After In-Depth Negotiations, Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations Approves without Vote Substantive Report on 2023 Session

The Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations today approved without a vote a substantive report on its 2023 session as orally amended, concluding its work, which was held at United Nations Headquarters from 21 February to 15 March. 

Following the report’s processing by the Secretariat and its issuance in all official United Nations languages, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) will resume its work for the seventy-seventh session of the General Assembly to consider the report and recommend a draft resolution for adoption.

Wael Eldahshan (Egypt), Special Committee Rapporteur, introduced the draft report (document A/AC.121/2023/L.3), which contains proposals, recommendations and conclusions by the Working Group of the Whole on a range of peacekeeping issues.  The Special Committee is tasked with reviewing and providing recommendations to the General Assembly on such matters.

Since 2020, the new format of the Special Committee’s annual substantive report is structured around the eight priority areas for action identified by the Secretary-General’s Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) initiative, namely:  conduct; partnerships; peacebuilding and sustaining peace; performance and accountability; politics; protection; safety and security; and women, peace and security.

Numerous delegates took the floor to welcome the report’s adoption and thank the Bureau, facilitators and negotiators for their flexibility in reaching consensus. 

The representative of the European Union, in its capacity as an observer, spoke before the adoption, noting that the Russian Federation requested that references to the bloc’s partnership with the United Nations be removed.  “Russia’s intent in doing so was plain — it wanted something in return for losing the references to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO),” she pointed out, emphasizing that there is no equivalence between the European Union and that organization.  However, the bloc accepted this reluctantly because “we cannot allow that the adoption of the report fails in two consecutive years,” she said.

The Russian Federation’s delegate, opposing attempts to politicize the Special Committee’s work, replied:  “It is strange to hear from the [European Union] accusations against us that are purely due to closed, political aspirations.”  The European Union had asked for the deletion of references to CSTO, even though that organization continues to fruitfully cooperate with the United Nations through its peacekeeping missions which have been enshrined in General Assembly resolutions.  That bloc has no moral right to place itself as a peacekeeper, she insisted, noting that it has sent weapons to conflict areas.

The representative of Morocco, speaking for the Non-Aligned Movement, welcomed the report’s adoption but emphasized that the ad hoc solution — an agreement to roll over the 2021 general content sections in all the chapters of the current report — should by no means set a precedent for future work.  This compromise solution is an exceptional one that allowed the Special Committee to avoid a catastrophic scenario in which it would have had to adopt a procedural report for the second consecutive year, she pointed out.

Uruguay delegate’s, speaking also for of Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, praised the report for containing substantive updates that respond to a challenging and changing environment.  It will help the Secretariat and peacekeepers to improve the implementation of mandates, she stressed.

Tijjani Muhammad Bande (Nigeria), Special Committee Chair, in his closing remarks, reminded delegates that it will take a few weeks for the report to be translated and distributed in all official languages, adding that the Secretariat will upload an advance unedited version to e-deleGATE as soon as possible.

Also speaking today were the representatives of Rwanda, Ethiopia, Argentina, Norway, Brazil and China.