Home | Business News | Browse by Publication | M | M2 Presswire

Security Council discusses ways to improve support for United Nations peacekeeping operations; Members stress need for clear mandates, importance of humanitarian efforts, electoral assistance, adequate resources, economic reconstruction -- Page 1 of 2.

Article Excerpt
M2 PRESSWIRE-29 August 2003-UN: Security Council discusses ways to improve support for United Nations peacekeeping operations; Members stress need for clear mandates, importance of humanitarian efforts, electoral assistance, adequate resources, economic reconstruction -- Page 1 of 2(C)1994-2003 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

RDATE:08282003

Wrapping up their work for August, members of the Security Council this morning focused on ways of providing better support for United Nations peacekeeping operations in various parts of the world.

At the suggestion of the Council's outgoing President, Mikhail Wehbe (Syria), the Council addressed the evolving and increasingly complex nature of peacekeeping, with speakers emphasizing the need for clear mandates and timetables, as well as conditions to ensure their implementation.

Most participants agreed that peacekeeping missions should be involved not only in providing military forces to areas in conflict, but also in ensuring support for restoration of a durable peace through humanitarian efforts, as well as disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of ex-combatants, support for the rule of law, electoral assistance and economic reconstruction. Of particular importance was the provision of adequate human and financial resources.

The representative of the United Kingdom said that, as post-conflict peacekeeping was a consequence of earlier failures, an earlier warning system was crucial to allow for the opportunity to act properly and intervene as necessary. Prevention was very much better than cure. But peacekeeping should be part of an integrated, multidimensional approach -- an essential element of which was the development of justice in transition.

Many speakers agreed that in dealing with new situations, it was important to learn lessons from the Organization's previous conflict resolution and peacekeeping experience, including in Sierra Leone, Kosovo, Timor-Leste and Afghanistan. As, in some cases, gaps had emerged in the transition from peacekeeping to peace-building, speakers stressed the importance of coherence of efforts, coordination among various United Nations bodies, and flexibility in adapting to the situations on the ground.

Several members of the Council pointed out that the transition from conflict to peace and stability could not be shouldered by the Council alone. It was necessary to explore how the Council could work with other United Nations organs, especially the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), to evolve mechanisms to ensure that an initial deployment eventually led to a permanent peace.

In that connection, Chile's representative noted that the creation of ad hoc groups for Burundi and Guinea-Bissau and the recent cooperation between the Security Council and ECOSOC in those countries, were significant steps forward.

He also said that it was necessary to integrate human rights components into peacekeeping and to find a balance between the issues of sovereignty and moral obligation to protect defenceless individuals against the abuses of power. Another issue was the relationship between peacekeeping and the need to bring to justice those responsible for crimes against humanity. It was important not to allow impunity to prevail.

In the aftermath of last week's terrorist attack on the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, the issues of safety and security of peacekeepers and humanitarian workers were particularly prominent in the debate. Speakers insisted that harming peacekeepers should be punishable under international law as a crime against humanity and welcomed the unanimous adoption of resolution 1502 (2003) on Tuesday as an important step in order to reduce the...

View this article FREE - Now for a Limited Time, try Goliath Business News
Free for 3 Days!