SECRETARY-GENERAL PRAISES IRELAND'S COMMITMENT TO PEACEKEEPING IN REMARKS TO UNITED NATIONS TRAINING SCHOOL
Press Release
SG/SM/6868
SECRETARY-GENERAL PRAISES IRELAND'S COMMITMENT TO PEACEKEEPING IN REMARKS TO UNITED NATIONS TRAINING SCHOOL
19990121 Following is the text of remarks by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the United Nations Training School in Curragh, Ireland, on 21 January:I am honoured to be with you today. This school stands as solid testimony to Ireland's commitment to the service of peace around the world -- a commitment second to none.
Last year, we marked the fiftieth anniversary of United Nations peacekeeping -- the fiftieth anniversary of the year when soldiers were sent on to the battlefield under a new flag and with a new mission: a mission of peace.
In that half century, there have been 49 United Nations peacekeeping operations on four continents, in a wide variety of theatres and circumstances. Men and women of Ireland have served in more than half of them. Seventy-six have given their lives. And in that half century, United Nations peacekeeping has evolved from the traditional kind -- patrolling ceasefire lines -- to the modern, more complex manifestations of the post-cold war era. It is an evolution that has been neither smooth nor natural. Too often, expectations have outstripped abilities and demands have ignored realities on the ground.
We have learned the hard way about the critical importance of unity of purpose, adequate mandate, appropriate force structure and efficient command and control systems.
We now know, from real and practical experience, that any operation must have the unified support of the international community, the Security Council and the troop-contributing countries. Without it, our credibility will be undermined. We know that any credible deployment must be given the mandate and the means -- in terms of force structure and strength -- to carry out the necessary operations.
We have seen that the credibility and effectiveness of an operation are also affected by the promptness with which it is deployed. The rapid deployment of a peacekeeping operation can prevent enormous suffering in the
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short term; and in the longer term, early intervention can spare a country from a legacy of bitterness, which otherwise makes the task of political reconciliation impossible for many years.
The United Nations Standby Arrangements System can offer significant assistance in addressing this need. In this context, let me warmly thank Ireland for playing a vigorous part in this system, and for committing itself through a Memorandum of Understanding with the United Nations.
I hope you will give equally vigorous support to the Multinational United Nations Standby Forces High Readiness Brigade (SHIRBRIG), whose speed of deployment, versatility, and self-sufficiency in the field could make an important contribution in the years to come.
We know that coherence, consistency and cooperation in the international community's efforts must be maintained at all times and even under great pressure. Above all, lines of authority must be clearly delineated and fully respected. We know that the availability of solid intelligence and precise political analysis must be maintained, not only in the midst of conflict but also in pre- and post-conflict situations.
We know that sober and truthful public information must be disseminated as widely and equitably as possible. This will provide people caught in conflict situations with unbiased news that is not employed as a tool of incitement. In Bosnia, as well as Rwanda, we saw how a campaign of hatred was conducted day in and day out over the airwaves, poisoning the atmosphere and sowing distrust between neighbour and neighbour, between community and community.
In short, we have learned many lessons. But the work of learning how to act upon them is never done. This training institution is indispensable in helping us prepare to confront those challenges. And the commitment of Ireland is indispensable in giving us the courage to keep confronting them.
And so, on behalf of the United Nations and as a former head of United Nations peacekeeping myself, allow me to express my heartfelt gratitude to the people and the peacekeepers of Ireland. I add the hope that you will always set the example we have come to rely upon, at the best of times and at the worst of times.
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