Remarks by Ambassador Dr. Maleeha Lodhi, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, at the Follow Up Meeting of Leaders Summit on Peacekeeping (18 June 2016)

My delegation thanks Under Secretaries General Herve Ladsous and Atul Khare for their commitment to make this pivotal United Nations enterprise respond more effectively to the challenges of our times.

We also thank General Gordon Messenger and General Josef Dunford for their presence today.

Pakistan’s commitment to UN Peacekeeping remains strong, consistent and unstinting. We continue to figure among the world’s top troop contributors. Our peacekeepers have an exemplary track record of delivering in testing circumstances and in implementing and fulfilling demanding mandates with professionalism and distinction.

As a co-host of the Leaders Summit on Peacekeeping last September, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced additional pledges, including an Infantry Battalion; Transport, Engineering and Signal companies; additional utility helicopters; a Level-II and a Level-III Hospital for deployment in future UN peacekeeping missions.

The Department of Peacekeeping Operations has just concluded an Assessment and Advisory Visit to Pakistan. Its purpose was to assess the readiness of our troops for deployment, and their conformity to the pledges we had made. I am gratified to report that the visit was a success.

We strongly recommend that the UN support mechanism may now be geared up for speedy deployment of selected units to UN Missions. This is our collective endeavor and we all need to take steps to make it a success.

Pakistan also supports the initiative taken by the UK for a Ministerial level meeting in London in September to follow up on the pledges made at the Leaders Summit. I am pleased to confirm that Pakistan’s Minister of Defence would attend the meeting.

Let me conclude by once again assuring you of Pakistan’s continued commitment and resolve to live up to our responsibility as a major troop contributor and to fulfill our obligations in this regard. We stand ready to deliver on the pledges made at the Leaders Summit.

I thank you.