Pakistan stresses for more effective UN Peacekeeping

NEW YORK: Pakistan said at the United Nations that more effective and result oriented Peacekeeping required greater triangular cooperation between the Security Council, the troop-contributing countries (TCCs) and the UN Secretariat.

Speaking in the Security Council debate on strengthening triangular cooperation in Peacekeeping Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN, Maleeha Lodhi said that effective communication and consultation among the three main stakeholders, the Security Council, Secretariat and the Troop and Police Contributing Countries was critical for effective peacekeeping.

“There is, therefore, a real need to institutionalize triangular cooperation as a framework to engage troop and police-contributing countries and the Secretariat early in the process”, she stressed.

Reminding the fifteen- member world body that it was during Pakistan’s Presidency of the Security Council in 2013 when the multidimensional nature of peacekeeping and its evolving role was recognized, Ambassador Lodhi maintained that without cooperation between key stakeholders involved in the peacekeeping process the international community could not expect to successfully deal with the multiple challenges it faced today.

“Troop Contributing Countries”, Ambassador Lodhi underscored, “are the UN’s eyes and ears on the ground. Their inputs are therefore invaluable for the Secretariat as well as the Security Council”.

“With operating environments becoming ever more volatile, and with a chorus of demands for doing more with less, this three-way communication has assumed even greater significance”, she added.

Ambassador Lodhi told the 15-member Council said that Pakistan has been a consistent troop and police-contributor for nearly six decades, with over 200,000 personnel serving in 46 missions around the world.

Ambassador Lodhi also told the Security Council that Pakistan and Morocco had established an informal Group of Troop and Police Contributing Countries in 2017 which included top contributors to UN peacekeeping missions.

“This platform”, she pointed out, “can be used to further our common objective of effective communication and better peacekeeping”.

In her comprehensive statement, Ambassador Lodhi also highlighted the dedication and professionalism of Pakistan’s peacekeepers, saying it was a widely acknowledged fact that Pakistani blue helmets were well trained, well equipped and remained prepared to act in all circumstances, in accordance with their mandate.