Source: United Nations – Peacekeeping
[Bilingual, as delivered]
Dear Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, our generous hosts.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
My thanks to Germany for bringing us together at this consequential moment.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the United Nations.
Our organization was founded on the conviction that peace is possible if we work as one united human family.
That is what our peace operations are about.
From preventive diplomacy to peacekeeping…
From negotiating ceasefires to helping to implement them…
From electoral support and observer missions to de-mining operations and protection of civilians…
To the focus of today’s Ministerial meeting — peacekeeping.
Excellencies,
UN Blue Helmets are the most globally recognized symbol of the world’s ability to come together to help countries move from conflict to peace.
Peacekeepers hail from every corner of the world.
But they are united in their commitment to peace.
As we meet today, UN peacekeepers are hard at work helping to ensure that ceasefires are respected…
Protecting civilians caught in the line of fire…
Helping provide the conditions for lifesaving aid to flow to those in need…
And laying the foundations for long-term recovery.
In trouble spots around the world, Blue Helmets can mean the difference between life and death.
And they are also a clear demonstration of the power of multilateral action to maintain, achieve and sustain peace.
There is a long list of countries that have achieved durable peace with the support of UN Peacekeeping — including Cambodia, Cote d’Ivoire, El Salvador, Liberia, Namibia, Mozambique, Sierra Leone and Timor Leste.
Many of these countries now themselves contribute troops.
At the same time, we recognize that peace comes at a price.
Through the decades, 4,400 peacekeepers have fallen in the line of duty.
Their service and sacrifice will never be forgotten.
Please join me in a moment of silence to honour all those who lost their lives in the pursuit of peace.
[MOMENT OF SILENCE]
Thank you.
Excellencies,
We owe it to peacekeepers — and the populations they protect — to continue strengthening their ability to answer this call to peace.
And to do so in the face of daunting challenges.
Complex, intertwined and frequently borderless conflicts…
Growing polarization and division around the globe…
Targeting of peacekeepers through deadly misinformation spreading through social media…
Terrorism and transnational crime, which find fertile ground in instability…
The ongoing climate crisis that is exacerbating conflict while leaving more of the planet uninhabitable…
All the continued trampling of international law and international humanitarian law.
As a result, we are now facing the highest number of conflicts since the foundation of the United Nations, and record numbers of people fleeing across borders in search of safety and refuge.
We must recognize that peacekeeping operations are only as effective as the mandates directing them, and can struggle in contexts where political support and clearly defined outcomes and solutions are absent or elusive.
Meanwhile, we see increasing differences of views around how peacekeeping operations should work, under what circumstances, with what mandates they should be deployed, and for how long.
And we face dramatic financial constraints across the board.
We’ve worked to adapt in the face of these challenges.
But we need to do more.
Today, I want to highlight three areas of focus.
First — help us shape peacekeeping operations that are fit for the future.
The Pact for the Future called for a Review of Peace Operations — including peacekeeping.
The review will examine how we can make peacekeeping operations more adaptable, flexible and resilient — while recognizing the limitations in situations where there is little or no peace to keep.
It will also aim to critically examine the tools we have today and propose concrete recommendations to make them fit for the future.
Through this review, we must ensure that the United Nations is prepared to deploy peace operations tailored to each individual conflict, while preparing for the challenges of tomorrow.
We can draw inspiration from our UNIFIL operation, which recently developed an adaptation plan to keep peace along the Blue Line, and ensure lifesaving aid can flow to civilians in southern Lebanon.
In the Central African Republic, we see MINUSCA protecting civilians and assisting the government to extend its reach beyond the capital where people are in desperate need.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, despite ongoing fighting, UN Peacekeepers remain in the field, protecting vulnerable populations.
We’re also seeking efficiencies through partnerships — from Member States to regional and sub-regional organizations, to local communities.
Most important among them is our strong partnership with the African Union.
Security Council resolution 2719 has lifted this partnership to a new level as we work to establish peace enforcement missions under the AU’s responsibility, supported by the United Nations through assessed contributions.
Today, the Review of Peace Operations will need to be informed — and inspired — by your views.
Member States make peacekeeping possible.
They must lead the way as we strengthen it for the future.
Second — as we make our operations more adaptable and flexible, we need to do the same in the use of our resources.
Peace operations can only succeed when backed by robust mandates and clear, predictable and sustained contributions, both financial and logistical.
But these are tough times for the financing of our work across the board.
Peacekeeping is no exception.
It is crucial that we are able to use the increasingly limited resources we have — and use them well.
That requires more flexible rules and processes.
This means updating our approach to abolishing or establishing positions, and working with troop-contributing countries to ensure we can deliver.
It means working with Member States and the UN Security Council to ensure that any new mandates are prioritized and achievable with the resources available and with a clear exit strategy.
And it means driving efficiencies and improvements across our work in light of the continued funding challenges we face.
Our Review of Peace Operations will work hand-in-hand with our UN80 initiative, to ensure we maximize efficiencies wherever possible, supported at every step by Member States.
We look forward to your governments’ support and ideas as we tackle these challenges together.
Troisièmement, nous avons besoin de votre soutien politique – qui passe notamment par les engagements que vous prendrez demain.
Sans solution politique, les opérations de paix sont vouées à l’échec.
Ensemble, nous devons rallier un soutien accru en faveur des solutions politiques pour toutes les missions de maintien de la paix.
Faire avancer ces solutions politiques nécessite d’avoir les moyens nécessaires pour mener à bien nos opérations – notamment un soutien politique unifié de la part des États Membres, un leadership fort, des troupes bien préparées, du matériel et des technologies.
Ces éléments peuvent renforcer nos opérations et améliorer sensiblement la vie des gens.
Cela nécessite aussi un soutien de tous les États membres pour assurer la sécurité des Casques bleus sur le terrain, ainsi que le plein respect des privilèges et immunités pertinentes de notre Organisation et de son personnel.
Nous sommes profondément reconnaissants de votre soutien et des contributions concrètes que nombre d’entre vous annonceront demain.
Excellences,
Le budget des opérations de la paix des Nations Unies, réparti entre les 193 États Membres, ne représente qu’une infime partie des dépenses militaires mondiales – environ 0,5 %. Ces opérations demeurent donc l’un des moyens les plus efficaces et les plus économiques de consolider la paix et la sécurité internationales.
Toutefois, leur force est tributaire de l’engagement des États Membres à leur égard.
Malheureusement, les opérations de maintien de la paix sont soumises a un sérieux problème de liquidité. Il est absolument essentiel que tous les Etats Membres respectent leurs obligations financières en payant les contributions intégralement et dans les temps.
Aujourd’hui plus que jamais, le monde a besoin de l’ONU.
Et l’ONU a besoin que les opérations de maintien de la paix disposent de tous les moyens nécessaires pour faire face aux réalités d’aujourd’hui et relever les défis de demain.
Ensemble, faisons en sorte que les opérations de maintien de la paix de l’ONU répondent aux défis du moment, aux attentes des États Membres, et aux besoins légitimes de nos soldates et soldats de la paix – et des personnes à qui ils viennent en aide.
Je vous remercie.
Full translation in English.
Full translation in French.
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