Statement delivered by
HE Dr Ali Naseer Mohamed, Permanent Representative
at the UNSC Open Debate on Collective Action to Improve UN Peacekeeping Operations
28 March 2018
Thank you Mr President,
Let me start by congratulating you on your successful Presidency of the Security Council for the month of March, and also convening this important debate on the Collective Action to Improve United Nations Peacekeeping Operations.
The United Nations was established with the noble objective to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”. Peacekeeping, peacemaking, and peacebuilding have become among the most effective instruments in maintaining international peace and security. Peacekeeping operations are about creating a safer tomorrow for those with little hope; it is about rebuilding communities and creating an environment for the future generations to grow and unleash their creativity. For this to happen, there is a need to re-evaluate the level of coordination that exists between the various agencies of the UN, both here in New York and in the field, in designing such operations. The Maldives proposes that we should not lose sight of the fact while peacekeeping and peacemaking operations can succeed in keeping the warring parties apart, an equally important priority must be to address root causes of the conflict and to create conditions where the affected communities can enjoy the peace dividends.
For that to happen, there is a need to construct an analytical framework that enables the Council to consider the necessary changes to the mandates of the UN peacekeeping mission. Such a framework can start by establishing, at the inception level, a greater coordination and operational coherence between peacekeeping operations and the UN country team on the ground.
The designing stage of any peacekeeping operation should take full account of the unique historical, political, and economic circumstances of the situation, using the most relevant analytical tools available. Such tools must be used to identify the underlying set of issues and causes that led to the conflict in the first place.
Situations that have given rise to conflicts are often due to system level failures that might have resulted from decaying social fabrics that held the communities together for several centuries, or it might be the gradual weakening of the State’s capacity to govern and maintain order. Any peacekeeping or peacebuilding operation, in any intra-state conflict, should aim to build the capacity of the State, first of all, to govern, and then, to foster a governing order that is rooted in the principles of democracy, good governance, and inclusive development.
The Maldives also wishes to reiterate on the need to integrate the relevant aspects of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in designing peacekeeping and peacebuilding operations. As the 2030 Agenda makes it clear that there can be no peace without sustainable development, and no sustainable development without peace. There is enough empirical evidence to suggest that poverty alleviation, inclusive economic and social development, do promote the causes of peace, and therefore these factors should appear more prominently in designing and implementation of peacekeeping and peace building operations.
The Maldives hopes to see a renewed emphasis to this point in the implementation of the Reform package of the Secretary General. The UN should be able to act as “one-UN” in helping a country to sustain peace, and when required, to keep the peace.
The efforts to improve the peacekeeping operations should, as a matter of urgency, review the coordination mechanism between the UN and the regional and sub-regional organisations that have assumed greater responsibilities in peacekeeping operations. The regional organisations need the political support, the financial resources, and the assets required to implement the decisions that the Security Council makes in the maintenance of international peace and security. The collaboration between the Security Council and the regional organisations should be enhanced and institutionalised with greater predictability in support.
The Maldives believes that the Security Council, in close collaboration with other agencies in the UN system, can inspire and lead in bringing the necessary reforms to the peacekeeping missions; in designing such operations; and in implementing the set of strategies that will sustain peace. The reforms must take a holistic approach and must take into consideration the wishes to of every women, men, and child in conflict affected areas to find the hope for a better future, and we the Maldives, fully believe that the Security Council will not fail to provide the leadership to create a safer world for all of us.
I thank you.
