Statement by H.E. Mr. Jalil Abbas Jilani Foreign Secretary of Pakistan and President of the United Nations Security Council at the open debate on “UN Peacekeeping: A Multidimensional Approach” New York,(21 January 2013)

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great privilege for me to preside over today’s open debate.

I thank the UN Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for his insightful briefing. We deeply admire his leadership on UN peacekeeping and personal commitment to making UN peacekeeping operations efficient and effective.

Blue Helmets are recognized and respected all over the world. They symbolize the United Nations' quest for regional and international peace, security and stability around the globe. They underline the collective will and endeavor of all member states to make this world peaceful and stable.

UN peacekeeping has saved and protected tens of millions of lives around the globe. It helps shattered communities and neighbourhoods rebuild themselves. It replaces strife with harmony.

Brave women and men in the peacekeeping missions have made tremendous sacrifices in the cause of peace. More than three thousand peacekeepers have laid down their lives to save the world from the scourge of war. Today, we collectively pay homage to them. Today, we should all once again reiterate our commitment to their safety and security

Excellencies,

We are grateful to all the Council members for holding a debate on UN Peacekeeping: A Multidimensional Approach during our Presidency. We held wide ranging consultations, including with the Secretariat, to ensure that all stakeholders were on board and all perspectives were reflected in the preparation of this debate and the resolution on a multidimensional approach to peacekeeping. I am glad that today we will adopt a resolution on this subject that has been co-sponsored by all fifteen members.

This will be the first comprehensive resolution on peacekeeping after more than eleven years.

Our motivation to hold a debate and present a resolution is three fold:

We are grateful to the Council members and member states for their warm response to our proposal.

In regard to the debate today and the resolution to be adopted by the Council later, I want to highlight seven aspects of a multi-dimensional approach to peacekeeping.

Excellencies,

Pakistan has been a proud participant in the peacekeeping missions. Pakistan has been a leading military and police contributor to peacekeeping missions from Latin America to Africa to Europe to Asia. In more than five decades, we have had the honour of contributing more than 144,711 troops; and serving in 41 missions in 23 countries.

This has given our peacekeepers valuable experience in handling diverse and difficult conflict and post-conflict situations all over the world.

One hundred and thirty two of our peacekeepers have given their lives for peace. This is amongst the highest number of casualties suffered by member states in the service of the UN.

Pakistan’s peacekeeping role is rooted in our abiding faith in the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. Participation in UN peacekeeping is underpinned by a national consensus and is an integral part of our foreign policy.

Pakistan is also host to one of the oldest UN peacekeeping missions - the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP). This Mission has played an important role in monitoring peace along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.

Excellencies,

The complex and dynamic nature of contemporary conflicts demands change in the nature and scope of peacekeeping missions and a comprehensive and integrated approach to peacekeeping. Multidimensional peacekeeping missions are a manifestation of such an approach.

Accordingly, intricate crises are increasingly seeing deployment of multidimensional peacekeeping missions. In such situations keeping peace is as imperative as building it.

These Missions achieve the twin goals of peacekeeping and peace-building by preventing recurrence of conflict, building local capacities for sustainable peace and creating space for development actors and financial institutions. Enhanced efficiency and cost effectiveness of UN peacekeeping efforts are among the benefits of a multidimensional approach.

Success in Burundi, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Timor-Leste has demonstrated the value of multidimensional missions. Yet there are situations where challenges are larger than the UN wherewithal. This calls for a more calibrated response.

Shared responsibility and partnerships underpin UN peacekeeping. It is a multilateral exercise under one UN flag.

Continued success of peacekeeping would be ensured by upholding the legitimacy bestowed on them by the UN Charter and the guiding principles of peacekeeping - consent, impartiality and non-use of force except in self-defense or defense of the mandate.

Our deliberations today, I am sure, will strengthen these partnerships and enrich the discourse for a robust response to the challenges of peace and security.

Thank you.