At Seoul meeting, Guterres urges greater support for peacekeeping amid mounting threats

Mr. Guterres made the entreaty successful remarks to the opening ceremonial of the 2021 Seoul UN Peacekeeping Ministerial, hosted by the Republic of Korea. 

The two-day lawsuit is the latest successful a bid of meetings held since 2014 aimed astatine improving UN tract operations, stretching from the Western Sahara, to India and Pakistan. 

New threats and challenges 

Although determination has been a notable summation successful enactment for UN peacekeeping during this period, the Secretary-General said caller threats and mounting challenges item the request for greater assistance. 

“The COVID-19 pandemic, the clime crisis, and geopolitical tensions mean conflicts are much analyzable and prolonged. Peacekeeping has ne'er been much applicable and its occurrence much urgent,” helium said successful a video message. 

The Seoul gathering is successful enactment with efforts to betterment UN peacekeeping, peculiarly the Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) inaugural launched 3 years agone by the Secretary-General. 

A4P encompasses 8 precedence areas, specified arsenic protection, partnerships, and show and accountability. This past March, it was enhanced done a strategy known arsenic A4P+ to accelerate commitments implicit the adjacent 2 years. 

Addressing captious gaps 

Previous Ministerials person examined issues related to generating and enhancing uniformed capabilities, including the request to deploy much women ‘blue helmets’. This time, the absorption is connected aesculapian capableness gathering and technology. 

UN peacekeeping missions proceed to look important gaps successful aviation and high-tech capabilities, said the Secretary-General.  He gave examples from countries specified arsenic Mali, wherever helicopters and aesculapian evacuation teams are urgently needed, fixed the immense and inaccessible terrain. 

“We request your partnership, to guarantee that we are deploying well-trained troops with the due equipment,” helium added. “Too often, uniformed peacekeepers deficiency the skills to administer archetypal aid, to program and undertake a patrol, oregon to measure accusation and place threats.” 

The UN main besides called for enactment to forestall and code misconduct, peculiarly intersexual exploitation and abuse, among different areas for action. 

Countries pledge support 

South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong noted that arsenic exertion advances and becomes much affordable to warring parties, the operating situation for peacekeeping missions has successful crook go progressively analyzable and high-risk. 

“It is indispensable to leverage the indispensable technological tools and aesculapian enactment arsenic good arsenic supply due grooming successful bid to hole our peacekeepers to conscionable the increasing challenges, amended present connected their mandates, and support themselves,” helium said. 

Mr. Chung announced the motorboat of the Seoul Initiative connected Technology and Medical Capacity-Building successful Peacekeeping, 1 of a raft of pledges made by countries during the archetypal time of the meeting.   

Promoting sex parity 

Following the opening ceremony, elder UN and authorities officials held 2 sheet discussions: 1 connected the contented of Sustaining Peace and the different looking astatine Partnerships, Training, and Capacity Building. 

Atul Khare, caput of the UN Department of Operational Support, spoke of further captious aspects for peacekeeping. “We are redoubling our efforts to trim missions’ biology footprint and request your enactment by deploying units with renewable energy,” helium told the league connected partnerships. 

Action connected sex equality continues to beryllium a priority, and Mr. Khare pointed to examples specified arsenic the Senior Women Talent Pipeline, a programme that promotes sex parity astatine elder levels successful peacekeeping operations, arsenic good arsenic initiatives to summation women peacekeepers and marque camps much suitable for them.