9 SEPTEMBER 2021
PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS
UN SECURITY COUNCIL DEBATE ON PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS
UN Security Council Open debate on ‘United Nations Peacekeeping Operations’ held during September 7-9 in New York.
Minister of State for external affairs, Meenakshi Lekhi attended the open debate on ‘Transitions’ under the agenda ‘UN Peacekeeping Operations’.
Meenakshi Lekhi pointed out that India is the largest troop-contributor to United Nations peacekeeping operations and deployed more than 2,50,000 peacekeepers across 49 missions so far.
“Transition strategies should recognize the primacy of national Governments and national ownership in identifying and driving priorities, and also underlining the primacy of political solutions and peace building”, She said in the meeting.
Geraldine Byrne Nason, Council President for September and facilitator of the debate drew her country’s firsthand experience with the “fragility of hard-won peace”.
The African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur known usually as UN-African Union Mission in Darfur – (UNAMID) in Sudan and the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) were highlighted as an example of a successful and highly complex transition that put the country on the right track emphasizing the engagement of local stakeholders in the process of peacekeeping. It was a joint mission approved as per the Resolution 1769 on 31 July 2007 to bring stability and peace in the Darfur regions of Sudan. The largest peacekeeping force deployed nearly 19,555 military personnel and 3700 police forces in the mission.
The experiences of Democratic Republic of the Congo in the Kasai provinces are another example of the host country’s support to the UN in building the architecture of peace in that country.
Representatives of Tunisia, United States, UK, Norway, Viet Nam, France, Russia, Niger, Estonia and Mexico shared their experiences in the debate.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the UN for ensuring international peace and security.
The Council consists of 15 members including China, Russia, France, UK and USA as permanent members.
