PANAPRESS
Panafrican News Agency
'UN peacekeeping missions lack helicopters'
New York, US (PANA) - The UN peacekeeping operations around the world are seeking to fine-tune their work as they face a critical shortfall in helicopters, UN Under Secretary-General for Peacekeeping, Alain Le Roy, said on Wednesday.
``It remains the case that too many of our missions struggle without critical assets necessary to properly fulfill their mandates, assets that only member states can provide,” Le Roy told the UN General Assembly’s Special Committee on Peacekeeping at the start of its annual debate on the operations.
He stated that, ``military helicopter units, in particular, are an absolute force requirement for operations conducted in vast and remote locations, as many of our missions do''.
He also noted that the UN missions in Sudan, Darfur and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) among those most affected.
The UN official disclosed that, ``in the past year, the UN Secretariat has been distributing lists covering military, police, rule of law, and other capability gaps in current missions so as to identify systematically critical requirements and support member states in both their immediate
and longer-term planning''.
Le Roy, however, stressed that, ``while the rate of growth seems to be slowing, the complexity of UN peacekeeping remains incredibly high''.
He also said that, ``the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) will use the opportunity to strengthen and fine-tune its systems, while not having to continually seek and deploy new resources into new missions at the same pace as before.
``We will continue to navigate a myriad of fast-moving and politically-sensitive situations on the ground,” he said, citing challenges faced by the UN/AU Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) and the UN Mission in DRC (MONUSCO) in protecting civilians across vast areas and in responding to threats.
“The implementation of protection-of-civilians mandates continues to be one of the most operationally complex tasks for United Nations peacekeeping,” he added.
The UN official further noted that 2010 had been an exceptionally challenging year.
According to him: ``I must underscore, once again, that peacekeepers do provide protection to millions on a daily basis. This is a fact that far too often goes unnoticed''.
``Nonetheless, we are eminently aware of instances where we could have done better and remain committed to enhancing our performance.
``Our troops, police and civilians on the ground continue to develop innovative approaches to protection of civilians,'' he stated.
Le Roy also said that the department of peacekeeping operations was developing a series of Protection of Civilians training modules for military, police, and civilian personnel and these would be ready for consultation with member states by next month.
In his speech, UN General Assembly President Joseph Deiss, underscored the importance of all member states to be involved in peacekeeping operations, in order to boost its capacity and
capability.
He noted that, ``although the Security Council decides mandates for peacekeeping operations, decisions on financing, on elaborating policies and guidelines and reviewing implementation pertain to the authority of the General Assembly''.
He also stated that, ``peacekeeping has to be seen in the broader context of the long-term social and economic development of post-conflict countries''.
``Therefore, it is essential to enhance the nexus between peacekeeping and peacebuilding. I encourage you to continue the reflection on how to explore its full potential'' Deiss added.
PANA reports that currently there are nearly 100,000 uniformed personnel operating in 15 UN missions around the world,
-0- PANA AA/VAO 23Feb2011
``It remains the case that too many of our missions struggle without critical assets necessary to properly fulfill their mandates, assets that only member states can provide,” Le Roy told the UN General Assembly’s Special Committee on Peacekeeping at the start of its annual debate on the operations.
He stated that, ``military helicopter units, in particular, are an absolute force requirement for operations conducted in vast and remote locations, as many of our missions do''.
He also noted that the UN missions in Sudan, Darfur and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) among those most affected.
The UN official disclosed that, ``in the past year, the UN Secretariat has been distributing lists covering military, police, rule of law, and other capability gaps in current missions so as to identify systematically critical requirements and support member states in both their immediate
and longer-term planning''.
Le Roy, however, stressed that, ``while the rate of growth seems to be slowing, the complexity of UN peacekeeping remains incredibly high''.
He also said that, ``the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) will use the opportunity to strengthen and fine-tune its systems, while not having to continually seek and deploy new resources into new missions at the same pace as before.
``We will continue to navigate a myriad of fast-moving and politically-sensitive situations on the ground,” he said, citing challenges faced by the UN/AU Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) and the UN Mission in DRC (MONUSCO) in protecting civilians across vast areas and in responding to threats.
“The implementation of protection-of-civilians mandates continues to be one of the most operationally complex tasks for United Nations peacekeeping,” he added.
The UN official further noted that 2010 had been an exceptionally challenging year.
According to him: ``I must underscore, once again, that peacekeepers do provide protection to millions on a daily basis. This is a fact that far too often goes unnoticed''.
``Nonetheless, we are eminently aware of instances where we could have done better and remain committed to enhancing our performance.
``Our troops, police and civilians on the ground continue to develop innovative approaches to protection of civilians,'' he stated.
Le Roy also said that the department of peacekeeping operations was developing a series of Protection of Civilians training modules for military, police, and civilian personnel and these would be ready for consultation with member states by next month.
In his speech, UN General Assembly President Joseph Deiss, underscored the importance of all member states to be involved in peacekeeping operations, in order to boost its capacity and
capability.
He noted that, ``although the Security Council decides mandates for peacekeeping operations, decisions on financing, on elaborating policies and guidelines and reviewing implementation pertain to the authority of the General Assembly''.
He also stated that, ``peacekeeping has to be seen in the broader context of the long-term social and economic development of post-conflict countries''.
``Therefore, it is essential to enhance the nexus between peacekeeping and peacebuilding. I encourage you to continue the reflection on how to explore its full potential'' Deiss added.
PANA reports that currently there are nearly 100,000 uniformed personnel operating in 15 UN missions around the world,
-0- PANA AA/VAO 23Feb2011
