"Indonesia has been proactive in its efforts to empower the Palestinian people to enable them to get better access to basic needs," Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said while leading the UN Security Council Open Session on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict at the United Nations Headquarters, New York, United States, Thursday (23/5).
In her statement on Friday, Foreign Minister Retno said Indonesia's contribution was reflected through its active role in supporting the issue of protecting civilians in various international forums and providing technical assistance to various countries in the field of infrastructure and good governance.
The Indonesian Foreign Minister also emphasized community empowerment as a key element in increasing the country's capacity to protect civilians.
Stating that the involvement of local communities, including women, in designing and implementing a civil protection program will be more effective in achieving goals, Retno said, "Realizing that women and children face the highest risk in conflict situations, women's participation in these programs will help increase the effectiveness of the program."
At the forefront, UN peacekeepers and humanitarian actors still remain the main agents.
Thus, the skills and capacity of peacekeepers and humanitarian activists must be constantly updated and strengthened so that they can be better prepared to handle new and emerging challenges in the field.
"Based on the experience of the Indonesian peacekeepers, mastering soft skills has been proven to make a positive contribution to building the trust of the local community," Foreign Minister Retno remarked.
In addition, intelligence gathering skills are needed to ensure the success of the early warning system to detect and prevent a potential humanitarian crisis.
The UNSC Open Session was part of a series among the main activities of the Indonesian Presidency of the UNSC in May 2019 under the theme, "Sowing the Seeds of Peace".
The meeting was attended by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres who delivered the Annual Report related to the implementation of the agenda of Civil Society Protection in Armed Conflict, President of the International Red Cross Peter Maurer and Executive Director of the Center for Civilians in Conflict Federico Borello.
Reporter: Yashinta / Azis Kurmala
Editor: Bambang Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
