S/PV.6153
6153rd meeting
Monday, 29 June 2009, 10 a.m.
New York
United Nations peacekeeping operations
Mr. Dabbashi (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya) (spoke in Arabic): First, I wish to thank you, Sir, for having organized this discussion on peacekeeping operations, which my country hopes will be an important link in the chain of reform of peacekeeping operations. We wish to thank Mr. Le Roy and Ms. Malcorra for their extremely useful briefings.
Since it was established, the United Nations has used peacekeeping operations as a tool to achieve peace and stability, alongside preventive diplomacy, mediation and peacebuilding. Peacekeeping operations have proven to be effective in many countries where they have insured security and stability, such as Cambodia, El Salvador, Guatemala and Mozambique.
Currently we are witnessing the ongoing success of certain peacekeeping operations, such as in Burundi and Sierra Leone. However, it must not be forgotten that some missions have failed miserably in building peace in time and to protect civilians. We have also witnessed unimaginable horrors such as those that occurred in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in Rwanda and in Somalia.
Despite the mixed results of peacekeeping operations, they are still the most appropriate tool for peacekeeping and for ensuring stability and preserving the lives of civilians. Nonetheless, the growing demand for peacekeeping operations and for their expansion and the growing costs have raised questions about their effectiveness and how best to manage and enhance them. How can we provide those operations with the necessary human and financial resources? Other questions concern the nature of their mandate, when and in what conditions we should resort to force and now best to fulfil their mandate to protect civilians.
Numerous efforts have been made to reform the planning and management of peacekeeping operations, from the Brahimi report (S/2000/809) to the 2010 reform agenda, the restructuring of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the establishment of the Department of Field Support. The work of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations has ensured follow-up to and assessment of the reform. We look forward to receiving the non-paper on the New Horizon initiative on peacekeeping reform to be presented by the Secretariat, of which we have obtained an executive summary.
We hope that the debate that began in the Security Council on the United Kingdom/French initiative on the reform of peacekeeping operations will lead to concrete results through open debate in which all interested parties, including troop-contributing countries (TCCs) and police-contributing countries (PCCs), participate. There is no doubt that the participation of TCCs and PCCs is important in order to fill in the gaps in peacekeeping operations and to find ways to strengthen their effectiveness within the context of clear, agreed and verifiable mandates. We believe that it is high time to expand the corps of TCCs so that more of them will provide troops. That could be achieved through financial support to certain countries that are unable to provide troops, weapons and equipment.
The establishment or extension of any peacekeeping mandate must be in accordance with the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, agreed guidelines, the consent of the parties concerned, the non-use of force except in legitimate self-defence, and strict respect for the neutrality, sovereignty and territorial integrity of States, as well as non‑interference in their internal affairs.
In that regard, we affirm the importance of all TCCS participating in all aspects and phases of peacekeeping. The growing need for peacekeeping operations requires more cooperation between the United Nations and relevant regional organizations, which must be encouraged to take part in peacebuilding and peacekeeping through regional mechanisms.
The African Union is the primary organization for two reasons. First, the majority of conflicts take place on the African continent. Secondly, the African Union has acquired special mechanisms for peacekeeping with the establishment of its Peace and Security Council, which is playing an increasingly important role in peacekeeping.
Furthermore, the African Union has launched initiatives that merit the support and encouragement of us all. We also support the implementation of a joint working programme between the African Union and the United Nations in order to strengthen the capabilities of the African Union’s peacekeeping operations in the short and long terms, as well as those of its mission in Somalia. We welcome Mr. Le Roy’s statement to that effect earlier in this meeting.
The success of peacekeeping operations depends on an active accompanying political process that includes the resolve of all parties to a conflict to repudiate violence and to favour a dialogue to restore peace. Peacekeeping must be part of all mandates, and peacebuilding must also include support for strengthening and restructuring State institutions and the security sector, as well as the establishment of an effective police force, a robust legal system and the State’s authority over its entire territory.
