General Assembly General Assembly

Statement by Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, at the Opening Session of the Annual Debate of the United Nations Special Committee
for Peacekeeping Operations (C34), on February 16, 2016

 


Mr. Chairman,
 

 I thank you for giving me the floor. I would also at the outset express our deep condolences on the passing away of the titan Egyptian Diplomat Dr. Boutros-Boutros Ghali, the former Secretary General of the United Nations. Some 20 years ago it was this committee that discussed aspects office 'Agenda for Peace' and it is only appropriate that we pay tribute to his services here.
 

 

The history of peace keeping is one of ad-hoc responses, driven by the demands of the international political situation and the realities of the ground situation. Hence as far as peacekeeping issues are concerned, we believe that this is one of the most important meetings at the UN as the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Commission (C-34) is the body mandated by the General Assembly to provide guidance on all peacekeeping issues. It is a forum to be proactive rather than reactive.

 

Today's discussion we hope will be the beginning of negotiations on several issues pertaining to peacekeeping which will hopefully culminate in the form of a report to be considered by the General Assembly. My delegation will be negotiating as in the past as part of the NAM Group and we would like to align ourselves with the statement delivered by the NAM Group. We would also like to thank the distinguished Secretary-General for his report no. A/70/579.

 

Mr. Chairman, 

 

2. This year's meeting of the C-34 assumes special significance in view of the fact that we are also considering the implementation of the report of the High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (HIPPO) and the Secretary-General's recommendation on the same. While my delegation has welcomed the HIPPO Report, the peacekeeping arena today is facing several challenges which we need to overcome if peacekeeping is to continue as the signature activity of the UN in its role to maintain international peace and security.

 

Mr. Chairman,

 

3. We acknowledge that the landscape of PKOs has changed drastically in the last few decades. Our peacekeepers are deployed in areas where there are challenges that were hitherto unknown. These include threats from intra-ethnic conflicts to terrorist related attacks. There has been a need for all peacekeeping missions to adjust to the reality which we face. Peacekeepers have to literally 'reinvent' themselves with new tools to tackle these issues. We as one of the most active contributors in UNPKOs do realise the change that faces us and are more than willing to add new tools in the skill sets of our troops to face these challenges in a more robust fashion.

 

4. While it is for the Security Council to decide on the suitability of a Peacekeeping Operation in a particular region and determine its mandate, all the Member States have a stake in the peace process whether or not they contribute directly to these PKOs. In an inter-connected world, it is very easy for member states to be at the receiving end or at times suffer collateral damage if they are in the vicinity of areas which are unstable and prone to conflicts.

 

Mr. Chairman,

 

5. India has been at the forefront of peacekeeping activities. As a country which has participated in 48 UN peacekeeping operations, we have contributed our share to the maintenance of international peace and security with high standards of professionalism that are troops are known for.

 

Mr. Chairman,

 

6. Our troops have been the leaders in implementation of Protection of Civilians even when the concept of Protection of Civilians (PoC) was not in vogue. In one of the debates recently at the UN, I had shared the story of the great courage displayed by Capt. G.S. Salaria in the line of duty while protecting civilians in the Congo in the 60s. For his great valour and sacrifice, Capt. Salaria was posthumously given the highest gallantry award of India, the Param Vir Chakra. Another strong example of our commitment to PoC mandate was during the crisis in Melut, South Sudan in May 2015 the Indian battalion protected the IDP population against major odds.

 

Mr. Chairman,

 

7. It would be remiss if I did not raise the important issue of the safety and security of our troops deployed in these difficult situations. While 163 or our peacekeepers have paid the supreme sacrifice while serving the UN, we would like to stress the point that many a time careful planning and also consultative dialogue of UNSC members and the troop contributing countries while formulating the mandate of UN PKOs will go a long way in promoting safety and security of our peacekeepers. Here we would also like to strongly emphasise that all Member States where PKOs are deployed must ensure that in cases of attacks on the peacekeepers there is an effective process to prosecute, punish and penalise the perpetrators of the attacks.

 

Mr. Chairman,

 

8. My delegation is appalled by the recent cases of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) which have surfaced in some of the UNPKOs. My delegation strongly condemns these unpardonable acts when the protector becomes the perpetrator. We have a zero tolerance policy on SEA cases and would like that there is zero tolerance on such issues across the UN too.

 

Mr. Chairman,

 

9. As a country which has enthusiastically embraced the benefits of technology we are supportive of technology being used to make peacekeeping more effective. Technology should be used with a sense of responsibility wherein the information that sensitive technology provides access to should be with relevant stakeholders directly involved with those operations.

 

Mr. Chairman,

 

10. Finally, I would also like to mention that our delegation welcomes the recommendations of the HIPPO report. We are particularly encouraged by the Panel's recommendations pertaining to the primacy of politics and enhanced consultations between the TCCs, the Secretariat and UNSC. We also support the views of the Panel against the deployments of PKOs in counter terrorism theatres and adherence to the critical principles of peacekeeping. However, we understand that these issues need to be viewed with flexibility in response to emerging challenges.

 

11. We would expect that the C-34 negotiations which will follow the general debate would result in a document which will be substantive in the sense that it would be the first major document after the adoption of the HIPPO report and SG's recommendations therein. Hopefully it will provide pro-active guidance and add to establishing a framework for the conduct of peacekeeping operations. I would like to assure the full support and cooperation of my delegation in the weeks ahead when we will all endeavour to come out with documents which will provide guidance on how to enhance the utility of peacekeeping as a tool to enhance peace and security in the 21st century.

 

I thank you, Mr. Chairman.