78^th Session of the United Nations General Assembly

Special Political and Decolonization (Fourth) Committee Thematic Debate

Comprehensive Review of Special Political Missions

Mr Nitish Birdi, Minister PMI

02 November 2023

We thank the Under Secretaries Generals for Political and Peace-building Affairs and for Field Support for their comprehensive briefings on Special Political Missions, which remain a key instrument for the United Nations in the areas of peace and security and conflict prevention, peacemaking and peace-building.

2. My delegation aligns itself with the statement delivered by Morocco on behalf of the NAM.

3. My delegation takes note of the Report of the Secretary General on overall policy matters pertaining to the Special Political Missions, which elaborates on the various UN reforms aimed at enabling SPMs to better deliver on their responsibilities. We also welcome the updates from the Secretariat on measures being taken in particular on mandate implementation.

4. We also take note of the Secretary General’s focus on the meaningful engagement of youth groups in political and peace processes and ensure implementing the women and peace and security agenda is a strategic priority of special political missions.

5. The United Nations recently commemorated the seventy-fifth anniversary of the establishment of the first special political mission. Since 1948, special political missions have played a crucial role in the Organization’s efforts to maintain international peace and security.

6. The forty-one SPMs operational today vary considerably in terms of their mandates and structures. Many of them operate in complex security situations, with both national and regional dimensions, as well as cross-border threats, such as transnational organized crime and terrorism.

7. In this context, my delegation would like to highlight the following important aspects:

8. First, a range of new threats, or old threats with new dimensions, increasingly intersect with and shape conflict dynamics, such as the impact of climate change, increasing inequalities, stalled or limited progress on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for SDGs and the weaponization of new technologies, including through the use of hate speech and disinformation on a scale never seen before.

9. 2^nd, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all States where the SPMs operate must be respected. The principles of impartiality, consent of parties, national ownership and national responsibility should be paramount at all stages of the missions.

10. 3^rd, there is a need for a genuinely transparent, participatory and consultative process, be it during the inception of the Mission, mandate formulation or renewal.

11. Finally, we must address the fragmented manner in which the funding of SPMs is handled, without following the regular budget cycles of the UN. A separate account for SPMs, to be assessed at peacekeeping scales and in line with the peacekeeping budget cycle, would enhance transparency in the budgetary process of SPMs.

12. Implementing these suggestions, several of which have been echoed by the Secretary-General, and many delegations here, would serve us immensely in improving the functioning, transparency and accountability of SPMs.

13. To conclude, we thank the Secretariat again for the information shared today and look forward to continue and deepen this dialogue.