The statement was made by Secretary General Guterres at the UN Security Council Open Debate titled "Investing in Peace: Delivering Quality Training and Capacity Building to Improve Safety and Security and Performance of UN Peacekeepers" held under the framework of Indonesia's Presidency on the Security Council in May 2019.
"Thank you for convening this important debate on peacekeeping training and capacity building. It reflects Indonesia’s strong engagement in peacekeeping – here in New York as well as on the field," UN Secretary General Guterres noted at the UN Headquarter in New York on Tuesday.
During the meeting, Guterres made a formal salute to over three thousand uniformed Indonesian personnel presently serving in eight of the UN peacekeeping operations.
" I offer tribute to the 37 Indonesian peacekeepers, who have given the supreme sacrifice under the UN flag," he emphasized.
In line with the objectives of the Indonesian presidency at the UN Security Council this year, Secretary General Guterres reiterated that bringing about improvements in training is a key shared pledge of the Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) initiative.
"Training saves lives. Our peacekeepers are deployed to increasingly complex and often hostile environments. Training prepares them for their vital peacekeeping tasks and improves their performance. As we know, improved performance reduces fatalities," Guterres remarked.
"As such, training is a necessary and strategic investment in peacekeeping – and is a shared responsibility between (UN) member states and the (UN) Secretariat," he added.
The UN Security Council Open Debate on peacekeeping operations was led by Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi as the UN Security Council president in May 2019.
The Open Debate was held with the objective of continuing to foster the capacity building of peacekeeping forces in different UN missions worldwide. The meeting is one of Indonesia's priority agenda during its membership in the UN Security Council for the 2019-2020 period.
The adoption of Resolution 2436 (2018) by the Security Council in September 2018 asserted the Council’s support for novel and effectual training as well as delivery of important enabling capabilities in developing the integrated performance policy framework for the UN Peacekeeping Operations. The resolution also identified that training is one of the crucial factors on which efficient implementation of peacekeeping mandates is contingent upon.
At the 73rd UN General Assembly, most UN member states supported the Declaration of Shared Commitments on UN Peacekeeping Operations that exemplified joint commitments by all stakeholders of UN peacekeeping to strengthen peacekeeping under the Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) initiative.
Reporter: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
