Security Council Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations Discusses Provisional Work Plan for 2016

On 22 March 2016, the Security Council Working Group on peacekeeping operations held an organizational meeting to discuss the provisional work plan for the year.

The Chair of the Working Group, Ambassador Fodé Seck, Permanent Representative of Senegal to the United Nations, presented a programme formulated around eight themes:

1. Use of technology in the context of peacekeeping operations;
2. New trends in peacekeeping — robust mandates (Force Intervention Brigade of United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo lessons learned) and cooperation intermissions (Quick Reaction Force, United Nations Mission in Liberia, United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire);
3. Partnerships United Nations/regional organizations — reinforcing the capacities of regional actors in conducting peace operations;
4. Intelligence in the context of peacekeeping operations;
5. Fostering the triangular dialogue between Security Council, troop- and police-contributing countries and the Secretariat;
6. Protection of civilians — strengthening the linkage with political strategies;
7. Transition from African Union to United Nations peacekeeping operations — lessons learned;
8. Is there any room for complementarity between United Nations counter-terrorism bodies and peacekeeping operations — challenges and opportunities?

Members of the Working Group welcomed the meeting and expressed appreciation to the Chair for providing those relevant and timely themes.  They emphasized the importance of the full participation of the troop- and police-contributing countries.

Members also stressed the importance of setting the calendar year in a flexible manner in order to be able to consider, if necessary, emerging questions or situations concerning a peacekeeping operation.

In that regard, the Working Group agreed to merge themes so as to reduce the number to six.