Pakistan Mission to United Nations

Statement by Ambassador Dr. Maleeha Lodhi, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, at the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (C-34) (11 February 2019)

Mr. Chairman,

My delegation aligns itself with the statement delivered by Morocco on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Let me at the outset pay tribute to the recently fallen peacekeepers in Mali and Abyei. We understand the pain as do others whose peacekeepers have had to make the ultimate sacrifice.

The safety and security of peacekeepers, Chair, is a critical and urgent issue for all of us. Threats to our peacekeepers, increasingly deployed in complex and evolving conflict zones, have increased manifold over the past few years. Yet, rather than address the real issues such as providing our troop adequate resources and capabilities, safety and security is often seen from the perspective of those who support so called robust peacekeeping, peace enforcement and counter-terrorism operations by peacekeepers.

Blurring the line between peacekeeping and peace enforcement is fraught with risk. It would impact the neutrality and credibility of the United Nations, precisely the principles on which the success of the enterprise is based. No one can support or expose the UN to become a party to any conflict.

The principles of peacekeeping are neither caveats nor impediments to mandate implementation or protection of civilians. Peacekeepers have repeatedly demonstrated through their timely and effective response, in hostile situations, that the response does not constrain the use of force. We firmly believe that the broad support, legitimacy and credibility that UN peacekeeping has come to enjoy over the decades are predicated on these very principles.

As a longstanding and consistent troop and police contributing country, Pakistan believes the fundamentals of peacekeeping must be preserved even as we adapt to changing realities.

Mr. Chairman,

Mandated to discuss all aspects and dimensions of peacekeeping, this Committee must play its role in norm building and policy formulation, and enable peacekeepers to meet the high expectations that we all have of them.

Here I would like to make six specific points:

• One, deployment decisions have to be based on consultation, preparation and knowledge of the ground situation. Triangular cooperation is critical to all three. With practical on-ground and in mission experience, TCCs must be consulted in a timely manner, and their suggestions taken on board during mandate formulation, mandate renewal and its review. Last year, Pakistan and the UK took the initiative to hold informal consultations within the C-34, and came up with a set of recommendations and best practices. We are willing to work with all stakeholders to make the current avenues of Triangular Cooperation more effective, and also finding new and innovative ways to make it work.
• Two, at a time when all our focus seems to be on cutting costs, we must appreciate that UN peacekeeping is highly cost effective. Peacekeeping is a collective endeavor. It draws strength from our collective political will. We must therefore pool our best human resources, and ensure adequate financial and material resources for the success of this enterprise. We also need to put in place fair, realistic and permanent mechanisms for review of troop cost and COE reimbursements, and ensure timely reimbursements to TCCs. Delayed payments is a stop-gap arrangement, not a solution.
• Three, representation of major TCCs at leadership and at senior levels, both in the field and at headquarters, must be increased to a level that is commensurate with their participation. This would help to ensure a more field-based perspective to our decisions.
• Four, with the recent decisions of troop reduction and mission drawdowns, there is a need to evaluate the pledges already made by TCCs, and focus on critical capability gaps that remain. Similarly, the feasibility of the Peacekeeping Capability Readiness System (PCRS) also merits reevaluation. It must be borne in mind that maintaining equipment and troops in readiness for the UN is an expensive enterprise for TCCs, especially when faced with the reality of mandate revisions and resource cuts.
• Five, while safety and security of peacekeepers is the responsibility of the host state, it should not become a pretext or excuse to limit, in any way, their freedom of movement, nor should it be translated into restrictions that would impinge upon mandate implementation.
• And finally, UN peacekeeping works best when there is a peace to keep. Its success hinges on having a robust political track that leads to political solutions. The primacy of politics is therefore critical to success.

Mr. Chairman,

‘Achieving more with less’, is not sustainable, at least not until the accepted rules of cause and effect continue to govern the universe. It is time we start enabling our peacekeepers to live up to the ideals that we claim to be committed to.

In keeping with these ideals, and fully appreciating the importance of female participation in peacekeeping, Pakistan is proud to have achieved the goal of deployment of 15% female staff officers in UN Missions. Pakistan is deploying a female engagement team to Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) in May 2019.

Moreover as a host state of the United Nations Observer Mission in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), Pakistan has always fulfilled its commitments to help in the implementation of its mandate. We believe UNMOGIP has been and continues to play an important role in the maintenance of peace and security in a volatile neighbourhood. We also support strengthening UNMOGIP to make it more effective.

To conclude Chair, as a contributor, and as a host state, we will continue to support efforts to strengthen peacekeeping. Our faith in it as an indispensable tool for the maintenance of international peace and security is firm and abiding.

I thank you.