Statement by Ambassador Archie Young at the Special Committee on
Peacekeeping Operations (C-34).
"Thank you Chair.
As we have clearly heard today, peacekeeping remains a vital tool
to reduce global conflict and create stability. But as
peacekeeping faces new and systemic challenges, it must continue
to adapt and evolve.
We have made great progress in implementing the Action for
Peacekeeping initiative and Action for Peacekeeping Plus
priorities, which remains the key overarching reform framework,
but there is more to be done to ensure that peacekeeping is fit
for the future. As we start this year’s session, I would like to
stress three points.
First, we underline the importance of partnership and
collaboration, as well as political support and consent, in the
effective delivery of mandates and well-planned
transitions.
Missions continue to suffer from restrictions on freedom of
movement and of violations of Status of Forces Agreements,
including in the Central African Republic, Lebanon and Western
Sahara.
Sustainable transitions require UN structures and the host
government’s peace and security architecture to work together. It
is the people on the ground who suffer most when host governments
fail to support a sustainable transition, and there are
significant risks in how we safeguard the protection of civilians
during withdrawals.
Second, we must ensure all peacekeepers have the necessary
training and capabilities, including the right medical
capabilities, to meet the challenges of today and deliver their
mandates.
Among these challenges, misinformation and disinformation is
growing and puts the safety and security of our peacekeepers at
risk.
Effective strategic communications are essential enablers of
mandate delivery and it is vital that we continue to use tools
such as the Comprehensive Planning and Performance Assessment
System, now rolled out in all missions, to their fullest extent
and find ways to apply data in decision-making.
Third, we should recognise the progress made on Women, Peace and
Security issues and commit to fully representative and safe
operations. A growing number of Troop- and Police-Contributing
Countries have shown significant increases in the number of their
women personnel.
But there is much more to be done to ensure women’s participation
is meaningful and that women, as part of missions or as
civilians, are safe from harassment and abuse.
We urge the UN and Member States to hold themselves to the
highest of standards on gender parity, civil society engagement,
and countering sexual exploitation and abuse.
The United Kingdom values the work of this Committee in driving
forward peacekeeping reform through practical consensus-based
recommendations, and we will continue to contribute to
improvements in peacekeeping through deployments, extrabudgetary
funding and expertise, as set out by the range of our pledges in
Ghana at last year’s Peacekeeping Ministerial.
Finally, I want to end by paying tribute to peacekeepers across
the globe and to the memory of the brave peacekeepers who lost
their lives. We commit to engage in collaborative and
constructive discussions over the coming weeks to achieve a
substantive report this year.
Thank you Chair."
