STATEMENT

by H.E. Ambassador Le Luong Minh, Permanent Representative of Viet Nam at the Open Debate of the Security Council on

“United Nations Peacekeeping Operations”

New York, 5 August 2009

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Mr. President,

At the outset, I wish to extend to you and the UK Delegation our warmest congratulations on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for this month. I would like to thank Ambassador Rugunda and the Ugandan Delegation for their effective leadership of the work of the Council in July. I thank Mr. Alain Le Roy, Ms. Susana Malcorra and General Martin Luther Agwai for their respective detailed briefings. For the Force Commanders who have left the hall, I thank them for their presence. I support the statement to be delivered by the distinguished representative of Morocco on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Mr. President,

For more than six decades that witnessed radical transformations in the international security environment, United Nations peacekeeping operations have evolved into a versatile tool and a credible response of the Organization to deterring or reversing protracted conflicts and helping the affected countries move towards a steady state of stability. Today, with 116,000 personnel deployed in 15 missions, peacekeeping is shouldering a unique spectrum of integrated, multisectoral and multifaceted mandates that extend far beyond the traditional task of cease-fire monitoring and involve a wider partnership of international and national stakeholders. Since the beginning of the new millennium, however, the exponential growth in the number, scope, size and costs for peacekeeping operations have overstretched the UN’s capacity to deliver on all tasks. The prolongation of intra-State conflicts and their trans-boundary dimensions have brought about challenges associated with personnel management, logistical support, quality assurance, oversight and political engagement, while there is little sign that the demand for complex, multidimensional missions is decreasing. Against the backdrop of the global financial crisis, the mismatch between costs and capacities that vary across operations and the disconnect among those who take decisions on peacekeeping operations, those who implement them, those who allocate resources, those who have to implement decisions on the ground and the recipient countries are factors which in varying degrees add to the complexity of the problems faced.

Mr. President,

For the shared objective of making UN peacekeeping work better, Member States, over the last couple of years, have come up with several important initiatives on policy issues and capacity-building, including the Brahimi report, the 2010 reform agenda, the restructuring of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the establishment of the Department of Field Support. Efforts are also being undertaken by the Fifth Committee, the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, the Peacebuilding Commission, UN agencies and programmes and the Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations. As an internal review to help configure UN peacekeeping to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow, the New Horizon non-paper calls for a global partnership in purpose, in action and in the future, and proposes recommendations that cut across the whole life circle of a mission. In the context of the multiplication of proposals already available, we consider that the merit of any new initiative or process should be carefully gauged in the context of the ongoing reforms and be discussed in an open and transparent manner to ensure coherence and best results, especially to achieve appropriate understanding and implementation of such cross-cutting tasks as protection of civilians, robust operations and peacebuilding activities. We underline the importance of maximal ensurance of unity of command, lines of accountability, integration of efforts and safety and security of UN peacekeepers through all phases of related reforms. In so doing, the establishment and conduct of mandates should be consistently carried out in accordance with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and the universally recognized guidelines, namely the consent of the parties, the non-use of force except in self-defense, total impartiality, respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States, and non-interference into their internal affairs.

The general UN membership and international partners can also have a role to play in these endeavors. Troops- and police-contributing countries, most of whom are non-aligned and developing countries, should be involved early and fully in all aspects and stages of peacekeeping so as to contribute their expertise and experience to the decision-making process at both Headquarters and in the field. Comparative advantages of and inputs from regional organizations could be further exploited within the framework of Chapter VIII in order to reinforce the effectiveness and synergies for peacekeeping.

          Mr. President,

As part of a comprehensive approach to latent conflicts, peacekeeping can neither be a panacea to the problems of international peace and security nor be a substitute for the local political process which should be strengthened by national efforts of reconciliation and full realization of people’s potential and would in turn alleviate the situations of the already over-burdened missions. Peacekeeping operations are not intended primarily to engage in reconstruction or to rebuild a country in which they are deployed, as other specialized organizations and institutions can carry out such activities more efficiently. In order to achieve a sustainable peace, conflicts must be resolved at its root causes by engaging all involved parties based on dialogue and peaceful settlement of disputes, by finding long-term solutions to the comprehensive political, security, economic and humanitarian dimensions of a given problem. Depending on each specific circumstance and context, preventive diplomacy, conflict prevention and resolution and peacebuilding, if used appropriately, can bring about more desired effects and less costly solutions. Accomplishing this will mean integrating the New Horizon initiative with the recently released reports of the Secretary-General on mediation and on early recovery, strengthening the relationship between peacebuilding and peacekeeping, and enhancing the critical role of the Peacebuilding Commission.

Finally, we thank the UK Delegation for having proposed the PRST, which we support.

I thank you, Mr. President!