Panel Discussion on the occasion of the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers

Excellencies,
Colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a pleasure to welcome you all to the Palais des Nations for the commemoration of International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers. First of all, I should like to express gratitude to the Soldiers of Peace International Association for their contribution to our events today and to our panellists for being with us to share their views and experiences.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan, former Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, is well known for his staunch support for peacekeeping and peacekeepers. On the occasion of the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, he has issued a special message, and it is my honour to present the Secretary-General’s message to you.

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“When the United Nations Security Council established the first peacekeeping mission on this date in 1948, few in the Council chamber could have imagined how far UN peacekeeping would evolve since that time. The days of lightly armed peacekeepers conducting foot patrols along ceasefire lines between sovereign States are long over. UN peacekeeping operations are now increasingly complex and multi-dimensional, going beyond monitoring a ceasefire to actually bringing failed States back to life, often after decades of conflict. The blue helmets and their civilian colleagues work together to organize elections, enact police and judicial reform, promote and protect human rights, conduct mine-clearance, advance gender equality, achieve the voluntary disarmament of former combatants, and support the return of refugees and displaced people to their homes. In the past year in particular, UN police have taken on an increasingly vital role, filling the gap between the role of UN military forces and local security institutions that are unable to fully maintain public order in often tense post-conflict environments.

This invaluable work does not come without risk. More peacekeepers died in the service of the United Nations in 2005 than in any other year in the past decade, with 124 peacekeepers from 46 countries losing their lives to violence, disease and accidents. A further 32 have fallen in the line of duty so far in 2006, including eight Guatemalan soldiers who died while striving to bring peace to the troubled eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Moreover, the number of peacekeepers exposed to risk has increased exponentially, and continues to grow. More than 72,000 uniformed personnel and 15,000 civilians now serve in 18 peace operations administered by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, making the United Nations the largest multilateral contributor to post-conflict stabilization worldwide.

The demand for UN peacekeeping reflects growing confidence in the Organization’s ability to calm tensions and restore stability. This, in turn, is being matched by support from Member States. One hundred and eight countries now contribute uniformed personnel, including a 71-nation mission in Sudan -- the most diverse coalition ever assembled. The leading contributors, by far, are India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, which collectively provide more than 40 per cent of UN peacekeepers -- and as a result have also suffered some of the highest losses.

With peacekeeping having become a core function of the Organization, and with a greater number of staff joining the many already serving in dangerous field locations, it is essential that they receive more professional and responsive institutional support. We are determined to achieve this through critical management and oversight reforms, and through strict enforcement of the highest standards of conduct and of the zero tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse. We are also asking Member States and troop contributors to match our resolve on this critical issue.

The establishment of Peacebuilding Commission is another important step forward. Through sustained attention to the unique challenges of post-conflict transitions, the Commission will aim to prevent countries from lapsing back into conflict – something we have seen too often, and which has required UN peacekeepers to return to countries where peace did not take hold.

On this International Day of UN Peacekeepers, let us pay tribute to the men and women from countries across the world who serve selflessly, tirelessly and fearlessly in UN peacekeeping operations. Let us remember the heroes who have laid down their lives in lands far from their own in the service of peace. And let us reaffirm our commitment to building a world free from the scourge of war.”
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Allow me now, ladies and gentlemen, to add a few words of my own in support of the thrust of the Secretary-General’s message.

Today, we honour the thousands of colleagues who currently serve, or have served, as United Nations peacekeepers. We pay tribute to their courage in hazardous and complex circumstances, and we salute their dedication to the values and principles of the United Nations. We also pay our respects to those who have laid down their lives in the service of peace.

Over the past few years, the international community witnessed a major surge in demand for United Nations peace operations. New complex and multidimensional missions as well as massive deployments of military and civilian personnel have challenged the Organization as never before. As the Secretary-General pointed out, the United Nations is currently directing 18 peace operations across the world, comprising over 88,000 troops, police and civilian personnel. This represents more than a five-fold increase in field personnel since the year 2000, and this year is the first time in UN history that the peacekeeping budget exceeds the $5 billion level.

With growth came the almost inevitable failures. Charges of sexual exploitation and abuse by UN peacekeepers came to light; an issue that the United Nations is taking very seriously. As a consequence, the UN Secretariat and Member States have taken a number of measures designed to prevent and punish violations of UN standards of conduct. The Secretary-General has initiated wide-ranging reforms in this area, and in the period 2004/2005, the Office of Investigation and Oversight Services completed more than 220 investigations, resulting in the dismissal of several civilian staff and the repatriation of military personnel. Several troop-contributing countries have also prosecuted criminal cases against repatriated personnel. The United Nations has made it amply clear, but it bears reiterating that our firm determination is that we will not tolerate sexual abuse by United Nations staff, be they civilian or uniformed personnel.

While failures tend to be more widely publicized, let us not forget our successes. In the past year, the United Nations successfully completed its peacekeeping mandates in many countries, for example in Sierra Leone and Tajikistan. At the same time, the UN supported the organization of elections in four post-conflict countries: in Afghanistan, Burundi, Haiti, and Liberia, and it also provided technical expertise for elections in Iraq.
Despite the increased demand for peacekeeping operations and growing numbers of troop contributors, most “Blue Helmets” continue to be provided by a core group of developing countries. It's fair to say that these countries do their best to make their contribution in accordance with the United Nations Charter. It is also fair to say that we have to look at the options and possibilities of how to increase the effectiveness of United Nations peacekeeping operations. The top ten troop contributors to UN peace operations are exclusively developing countries and provide more than 67 per cent of all UN military and police personnel. For comparison, the 25-member European Union, for example, provides less than 5.8 per cent, and the United States 0.5 per cent. These figures speak for themselves. This situation has further been complicated by the fact that several of the world’s most capable militaries and strong economies are either heavily committed somewhere else, for example in Iraq and Afghanistan, or for other reasons, they choose not to contribute troops to UN peacekeeping.

However, the provision of well-equipped, well-trained and disciplined military and police personnel to UN peacekeeping operations is a collective responsibility of all Member States, Countries from the South should not and must not be expected to shoulder this burden all alone. The permanent members of the Security Council bear a special responsibility for maintaining peace and security. They need to be more closely and better engaged in UN peace operations, whether with troops or logistically. The Military Staff Committee could also play a more active role by providing closer support to the Security Council in planning and regulating issues of military requirements for maintaining peace and security.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This International Day is an excellent opportunity to express our deep appreciation to our peacekeepers. We are proud of their accomplishments in some of the most dangerous and difficult conflicts around the world. This day is also an important opportunity to raise public awareness of the peacekeepers’ vital contribution to the maintenance of international peace and security. And it is an occasion for us to reflect on the nature of the current peacekeeping challenge and how we address it as effectively as possible. Communities in conflict look to us for vital help, and we owe it to them to deliver. In this sense, I hope for a fruitful and thought-provoking discussion on today's subject.

Once again, congratulations, on behalf of the United Nations Secretary-General, to all the peacekeepers who are present here today.

Thank you very much