Pakistan Mission to United Nations

2008 Parliamentary Hearing at the United Nations Towards effective peacekeeping and prevention of conflict Delivering on our commitments

It is with great pleasure that I take the floor on this important discussion on UN peacekeeping. Pakistan has been one of the most consistent and leading contributors of military and police personnel to UN missions over the years. My country currently tops the list, contributing over 10,500 personnel, which is about 12% of the total UN peacekeeping strength in this period of exceptional surge in demand. This tangible contribution by Pakistan for the maintenance of international peace and security is a demonstration of our deep commitment and abiding faith in the purposes and principles of the United Nations. A large part of our participation is in the most difficult and complex situations in Africa. Our troops were instrumental in the success of UN efforts in Sierra Leone and Burundi, and as we commemorate 60 years of UN peacekeeping, let me mention that Pakistan is also host to one of the first UN peacekeeping missions i.e. the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan.

2. Peacekeeping is today the flagship activity of the United Nations, made possible by the self-less service, devotion and sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of blue helmets. The rising demand for UN peacekeeping is a reflection of its success and of increased international trust in the UN. At the same time, it has posed immense challenges of deployment and management. The need to adapt and strengthen UN peacekeeping to respond to these challenges is therefore clear. To ensure continued success of this enterprise, the member states have to provide the United Nations all the support, tools and resources necessary to undertake peacekeeping in an efficient and effective manner. This is a collective responsibility, which requires collective political will, cooperation and coordination, as well as flexibility and innovation. While technical details are for the experts to discuss, I would like to highlight a few points, which from a larger perspective, are essential for success:
• First and foremost is the need to undertake peacekeeping in full respect of the guiding principles and the UN Charter. Deviation from these basic and agreed rules may put peacekeeping at risk of failure. It also impacts negatively on United Nations’ neutrality, credibility and legitimacy, characteristics which contribute uniquely to the success of peacekeeping.
• Second, we must follow a truly comprehensive approach for conflict prevention and sustainable peace and development. Peacekeeping is but one tool in this strategy. Wherever employed, it should be integrated and properly interfaced with other mechanisms for conflict resolution, peacemaking and post conflict reconstruction and peace-building. Particular focus should be on addressing the underlying causes of conflicts, which range from political and territorial disputes, to diverse issues related to social and economic injustice and underdevelopment. Exit strategies must necessarily address these root causes in order to ensure lasting peace, which, in our view, is the only true measure of success for the suffering populations on ground.
• Third, while the UN has had relative success in managing intra-state situations, it needs to do more in resolving the inter-state conflicts which pose real threat to international peace and security.
• Fourth, there is need for reform and strengthening of peacekeeping capacity to cope with the evolving nature of conflicts and associated challenges. Peacekeeping mandates should be clear, realistic and achievable, and must be matched with adequate resources from the very outset. UN peacekeeping is proven to be much less costly as compared to other options. We must therefore ensure that UN missions are provided with the required capacities so that they are able to create a stable environment in which peace processes can advance and lives of the affected populations are protected. Well resourced missions are also the best way of enhancing the safety and security of our troops on ground.
• Fifth, to enable the UN to better respond to the requirements of emergency and rapid deployments, we must redouble our efforts to agree on feasible arrangements as soon as possible.
• Sixth, a genuine partnership and engagement at the decision making level with the troop contributing countries is essential for successful policy formulation and operational effectiveness of the missions.
• Seventh, cooperation with regional and sub-regional organizations needs to be exploited within the framework of Chapter VIII of the Charter in order to make use of the comparative advantages, without substituting the central role of the United Nations.
• Last but not the least is the fundamental requirement of political support and commitment of all member states. UN peacekeeping is for the common good. It must therefore entail collective action based on shared responsibility and pooling of resources by all. Those with greater resources and capacity have greater responsibility which they must shoulder. As parliamentarians, we all have the responsibility to advise our governments and inform our peoples of the important contribution of UN peacekeeping for global peace, and also to convince them to fully support this noble cause.
3. Let us all invest more in blue helmets. This will be a wise and a safe investment as it is an investment in peace and humanity.