United Nations General Assembly
Sixty First Session
Comprehensive Review of the whole questions of Peacekeeping Operations in all their aspects
Statement by Colonel Tim Simkin to the
Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations
on behalf of Australia, Canada and New Zealand
Monday 26 February 2007
(Check against delivery)
Mr Chairman
I have the honour to make this statement on behalf of the CANZ Group of countries – Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
We thank Under Secretary-General Guehénno for his report to this Committee, and welcome his extension as the Under Secretary-General responsible for UN peace operations. Building on our statement to the 4th Committee last October, CANZ will highlight and reinforce issues we view of major significance where this Committee can make an impact.
We welcome and support the thrust of the Secretary General’s report; CANZ particularly welcomes the initiatives to enhance the conduct and management of UN peace operations. We are heartened by the continued importance he attaches to the implementation of the Peace Operations 2010 reform agenda, and remain eager to see the detailed report on this matter. We particularly welcome his priority in 2007 for development of capstone doctrine, which will facilitate long overdue examination of the manner in which peace operations are now being conducted, and the commensurate principles and guidelines associated with the planning and conduct of modern complex peace operations. On the important idea of establishing a cadre of civilian peacekeeping personnel for peace operations, we support in principle a core, ongoing capacity to provide the backbone of mid-level management in field missions. CANZ strongly supports the Secretary-General’s proposed comprehensive review of the Strategic Military Cell in order to ascertain its comparative relevance and feasibility for the future. It is also good to see the Secretary-General’s recognition that the safety component of Safety and Security needs far more attention, and that the JOC and JMAC capacities require review, analysis and development of best practices, training and further guidance, along with proper staffing.
Mr Chairman
CANZ welcomes the Secretary-General’s efforts to strengthen the Secretariat's capacity to manage and sustain peace operations. The specific proposal to realign the DPKO into two separate departments merits serious consideration. We look forward to a substantive discussion on this issue in this Committee. As we work on the various aspects of the proposal, we will see where opportunities can be pursued in order to enhance our conduct of peace operations and ensure that sufficient mechanisms are in place to facilitate unity of command, including the integration of the two proposed Departments at all levels.
We welcome the review and improvements to the Integrated Mission Planning Process (IMPP) and urge its full implementation as early as possible this year, as it will be crucial if the proposal for a DPO/DFS construct is to work. We would also insist on the related immediate development of Integrated Operations Teams to ensure a new DFS is fully incorporated into a new DPO’s planning and direction mechanisms at the working level. To maximize the effectiveness of the IMPP, we urge the timely appointment, for any given mission, of the SRSG, Force Commander and Police Commissioner to facilitate their involvement in the process. We encourage a comprehensive, coherent and coordinated UN approach to SSR within peace operation missions.
The police dimension of multidimensional peace operations has grown substantially in the last few years and is likely to continue on that trend in the future. We note the proposal to establish an Assistant Secretary General for rule of law and SSR post that would supervise the Police Adviser. While CANZ supports a holistic approach towards rule of law, the proposal concretely puts a new hierarchical layer between the Police Adviser and the Under-Secretary General. Given the critical importance of policing we would be concerned by a structure which would result in the Police Adviser not having the same unfettered access to the USG and the same level of influence in the Senior Management Group as the MILAD, with potentially disastrous consequences in regard to the safe conduct of police operations in missions. Our delegations would appreciate clarification from the Secretariat on how it intends to ensure the relationship between the Police Adviser and the proposed new USG DPO is preserved, to avoid diluting the advice from the police component.
CANZ concurs with the Secretary General’s recommendation to increase military officers in all sections of the Military Division and welcomes his intention to upgrade the Military Adviser to Assistant Secretary-General. Also CANZ notes the vital importance of the recruitment and retention of civilian staff members of DPKO and of peace missions. CANZ welcomes the range of strategic policing initiatives aimed at building institutional police capacity in post-conflict environments. We continue to support the implementation of the Standing Police Capacity (SPC), and call upon DPKO to expedite its full implementation as well as expand the initial capacity in a timely manner to meet the current and growing demand for a responsive start-up and advisory capacity.
We also encourage DPKO to form a working group to investigate the need to create a military staff officers standing capacity to form the core planning and HQ element for a new Mission until normal staffing of the HQ occurs. The working group could build on UNMIS experience with the SHIRBRIG concept and the previous work done on standby military HQ staffing.
The expanded nature and complexity of UN peace operations demands better understanding by the entire UN family of all the options available to meet modern day threats to international peace and security. We must accept the reality that there is a broad spectrum of UN peace operations today, beyond the traditional peacekeeping missions. Guiding principles relevant to a broader spectrum of peace operations must thus be developed accordingly. This Committee should not shy away from this task.
In order to meet today’s challenges (for example, levels of capability required, timeliness of deployment, and the varying levels of political and diplomatic support for UN ‘blue helmeted’ intervention) it has become increasingly important to collaborate closely with regional arrangements as envisaged under Chapter VIII of the Charter. To this end we welcome the Secretary-General’s intent to establish a dedicated capacity for partnerships within the Secretariat, which we assume will build on the AUPOST and other initiatives with the EU and World Bank.
We have noted that the language of Security Council resolutions on the issue of use of force in UN peace operations often leads to differing interpretations and to Rules of Engagement for peacekeepers and policing elements inconsistent with the authority provided by the relevant resolution. We urge the C34 and the Secretariat to examine this issue, to ensure consistent interpretation through all subordinate documentation and directions and to promote a more systematic approach.
CANZ support the recommendation of the Departmental Working Group contained in A/60/696 that staff officers in the field should retain the status of contingent personnel, with support arrangements revised to provide for mission subsistence allowance to staff officers in lieu of payment of troop costs to troop contributing countries. We invite the General Assembly to endorse this recommendation during its 61st session in order to harmonize sustainment arrangements for mission headquarters personnel.
CANZ notes the Secretary General’s intent to improve liaison with Member States in relation to UN Board Of Inquiry, however we also urge DPKO to review its policy regarding the involvement of Member States in the BOI, and in particular, the policy of not allowing national BOI to interview UN HQ staff and mission military staff as part of their own investigation. We also request this sitting of the C34 to review these DPKO policies.
Much work has already been done in the UN and in particular in this Committee, in order to fully implement the policy of zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse, and a number of initiatives are still on our agenda for completion. Expectations are high in this regard – and rightly so. We urge member states to complete the work on the revised MOU at the next session of the Ad Hoc Working Group of Experts in May. We need to work at earnest toward the full implementation of a victim assistance strategy. We must build on the work of the Group of Legal experts. And we also invite the Secretariat to present a draft policy on personnel and welfare in a timely manner. Military, police and civilian members of UN Peace Operations must empower women and children, and implement mandates in a manner which effectively addresses the scourge of sexual exploitation and abuse.
CANZ also calls for presentation of the Enhanced Rapidly Deployable Capacities (ERDC) Policy Paper and fully developed Reinforcement Needs Assessment. We note the requirement for an improved analysis capability to better inform the Needs Assessment, and encourage the Secretariat to examine options for a peace operations strategic analytical capability within UN headquarters to meet this requirement.
Mr. Chairman
Let me conclude by reinforcing the CANZ group’s strong commitment to supporting DPKO in its reform of peace operations and to the Department itself. We call on all Member States in this Committee to work in partnership with DPKO, keeping in mind the need to improve the way the international community conducts peace operations for the benefit of world peace. We further call on Member States to continue to provide the support and tools required by the peacekeepers conducting these operations on our behalf.