.
HO TONG YEN (Singapore) said that in the past decade the United Nations had deployed two thirds of all peacekeeping operations in its history. Sadly the renewed hope in peacekeeping operations had proved to be short-lived. Following the difficult operations in Somalia and the former Yugoslavia, the Security Council had exercised great restraint in the establishment of new peacekeeping operations. The newly established United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic (MINURCA) was the first new peacekeeping operation in Africa since October 1993. From a peak of over $3 billion in 1994, annual peace-keeping expenditures had fallen to less than $1 billion in 1997.
Even more damaging to peacekeeping was the United Nations incessant financial crisis, he continued. Cross-borrowing from peacekeeping accounts to finance regular budget expenditure had resulted in long delays in reimbursement to troop and equipment contributors. That had raised the real cost to Member States of participating in peacekeeping operations and had undermined the prestige of such operations. Unless the major contributors took steps to repay their arrears, peacekeeping operations would continue to remain in the red.
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His delegation had taken note of the Secretary-General's proposal to phase out gratis personnel within the next two years, he said. He cautioned against a rapid or hasty phase-out that could undermine the operational capabilities of the Department. The current decline in peacekeeping operations was no indication of the long-term demand for peacekeeping. It was also of utmost importance that the United Nations be ready and able to deploy troops quickly after an operation had been established by the Council. For that reason Singapore had signed a memorandum of understanding on the United Nations standby arrangements system last May.
As a small country with an armed force made up of largely conscripts and civilian reserves, Singapore was unable to contribute large troop contingents to peacekeeping operations, he said. However, it tried whenever possible to send small teams of military observers or specialized units to participate in United Nations peacekeeping operations. In January, his country hosted the first United Nations Training Assistance Team in the Asia-Pacific region. Cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations had increased. However, Singapore continued to believe that the United Nations should be the primary body responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security, especially for regions that did not have established peacekeeping mechanisms.
EUGENIUSZ WYZNER (Poland), said the United Nations potential for preventive activities should be further enhanced by, among others, improving the early warning system and monitoring capabilities. It was also in that area that cooperation with regional organizations could be most rewarding, and Poland welcomed the progress made in the cooperation between the OAU and the United Nations. As Chairman-in-Office of the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Poland was ready to continue the work of its predecessors in bringing the United Nations and the OSCE closer.
Welcoming the steady progress in the development of the concept of standby arrangements system, he said Poland had contributed to that positive trend. It had recently assigned an additional group of military observers to the system. Poland expected that more attention would be devoted to developing sea and airlift communications, engineering and mine-clearing capacities in the standby concept.
Financial and organizational problems had slowed the establishment of the rapidly deployable mission headquarters, he said. The Multinational United Nations Stand-by Forces High Readiness Brigade (SHIRBRIG) provided a valuable component to the standby arrangements system and should be seen as a means of enhancing the Organization's peacekeeping capacity. Due to their long and exemplary service under the United Nations banner, the countries that had joined in organizing the Brigade, Poland among them, guaranteed its effectiveness and compliance with the principles of the world body's peacekeeping.
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Regrettably, he said, Poland's remarks last year on the inadequacy of the security and safety of United Nations personnel remained relevant, as did the appeals for expeditious implementation of the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel. Perhaps more discussion was needed on how best to prevent and react to hostile acts against those serving and working in the field. A team of six Polish officers had just been assigned to the United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan (UNMOT) to assist in training the members of the joint security unit in Tajikistan established to provide protection to unarmed peacekeepers.
MATIA MULUMBA SEMAKULA KIWANUKA (Uganda) said that the bitter irony of the post-Second World War period was that 99 per cent of arms control efforts were spent on weapons of mass destruction while 25 million deaths due to armed conflicts since that war were caused by small arms. Attention, therefore, must be paid to the role of small arms in precipitating and prolonging conflicts. The international community, the United Nations and the regional organizations must also find a solution to the tens of thousands of soldiers of fortune roaming the African continent, who were only too ready to "jump on any bandwagon that promises pay". Like small arms, the easy availability of those soldier was a major cause of conflicts.
In order to keep the peace, he said, there must be a will to act. Yet what was seen so often was foot-dragging, which had led to the Rwanda genocide. It had taken the Security Council more than six months to decide whether or not to send peacekeepers to the Central African Republic. Foot- dragging had meant prolongation of appalling atrocities, colossal losses of lives and millions of refugees which would otherwise have been prevented. If wars could not be stopped before they started, at least rapid deployment and response mechanisms should be available. The United Nations was preeminent in the area of men and equipment because it had a global legitimacy of action unmatched by any other organization or State.
If keeping the peace required the will to act, he said, it equally needed the means to implement the peace process. Unfortunately, there was a huge imbalance between aspirations for peace and the capability to keep the peace. The uncertainty of funds that plagued the United Nations as a result of the non-payment of legitimate contributions by some Member States crippled the activities of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations. The cost of one B2 bomber was equal to the whole biennium budget of the United Nations, yet people failed to make that connection.
He said that realizing the importance of the availability of men and equipment to keep the peace, Uganda was one of a number of African countries that had chosen to participate in the United States-sponsored training programme known as the African Crisis Response Initiative. With enhanced capacity, African forces would be capable not only of responding more rapidly, but also of working together more effectively. The greatest testimony of what regional efforts could achieve was the Economic Community of West African
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States Monitoring Observer Group (ECOMOG), whose role in Liberia and Sierra Leone was well known.
EL WALID DOUDECH (Tunisia) said the creation of standby forces was a good initiative to ensure rapid deployment of troops in the event of a crisis. The involvement in the initiative by many Member States had pointed to its merits. It however, required greater cooperation between developing and developed countries, so that the relationships could develop in a harmonious manner. Training should also be given pride of place within the initiative.
He said the Department of Peace-keeping Operations had held a meeting last December for an exchange of views on peacekeeping operations, specifically in relation to Africa. During that meeting, respect for the principles of transparency, non-exclusivity and consultation were emphasized. It had also been agreed that the Security Council remained the primary body with responsibilities for peacekeeping. It had also been noted that peacekeeping in Africa should be carried out within the parameters set by African States.
It was regrettable that the financial problems of the United Nations were affecting peacekeeping activities, he continued. Operations should not be hindered by lack of finances. Success in peace-keeping operations was important for the credibility of the Organization. Finance was also important if the United Nations was to reimburse troop-contributing countries, especially the developing nations. Lack of finances had also affected the Organization of African Unity (OAU). Since the United Nations and OAU's activities were complementary, it was essential for financial issues to be rectified.
PABLO MACEDO (Mexico) said peacekeeping operations was the most valuable mechanism at the service of the United Nations in conflict resolution. However, that mechanism had to respect the principles that governed it, including the principle of consent of the parties to the conflict. The Organization could not impose conditions; it should only oversee. Peacekeeping operations must have clear, precise and well defined mandates, and the Security Council must define the parameters of the operation. Deviation from that could only lead to the worsening of a conflict.
He said using "coalitions of the interested parties" in peacekeeping was tantamount to the Organization abdicating its responsibilities and handing them over to a group of States. Although cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations was useful, there were limitations on the actions of regional organizations. Collaboration with regional organizations could only be effective when those organizations had an authorized legal mandate. Regional institutions in Latin America, unlike those in Africa, were not legally empowered. His delegation could not agree to the suggestion of defining a general formula for the involvement of regional organizations; it was an issue that had to be studied case by case.
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For several years there had been growing interest in enhancing the rapid reaction machinery of the United Nations peacekeeping operations, he noted. However, Mexico did not consider it a decisive factor. However rapidly the Organization could react, it could not take the place of the will of the parties. The enhancement of the rapid reaction machinery should be done by analysing the legal, financial and political problems that prevented improvement. Strengthening of the mechanism also lay with the standby arrangements system, and not with the creation of permanent military bodies that were incompatible with the Organization's character.
DMITIRI YOUDIN (Russian Federation) said that given the multifunctional character of the modern peacekeeping operations, priority attention should be given to ensuring harmonious cooperation between the civilian and military components; finding their optimal combination and relationship at every phase of the peace settlement process; implementing some peace-building functions from the outset of the operation; and coordinating the activities of all international organizations, including non-governmental ones, in the peacekeeping operation area. Otherwise, as experience had shown, there was a threat that the peace process would remain hostage to negative trends in the evolution of the situation and lose its proper dynamics.
Referring to "regional" or "coalitionist" peacekeeping, he said it was important to preserve the Security Council's unique role under the United Nations Charter to authorize a peacekeeping operation and to assure a close political guidance and monitoring over it. Justified decentralization of peacekeeping operations should not result in the erosion of international peace and security.
Efficient peacekeeping, he continued, required the existence of reliable finance and logistics. Even under the economic and financial difficulties of the last years, the Russian Federation had done everything in its power not only for a timely payment in full of assessed contributions, but also for reimbursement of its arrears. That was undertaken without any conditions, despite the fact that the country had continuously stressed the urgent need for an integrated reform of the peacekeeping scale of assessments.
JENO C. A. STAEHELIN, Observer for Switzerland, said that United Nations peacekeeping activities were in a phase of consolidation rather than one of expansion. Despite difficulties, that process was characterized by dynamism and pragmatism, and by efforts to fine-tune and expand the tools for action, while taking into account an effective division of labour and the complementary efforts of regional and other international actors.
He that the excessive accumulation of conventional weapons, particularly easily available small arms, was a consequence of tensions and conflicts, as well as a cause of their aggravation and prolongation. They caused trauma and prolonged suffering to the populations of conflict areas. A report on small arms compiled by a group of governmental experts had presented an eloquent account of the regional aspects of that global problem.
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POSECI BUNE (Fiji) said his country's commitment to peacekeeping was based on its fundamental belief in international peace, preventive diplomacy, peacemaking and post-conflict building. The United Nations emphasis should be in the field of preventative actions. Those were the most cost-effective ways of preventing disputes from arising, preventing them from escalating into conflicts, and resolving existing conflicts.
When a peacekeeping operation became necessary, that operation must have clear political goals, a precise mandate, an effective command and control structure, as well as clearly defined and uniform rules of engagement, he said. New rules of engagement should be issued quickly when the mandates or the roles of certain components of the force were changed drastically.
The recent spate of hostage-taking involving United Nations peacekeepers in Tajikistan and Georgia was a cause of serious concern, he said. The Organization should do more to prevent such incidents. All Member States should ratify the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel. Establishment of the international criminal court would provide a solution to a lacuna to dealing with persons charged with serious offences against humanity.
More should be done to ensure the reimbursement of outstanding payments for troop contributions and contingent-owned equipment, he said. That was a thorny issue, especially for third world countries that were in effect giving the Organization an interest-free loan. The membership of the Special Committee had expanded, and his delegation was concerned about the unequal distribution of regional seats in its Bureau. Expressing the need for devising a formula for a more uniform distribution of seats in the Bureau, he expressed support for an increase in the number of Bureau members from six to 10.
ELAFATIH MOHAMED AHMED ERWA (Sudan) expressed support for a more equitable geographical balance in personnel and greater transparency in procurement. Non-payment of arrears was negatively affecting the participation of troop-contributing nations.
He said Sudan supported the need to increase the Organization's peacekeeping capacity as well as its standby arrangements system.
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