UN Peacekeeping Operations - Australian Permanent Mission to the United Nations

Australian Permanent Mission to the United Nations

New York

Permanent Mission address: 150 East 42 Street, Level 33, New York, New York 10017 - Telephone: 1 212 351 6600 - Fax: 1 212 351 6610

UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL
Friday, 26 August, 2011

UN Peacekeeping Operations

Statement by H.E. Ms Philippa King
Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative
of Australia to the United Nations

Mr President,

At the outset, I would like to express Australia’s condemnation of the attack on the UN compound in Abuja overnight. This is the starkest reminder of the risks faced by UN personnel working in the cause of peace, stability and development. Any attack on the UN is an attack on us all. I would like to express deep sympathies to the families, friends and colleagues of those affected. And to the government and people of Nigeria.

Mr President,

Australia welcomes the opportunity to address the Council on the topic of peacekeeping operations. And we thank India for convening this debate.
Peacekeeping remains at the core of the United Nations. It is the most critical and highly visible measure by which the organisation is judged. It is a partnership that relies on the broad UN membership to turn words and expectations into results, in terms of maintenance of peace and security for vulnerable populations on the ground.

We would like to focus our remarks on three issues: consultation mechanisms between the Council and troop and police contributing countries (TCCs and PCCs); resources and capabilities; and clarity in relation to expectations of peacekeepers’ roles on the ground.

First, regular consultations with TCCs and PCCs are an important mechanism to ensure peacekeeping mandates are informed by concrete knowledge of ground realities, and that expectations are realistic and well understood. Consultative meetings need to be structured, with advance notice of their scheduling. We welcome the initiatives outlined in today’s Presidential Statement to improve these processes.

We also believe it is critical that a range of stakeholders are consulted in the development of mandates and throughout the lifecycle of a mission. Informal mission specific groups can play an important role. Australia has been pleased to be a part of the Core Group on Timor-Leste, which continues to provide suggestions regarding support to UNMIT, and to serve as a useful forum for consultation with stakeholders.

Second, it is important that peacekeeping missions are provided with the necessary resources and capabilities to take forward their complex roles. Today’s missions need the resources and capabilities to deal with 21st century challenges and mandates. We would encourage further analysis of different capabilities that can improve missions’ effectiveness. Critical enablers, such as communication tools and analytical capabilities, can improve situational awareness, assist with the development of early warning capacities and act as force multipliers. Aviation assets can provide critical mobility, along with firepower, but are often in short supply. We welcome work underway to examine helicopter force generation challenges.

Of course, the most valuable resource a peacekeeping mission has are its people and their skills. We believe efforts underway within the UN to develop baseline capability standards for infantry battalions, staff officers and medical support units are an important step towards ensuring peacekeepers are better prepared and equipped. Timely and comprehensive information on existing capability gaps would assist in ensuring there is a coordinated and targeted approach to capacity building. We look forward to the outcomes of the impact assessment of the capability gap lists.

Many speakers this morning have emphasised the important linkages between peacekeeping and peacebuilding. Australia’s own recent experience with peace and security operations in our own region – including in Timor-Leste and Solomon Islands – has placed a premium on the early transition to peacebuilding which we all recognise is the only way to prevent societies coming out of conlict from sliding quickly back into conflict. Early peacebuilding efforts require the early deployment of qualified civilian personnel. We look forward to the forthcoming Secretary-General’s report on the civilian capacity review.

Bilateral and multilateral partnerships are an important part of capacity building for peacekeepers. Australia seeks to share its own peacekeeping experiences through capacity building and training. Australian civilians, police and armed forces work with our neighbours and partners, including our partners in the Regional Assistance Mission in Solomon Islands, to build police and military peacekeeping skills.

Mr President,

Our final point relates to providing clarity in relation to expectations of peacekeepers’ roles on the ground. Peacekeepers are often faced with tough decisions, particularly when it comes to carrying out mandates to protect civilians. For this reason, Australia has been a strong advocate for specific protection of civilians training and guidance.

The development of pre-deployment training modules, which include scenario-based training tools, is a welcome step to addressing some of the uncertainties peacekeepers face in undertaking their duties. We encourage the Department of Peacekeeping Operations to deliver these training modules to Member States and the field as soon as possible. We believe these tools would be supported further by guidance on protection of civilians for uniformed personnel.

Military personnel in particular can have important responsibilities when it comes to physical protection of civilians and other peacekeeping personnel, which can require them to use force. We look forward to the development of guidance on the use of force, and have been pleased to support regional conferences on this issue.

Mr President,

Australia believes that it is only through strong consultation and burden sharing from all parties that the peacekeeping partnership will retain its strength and ability to address new challenges.

In concluding, we would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge once again the service of those men and women deployed to peace operations, who are taking forward the vital work of maintaining peace and security on the ground for communities affected by conflict.

Thank you.