Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Chair,
I am honoured to deliver this statement on behalf of Canada, Australia and my own country New Zealand.
Today, modern peace operations face a complex and challenging environment, characterised by the rise of regional conflicts, the erosion of host-state consent, resource constraints and the spread of mis- and dis- information.
Within this rapidly changing political and security landscape, peacekeeping missions need to continue to adapt. The international community continues to depend on UN peacekeeping as a crucial tool to support peace and collective security.
CANZ will continue to play our role to improve the effectiveness of UN Peace Operations. At the same time, we are focused on the future of peacekeeping. With conflict at record high levels globally, we must adapt to new models, safeguard best practices, and advance our capabilities. The future of peacekeeping will need more focused and adaptable mandates, guided by clear political strategies, better coordination across civilian, military, police and support components, and increased alignment with host state priorities and capacities.
Chair, the safety and security of UN peacekeepers is indispensable. CANZ continues to be gravely concerned by the attacks on UN Peacekeeping troops in UNIFIL and UNTSO, and the unreasonable demands for UNIFIL to vacate its positions in southern Lebanon. These attacks are unacceptable, seriously jeopardize the safety and security of UN forces in Lebanon and set a dangerous and unwelcome precedent. Attacks on peacekeepers must never become normalised; they must be investigated, and perpetrators held to account.
Chair, advancing gender equality and the Women, Peace and Security Agenda is critical to the future of peacekeeping.
We welcome diverse and gender-inclusive leadership across all levels within UN peacekeeping operations. Through our collective efforts, gender parity targets and concrete steps under the umbrella of the Elsie Initiative for Women in Peace Operations, CANZ is committed to creating enabling environments for gender equality in UN peacekeeping.
We place great importance on gender-responsive leadership and flexible funding to remove gender barriers to the recruitment, selection and deployment of uniformed women. But it is evident we still have a long way to go to ensure their meaningful participation.
Chair, UN peacekeepers who cannot protect civilians rapidly lose credibility, both with host governments and local populations. Equally, the UN must be able to investigate and report on incidents where civilians are harmed and hold perpetrators accountable.
2024 marks the 25th year that protection of civilians has featured as part of UN Peacekeeping mandates. This anniversary offers an important opportunity for us to reflect on the evolution of peacekeeping and our future approach to conflict prevention and crisis response.
CANZ welcomes the Action for Peacekeeping commitments to implement comprehensive protection strategies, enhance early warning systems and reduce the risk of peacekeepers harming civilians themselves. Peacekeeping missions are often in a unique position to support parties to the conflict to protect human rights, prevent violations of international humanitarian law, and in some cases to start responding to the needs of civilian victims.
CANZ remains deeply concerned by the prevalence of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) in UN field and peacekeeping missions. In 2023, we saw a 20% increase in allegations of SEA reporting in field missions. And we know the real number is much higher, due to the persistent challenge of underreporting.
More attention is also needed to combat the issue of sexual harassment and abuse within peacekeeping missions. We urge continued implementation of the Secretary General’s zero-tolerance policy, with a renewed focus on prevention, accountability and support for victims’ rights.
Chair, CANZ wishes to underscore the importance of dedicated and strategic attention to peacekeeping transitions and drawdowns. There is a crucial need for flexible, transition-specific resources that can support these essential activities, noting that peacebuilding within peacekeeping is key to transitions and to sustaining peacekeeping outcomes more generally.
We therefore welcome the milestone of allocating assessed contributions to the UN Peacebuilding Fund, beginning in 2025, and reiterate our support for adequate, predictable and sustainable peacebuilding financing to tackle peace and security challenges. We also welcome the comprehensive review of the UN peacebuilding architecture next year.
Furthermore, in today’s information-saturated landscape, peacekeeping operations must adapt to counter mis- and disinformation while harnessing technological advancements. CANZ fully supports initiatives that strengthen data management, bolster strategic communications, and protect information integrity.
We recognizes that strengthening partnerships with regional organizations and other non-UN actors is critical to enhancing our collective ability to respond to crises. We look forward to exploring practical ways to deepen cooperation at the upcoming Peacekeeping Ministerial in Berlin.
Chair, in closing, I pay tribute to all peacekeepers – military, police and civilian – serving under the UN flag in the pursuit of peace. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.
Thank you, Chair.