Mr. Chairman,

 

 

We thank the Under-Secretary-General for Field Support, Mr. Atul Khare, and the Assistant-Secretary-General for Rule of Law and Security Institutions in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Mr. Alexandre Zuev, for their briefing and for sharing their assessment of the progress made in peacekeeping activities and the challenges faced.

 

 

2. We would like to associate with the statement made by the delegation of Morocco on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement.

 

 

3. India pays tribute to the men and women who have served and continue to serve in peacekeeping operations for their professionalism, dedication and courage. We remember those who have lost their lives in serving the cause of peace. 

 

 

Mr. Chairman,

 

 

4. Today, Peace and Security issues at the United Nations are vastly different from seven decades ago when the primary concern was to prevent a recurrence of conflict between the former colonial powers. 

 

 

5. Post Cold War, inter-state armed conflicts have largely given way to a profusion of intra-state armed conflicts with the involvement of non state actors and international terrorist networks. This has had serious implications for the effectiveness of the UN peacekeeping operations, that were designed differently with more limited mandates. 

 

 

6. Also, in view of the lessons learnt from the unresolved chronic intra-state nature of armed conflict with longstanding UN peacekeeping missions, today the importance of longer term development, institution building for effective governance, and inclusive political processes for building and sustaining peace is only now beginning to be better understood, even if still not seriously acted upon. 

 

 

 

7. At the United Nations, while decisions regarding mandating of UN Peacekeeping operations comes within the purview of the Security Council, the longer term development issues are dealt with outside the Council, presenting challenges of effective coordination.  

 

 

8. Also, many of the serious armed conflict situations continue to be those where the Security Council cannot come to an agreement because of competing geopolitical interests of major powers, and therefore there are no UN peacekeeping operations mandated for those situations. 

 

 

Mr. Chairman,

 

 

9. Until more than a couple of decades ago, UN peacekeeping operations, anchored on the three principles of - consent of parties to the dispute, impartiality, and non-use of force except in self-defence and defence of the mandate - were able to keep the peace and take care of protection of civilians in the area where UN peacekeepers were deployed.

 

 

10. Today, primarily in intra-state situations with little success in conflict resolution, the pressure is increasingly on a more 'robust' UN peacekeeping approach, which could often come into conflict with the above longstanding principles.

 

 

11. The security challenges that the peacekeepers themselves confront today are becoming increasingly complex and more dangerous. However, the UN peacekeeping mandates are less than clearly defined and far less than adequately resourced for meeting many of the expectations. 

 

 

Mr. Chairman, 

 

 

12. The problems facing the UN peacekeeping have been under discussion for some time now and several well reasoned analyses have been carried out here at the UN that have made useful recommendations. 

 

 

13. For more efficient and effective peacekeeping, it is important to provide clearly defined mandates, objectives and command structures, and adequate resources based on a realistic assessment of the situation. 

 

 

14. The increasingly risky and complex military operations would require the knowledge of ground conditions that is often available with the troops deployed on the ground. It is, therefore, absolutely essential to institutionalize meaningful consultations of the Security Council with the TCCs.

 

 

15. The growing asymmetric threats in peacekeeping missions have made the implementation of the Protection of Civilians (PoC) mandate a big challenge. There have regrettably been incidents where PoC concerns have been raised. Any efforts to draft a policy on performance accountability in this context must take into account the clarity of mandates related to specific situations and address accountability for UN leadership at all levels. 

 

 

16. While attention is focused on more logistical issues such as 'enhanced pledges', use of enablers, deployment of modern technological capabilities, and enhancing the rapid deployment capacities of UN forces, there is clearly a need for a much greater emphasis on political processes for conflict resolution. 

 

 

17. At the same time, in terms of sustaining peace, a more holistic approach toward gender equality and empowerment, access to healthcare, education and employment and strengthening of democratic institutions and processes are important aspects of the approach to prevent conflict.

 

 

Mr. Chairman,

 

 

18. As the longstanding and largest cumulative troop contributor to UN peacekeeping,Indiaunderstands the evolving complexities of UN peacekeeping. Our peacekeepers have long acted proactively in defence of mandates now described as protection of civilians. India has worked with the UN and partner countries to assist with training on peacekeepers, especially the women peacekeepers and our partners from Africa. India has continued to actively engage in discussions on improving the UN peacekeeping at various fora, including the Security Council. India also supports the strengthening of efforts of the Peacebuilding Commission at sustaining peace.   

 

 

Mr. Chairman, 

 

 

19. The incidents of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) have not only scarred the victims of such abuse but also the UN's credibility. We firmly support the zero tolerance policy against such crimes. India supported the creation of SG's Trust Fund for assisting victims of SEA and was the first country to contribute to it and has continued such support. We welcome the further initiatives that have been taken by the Secretary-General and also signed the Compact in this regard. 

 

 

Mr. Chairman, 

 

 

20. The Secretary General's comprehensive reform proposals, including for the peace and security architecture of the UN are also relevant to the present discussion. We hope that reforms will cut bureaucratic delays and improve logistics for peacekeepers on the ground, while also enhancing the understanding of the wider political concerns.  

 

 

 

21. In conclusion, we would like to reiterate that the peacekeeping operations are deployed in contexts that are very different from those some decades ago. These can only support wider efforts to put in place inclusive political processes to build peace and long term investment in institutions for good governance and sustainable development for sustaining peace. 

 

 

Thank you.