Mr. Chairman, distinguished Advisory Committee members,
1. It is an honour to be here today, with Under-Secretary-General Malcorra, to give a brief overview of United Nations peacekeeping, and our strategic planning assumptions for the 2012-2013 budgetary period. Susana and I are accompanied today by Dmitry Titov, Assistant Secretary-General for Rule of Law and Security Institutions, Anthony Banbury, Assistant Secretary-General for Field Support (Susana’s Deputy), Donna Maxfield, our Chief of Staff, Izumi Nakamitsu, our Director, Policy, Evaluation and Training Division, and other colleagues. My own Deputy, Assistant Secretary-General Edmond Mulet and the Military Adviser, Gen.
Babacar Gaye are briefing the Security Council on my behalf. ASG Mulet will join us in the afternoon.
Mr. Chairman,
2. Although this is the first time that I have had the pleasure to meet with you and the members of the Advisory Committee, I have had a long-standing appreciation of its valuable role gained during both my prior service at UN Headquarters as Deputy Permanent Representative of my own country and since joining the Secretariat in my present role at the helm of DPKO. I know that ACABQ has given generously of its time and expertise in contributing to – and in many ways guiding - the peacekeeping reform agenda. I know that I can speak for Susana as well in thanking this Committee for your sustained support to DPKO and DFS and our peacekeeping operations in the field. We look forward to continuing our fruitful engagement in the spirit of cooperation and – as I understand has been the tradition – the spirited dialogue that have characterized the relationship between the Committee and both our Departments.
3. With your permission, Mr. Chairman, I will first share my initial impression of key developments in peacekeeping almost five months into the job; I will then briefly give you an overview of the political and operational challenges that our mission face now and how we see the challenges before them over the coming 2012-2013financial period; I will then update you of the progress in the implementation of key reform initiatives and the challenges that lay before us. Susana will then offer remarks on the strategic and operational support challenges and the efforts to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of field support, which I can say are considerable and successful.
4. On taking up my duties as Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, I very quickly came to appreciate the diversity and complexities of the realities on the ground and the mandates entrusted to our missions.
5. Since my posting to New York in my national capacity in the early nineties, peacekeeping has been in a state of constant evolution and reform thanks to the support of Member States in building our capacity to flexibly and rapidly respond to changes on the ground and in the nature of conflict. While retaining the capacity to conduct the more traditional cease-fire monitoring operations, peacekeeping has taken on dramatically expanded mandates that today include: implementation of peace accords; support to transitional administrations and the wide breadth of the so-called “multi-dimensional response to conflict”. This seemingly all-inclusive “multidimensional response” in many ways symbolizes what today makes peacekeeping such a valuable toolbox in the response of the international community to threats to international peace and security; it also highlights the challenge to identify the global partnerships vital to any successful peacekeeping intervention.
6. Whether under Chapter VI or Chapter VII; whether in cooperation with regional or other organizations; whether a structurally integrated mission incorporating or merely working in collaboration with the United Nations Country team, we have learned together that there is no one-dimensional solution. Each international intervention requires a comprehensive, multi-faceted response designed to address the root causes of the conflict, to provide sufficient security and time and space for political solutions to be devised and/or to take root; and to begin to build3sustainable peace through rule of law and security, governance and early social and economic recovery. United Nations peacekeeping increasingly is entrusted with a vast array of mandates that can include: protection of civilians, facilitation of humanitarian assistance; support to electoral processes; enabling or delivering early peacebuilding support in such areas as the strengthening of the rule of law and security institutions.
7. Today, United Nations peacekeeping delivers security, political and early peacebuilding support to help countries torn by conflict create the conditions for lasting peace. Peacekeeping is prevention in the aftermath of violent conflict; it prevents a relapse into conflict; it helps lay the foundations for lasting peace.
Peacekeeping offers a common platform where political, rule of law, human rights and other expertise blend with military, police and operational capabilities. All these elements and the global membership of the United Nations provide peacekeeping with a universal legitimacy that no other similar undertaking can possess. This legitimacy rests, in particular, on the global partnership that brings together the legal and political authority of the Security Council, the personnel, equipment and financial contributions from Member States, the support of host countries, and the accumulated expertise of DPKO and DFS in directing, managing and supporting field missions.
This partnership is at the heart of United Nations peacekeeping as demonstrated by the systematic consultation between the Security Council, the troop and police contributing countries and the Secretariat; and this is now an established practice before the renewal or revision of mandates.
Mr. Chairman,
With your permission, I will give an overview of this particular partnership inaction and what we expect to be the main challenges before us in the coming months.
9. Peace and security operations in Sudan and South Sudan will continue to demand significant attention and effort. Indeed, when I took up my functions in DPKO, my first official travel was, in fact, to Sudan and South Sudan in October-November 2011. The new integrated peacekeeping mission established in July 2011in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) is delivering assistance and support to the new state institutions and build their capacity in the areas of rule of law and4governance, while also working to protect civilians and to facilitate humanitarian aid.
UNMISS will require in the immediate future the retention of its current ceiling of7,000 troops in order to be able to deliver on its mandated tasks.
10. The Security Council also established in June 2011 UNISFA, with a protection of civilian’s mandate. From the outset, the Mission has faced significant logistical challenges and gaps in essential support personnel as well as difficulties in replacing outgoing UNMIS military observers and staff officers. The deployment of UNISFA to the Abyei area has just been completed in January 2012. We expect the mission to continue during the 2012-2013 budget period. Both Susana and I continue to engage on addressing the Mission’s operational and logistical challenges through regular consultation with the Governments of Sudan, South Sudan and troop contributing countries, amongst others. Right now, as I said, my Deputy, Mr. Edmond Mulet is briefing the Security Council on the challenges and the developments in the area of UNISFA operations.
11. Currently the largest peacekeeping mission in operation, UNAMID is continuing its work in Darfur, having reached nearly full deployment of troops, police and civilian personnel. The consolidation of peace in the region will continue to require significant effort on the part of the international community. As was requested by the Security Council, a review of UNAMID is underway to ensure the most effective and efficient use of its resources.
12. While the situation remains extremely volatile in the Horn of Africa, DFS, through UNSOA, continues to deliver essential logistical services to AMISOM and to the, now begun, deployment of UNPOS into Mogadishu. At the same time and given these developments, DPKO, through the United Nations Office to the African Union in Addis Ababa, the Somalia Planning and Coordination Team and the Office of Military Affairs at Headquarters, continue to support the African Union with technical and military advice in the planning and management of AMISOM. DPKO also continues to plan for a possible United Nations peacekeeping operation in Somalia, which the Security Council intends to establish at the appropriate time. This support is also provided in the context of our ongoing partnership with the African Union, which we continue to consider of strategic importance for peacekeeping on the continent.
13. The past year also has seen important events in West Africa. The violent post electoral crisis in Côte d’Ivoire has indeed tested our ability to continue implementing peacekeeping mandates under extremely adverse circumstances. The priorities of UNOCI for the next year will be to assist the Government in stabilizing the security situation, in strengthening the rule of law and in disarming and demobilizing ex-combatants. A Secretariat team is presently in Côte d’Ivoire to assess the situation on the ground and develop recommendations on possible adjustments to the structure and strength of UNOCI, taking into account the legislative elections, which are due this year, the prevailing security challenges and progress made in rebuilding national capacities.
14. With the support of the international community, Liberia continues to make progress in consolidating peace, despite new humanitarian and security challenges associated with the recent crisis in Côte d’Ivoire. Following the installation of the new Liberian Government last month, UNMIL’s priority will be to develop and implement a strategy for the progressive handover of the Mission’s security and other responsibilities to national authorities. Assistant Secretary-General Mulet will lead a technical assessment mission to Liberia at the end of this month for this purpose.
15. As is now customary, the Secretariat has briefed troop- and police contributing countries on the parameters of the technical assessment missions to UNOCI and UNMIL. They will also be briefed following the completion of these missions.
16. Cross-border issues remain a key challenge in West Africa, including between Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia, where the presence of mercenaries and militia elements continues to pose a serious threat to regional security. UNOCI and UNMIL will work with the Governments of Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia to address these cross-border challenges, and that in close collaboration with ECOWAS and other partners. The two Missions will soon conduct a joint border assessment. A joint DPKO, DPA, UNODC and Interpol initiative will also support the efforts of ECOWAS to combat drug trafficking and transnational organized crime.
17. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which I visited two weeks ago, MONUSCO continues to support the organization and the conduct of national, provincial and local elections, which are scheduled over this year still and until next year. As the Advisory Committee knows, these elections represent a big challenge given the size of the country and the number of candidates. Two figures: 63,000polling stations and almost 19,000 candidates for the parliamentarian elections two months ago. The shortage in military helicopters has negatively impacted MONUSCO's ability to implement its mandate, in particular for the protection of civilians. Any renewed pressure to draw down MONUSCO troops would pose critical challenges to the Mission to deliver on its mandate.
18. Turning to the Middle East, our peacekeeping operations in the continue to implement their mandates, as the impact of the Arab Spring continues to be felt, and one has to add the lately the crisis in Syria. The so-called “steady-state” Missions in the Middle East remain on high alert to deal with what experience shows us to be rapid changes in the operational environment. A strategic review of UNIFIL was conducted in December 2011, on the request of the Security Council, to assess the implementation of the Mission's mandate and activities. The recommendations of the review will be conveyed to the Security Council in the coming weeks. Over the past year, DPKO has offered full support to the planning and deployment of UNSMIL in Libya. I am sure that Susana will talk in detail about Libya as an example where DFS has adopted a new, lighter mission support structure. For its part, DPKO is supporting DPA and UNSMIL in the areas of public safety, community-oriented policing, rule of law and transitional justice, demobilization and mine action.
19. With the appointment of a new Government in October 2011, MINUSTAH in Haiti is returning to its pre-earthquake troop and police levels. The Mission will concentrate its efforts on fostering political dialogue and strengthening the capacity of the Haitian Government to ensure good governance and uphold the rule of law, which are key conditions for the Mission’s eventual withdrawal. MINUSTAH continues to take measures to mitigate the impact of the outbreak of cholera.
20. In Timor-Leste, UNMIT will continue to work closely with the Government and with the United Nations partners to ensure an effective joint transition process in anticipation of the closing of the Mission in December this year.
21. In Kosovo, UNMIK will continue to facilitate communication and cooperation between all involved on the ground, especially in dealing with sensitive issues related to northern Kosovo. The Mission will also continue to encourage the parties to demonstrate greater flexibility as well as increased engagement during this phase of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.
22. As you know, Mr. Chairman, UNAMA is not a peacekeeping operation. I will offer some words about the situation in Afghanistan, where the DPKO-led mission UNAMA continues to face significant challenges posed by the difficult security environment, tragically evidenced by the attack on the UN office in Mazar-i-Sharif on1 April 2011, which claimed the lives of seven of our colleagues. As mandated by the Security Council, UNAMA has undergone a Comprehensive Review. We are reviewing the results of that review and will be shortly be making recommendations to the Security Council on Mission’s future role and mandate.
Mr. Chairman, distinguished members,
23. This brief overview of the headlines of peacekeeping illustrates the diversity and flexibility of peacekeeping as a tool for international peace and security. To keep that tool finely honed, the United Nations has pursued a series of peacekeeping reforms since the early 1990s that has allowed DPKO, and since 2007 DPKO and DFS, to evolve and strengthen the Secretariat’s capacity to manage and sustain peacekeeping operations.
24. This Advisory Committee has been an important player in this series of reforms and the benefits and improvements achieved, recognized most recently by the General Assembly in its resolution 65/290. We are grateful for that recognition, but we are also mindful that developments across our globe do not permit us to sit back and say that the reform process is now complete. We cannot afford to be complacent, and must continue to work to remain relevant, and also remain good value for money.
25. Delivering on our mandates in no small measure requires that peacekeeping adapts to the evolving demands of the peace and security agenda. To do so, we must demonstrate their capacity and skill to rigorously plan and manage missions in an integrated manner. These challenges will require a dynamic, complex and resource intensive response from DPKO and DFS and the rest of the international community.
DPKO and DFS will sustain their efforts to plan and sustain operations within an extremely constrained financial context. Sustaining such flexibility and capacity requires that we stay the course of reform.
26. The Overview Report before you details our efforts in four main areas: mission planning and oversight; building policy consensus; improving capabilities; and, the delivery of services. We hope that you will see solid evidence of our efforts over the last financial period to achieve progress and improvement in how we plan and sustain peacekeeping operations, and to increase efficiency and effectiveness in the implementation of our legislative mandates.
27. Allow me now, Mr. Chairman, to briefly walk you through the progress in the implementation of recent reform initiatives and where we will focus our attention in the next cycle.
28. The different waves of reform initiatives have continued to “professionalize” peacekeeping. Our mandates require the highest caliber personnel with diverse, increasingly specialized skills in a range of diverse areas: from the traditional military and police expertise to a more multi-faceted civilian capacity with expertise in such fields such as electoral support, rule of law and security sector reforms, human rights.
The Senior Advisory Group on Civilian Capacity indeed recognized that stronger civilian capacities are vital to build lasting peace and support national actors as they seek to re-establish the rule of law, revitalize the economy and restore basic services to the population. The system-wide Steering Committee chaired by Susana is advancing progress on the Senior Advisory Group’s recommendations. in partnership with Member States.
29. In the last financial period, both our departments achieved progress in improving the capability of all peacekeeping components to ensure that they are well-prepared, well-equipped and enabled to deliver. We developed baseline capability standards and guidance under three pilot initiatives for infantry battalions, military staff officers and military medical support. These common standards will serve as the basis for training materials to enhance preparedness and effectiveness. In the area of rule of law, technical guidance in the security-sector reform area and a toolkit for DDR programme management were developed and implemented in Liberia, Haiti and South Sudan. Guidance development is also ongoing to create a strategic framework for UN police. Action has also been taken to strengthen training and education for uniformed as well as civilian personnel, from the identification and prioritization of training needs, to setting standards; from efficient delivery of training to monitoring and evaluation. And I trust you will see in the overview report the steps taken over the past years to address observations from this Committee and recommendations on our training activities.
30. Despite this progress, we still face the critical challenge to fill critical gaps that threaten mandate implementation; in particular, the military utility and attack helicopters critical to protect civilians and ensure the safety and security of our personnel in such places like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and South Sudan where the absolute lack of road infrastructure and the vast areas covered by our operations hinder our efforts to prevent and to respond to violence and protect civilians. During the crisis, after Christmas, in Jonglei State, in South Sudan, UNMISS’ capacity to respond flexibly to the requirements of the situation was, I have to say, heavily constrained by the lack of appropriate utility helicopters. A similar situation could easily occur in other peacekeeping theaters, such as in MONUSCO in eastern Congo. Much energy has been spent to sharpen our planning and to optimize requirements; to enlarge the pool of potential contributors; to enhance the dialogue with the Security Council and countries that contribute troop and police.
31. During the past year, intermission cooperation has also allowed us to overcome – temporarily - some of these critical gaps. In the context of the recent presidential elections and post-elections crisis in Côte d’Ivoire, three infantry companies and utility and armed helicopters were redeployed from UNMIL to10UNOCI. Then, in the context of the recent presidential and legislative elections in Liberia, an infantry company and FPU personnel from UNOCI were redeployed to UNMIL. MONUSCO currently is providing two military utility helicopters to UNMISS to help the mission deal with the crisis I just referred to in Jonglei.
Certainly, intermission cooperation is only a bridging measure and it should not be seen as a permanent solution to address long-term capabilities requirements. But it is a good illustration of both the DPKO/DFS efforts to address critical gaps in our resource requirements, as well as the way Member States provided resources that can be used flexibly and effectively.
32. In this context, I should also highlight that a key element of the capability driven approach is the ability of peacekeeping to rapidly deploy strategic reserve capacities. The standing police, justice and corrections capacities have fully demonstrated the validity of this measure to address critical gaps in our capabilities.
Examples of their deployment over the last financial period include assistance to UNOCI, MONUSCO and UNAMID in critical times and to UNMISS and UNISFA in their start-up phases.
33. Mr. Chairman, I would like next to share some progress on key policy initiatives, specifically in the areas of the early peacebuilding and the protection of civilians.
34. In partnership with the Department of Political Affairs and the Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO), we have clarified the peacekeeping- peacebuilding nexus and the role of UN peacekeepers as early peacebuilders. We have developed a strategy to help missions establish and sequence early peacebuilding priorities, in particular in the areas of police, rule of law, DDR, Security Sector Reform and mine action. As requested by the General Assembly, the strategy was consulted with the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, the Security Council Working Group and the Peacebuilding Commission. Our focus now will shift to supporting field missions in applying the strategy, targeting and tailoring their activities to national needs and capacities, and drawing lessons learned to further refine their strategies and plans.
This systematic approach will allow us to set benchmarks to enable a “safe” exit of peacekeepers. Additionally, we will continue work in the context of the Integration11Steering Committee to further develop frameworks and strategies to strengthen peacekeeping to peacebuilding transition processes and to maximize the contribution of peacekeeping to socio-economic development of countries where missions are deployed.
35. Progress has also continued in strengthening our capacity to deliver in the area of protection of civilians. Through sustained dialogue with Member States, field operations and other United Nations partners, we have advanced the development of framework as a practical guide for Missions to prepare their own protection of civilian strategies. Work is underway to analyze the resources and capabilities required for the successful implementation of protection of civilian mandates. We will also deploy training materials, including scenario-based training, over the coming budget period, to assist missions with a protection of civilians mandate to apply the framework and related tools.
36. Finally, Mr. Chairman, let me offer a few words on one of the key innovations introduced with the restructuring of DPKO and the creation of DFS in 2007; that is, the IOTs, the Integrated Operational Teams, that enable the Departments to deliver, in a flexible and effective way, integrated operational and political guidance and support to field missions on day-to-day cross-cutting issues. The optimal configuration of IOTs, and the effective use of resources, remains under periodic review by a taskforce chaired by Assistant Secretary-General Edmond Mulet to ensure that the IOT configuration matches the dynamic political and operational requirements of the field missions that they backstop. The recent review by the task force reaffirmed that the co-location on IOT resources remains the most effective model for missions in startup phase, the transition, at the time of crisis or downsizing/closure. The task force also found that the flexible assignment of resources should continue, and reflect the specific needs of the field. For missions that require intensive support, dedicated IOTs are appropriate; where it is appropriate to go for a more regionalized approach, then IOT resources may be shared either across the region or a number of missions; where IOT resources may not be fully engaged, well, then they may be flexibly and temporarily assigned to the specialist functional areas (military, police, administrative and support) to perform priority functions, while of course remaining on call to respond to emergent needs in the Office of Operations or in the field. The constant oversight of the task force works to ensure that IOT resources are responsibly and effectively employed.
Mr. Chairman,
37. Following years of exponential growth, peacekeeping has entered a period of transition over the past two years. While the overall number of peacekeeping missions and the number of peacekeeping personnel deployed have hovered around the same numbers, it is undeniable that United Nations peacekeeping must continue to respond flexibly to changing requirements and challenges – be they strategic, operational, political, security, logistical or financial. Peacekeeping must continue tore-invent or reform itself, if it is to meet the exacting challenges of the nature of twenty-first century conflict and operational environments. Technical assessment missions or reviews have been recently conducted or are underway in several missions - UNAMID, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMIT, UNAMA and UNOCI. These assessments and reviews, requested by the Security Council, may result in recommendations that may affect the military and police strengths and structure of these Missions. It will be, of course, up to the Security Council to decide, in fine, on these recommendations.
38. We face these challenges mindful of a global financial climate that calls for fiscal prudence, greater efficiency and the achievement of our objectives with fewer resources. With our teams – at headquarters and in the field – we both have expended great effort to ensure that our budget requirements for the next financial period align with changing mandates and operational circumstances, yet represent meaningful strides in identifying efficiencies and other reductions in resourcing requirements. Asa consequence of these efforts, the total proposed resource requirements for peacekeeping operations for the period between 1 July 2012 and 30 June 2013(inclusive of the Global Service Centre and the Support Account) are currently estimated at $7.2 billion, which represent a decrease of approximately $614 millions or 7.8 per cent over current levels. Susana will speak in a few moments in more detail about our proposals. They represent, I think, a serious effort to streamline resource requests to the minimum. They also represent our sustained commitment to improve how we plan, manage and support our field operations to implement as responsible13stewards of valuable material, human and financial resources the mandates which are entrusted to us.
39. Before closing, Mr. Chairman, distinguished members, I must pause to reflection two key challenges that weigh heavily on our minds these days. The first concerns the continued challenges of ensuring the good conduct and discipline of our peacekeeping personnel. Susana will speak more fully on the subject in a few minutes, but I wanted to simply highlight that I share fully and deeply her concerns that we need to redouble our efforts to eliminate the scourge of ill-disciplined acts that put in jeopardy the hard-earned trust of the people and country we are mandated to serve. One act of misconduct is simply one too many, and we both are determined to take effective action to address such acts.
40. The second is the safety and security of our personnel. We all know that peacekeeping deploys in volatile circumstances and increasingly harsh terrain. We all know that the United Nations throughout the world has become also a target of extremism. And, we all know the priority that we have given all – starting with the Secretary-General and Member States - to introduce stronger security systems and physical security and safety measures. None of this is new, and we are deeply grateful that the Member States have invested in the programmes, physical security and personnel requirements to improve the security and safety of our personnel. But, I would be remiss in my duties, if I did not share with you today my concern – and indeed an increased concern based on what I have seen in Sudan, Darfur, South Sudan, Afghanistan and – most recently – the Democratic Republic of Congo – on the need to continue to invest in the security of our personnel and to take every feasible measure to protect them. Over 2011, sadly 111 peacekeepers have perished, whether through targeted attacks, violence, banditry, natural disaster, plane crashes, safety accidents, illness. I know that you all join me in paying honour to their service and our obligation to do our level best to prevent those casualties.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman and distinguished Members of the Committee.