— Seventy-five Member States and two international organizations, including 45 represented at the foreign and defence ministerial-level, expressed their collective commitment to UN Peacekeeping by participating in the 2021 Seoul UN Peacekeeping Ministerial which concluded today.
Sixty-two Member States announced new pledges to help enhance the performance and impact of peacekeeping operations in line with the Secretary-General’s Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) initiative—specifically within the seven priorities presented by the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, as part of A4P+, the implementation strategy to speed up progress on the initiative over the next two years.
The Ministerial successfully elicited new pledges and advanced existing ones to close gaps of peacekeeping capabilities, including:
• 36 countries made commitments of new military and police capabilities, some available for rapid deployment. The Republic of Korea, as host, pledged to donate 16 helicopters to partner countries so they can be used in UN peacekeeping missions.
Partnerships, through training and capacity-building of troop and police contributing countries, was a key commitment from many Member States.
• 45 countries pledged to provide training opportunities or announced capacity building partnerships with other countries.
Member State pledges included efforts to strengthen the technology and medical capacity in UN peacekeeping, which were the cross-cutting themes of the Ministerial. Member States also affirmed their commitment to enhancing the role of women in peacekeeping and improving the UN’s environmental footprint. To this end:
• 18 Member States pledged support to strengthen the UN’s medical capabilities, while 23 cited their ongoing efforts to increase the number of women peacekeepers. Seven Member States made specific pledges to reduce the environmental footprint of their deployments to UN Peacekeeping.
Member States expressed their support for UN Peacekeeping during four sessions focused on Sustaining Peace; Partnerships, Training, and Capacity Building; Performance and Accountability; and Protection of Civilians and Safety and Security.
A senior United Nations delegation, comprising the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support, Atul Khare, and the Under-Secretary-General for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance, Catherine Pollard, represented the United Nations and chaired sessions.
The Republic of Korea announced the Seoul Initiative on Technology and Medical Capacity Building in Peacekeeping to help UN Peacekeeping become more agile, data-driven and technology-enabled, and to enhance medical capacity in the face of the increasingly complex threats in higher-risk operating environments.
The 2021 Seoul UN Peacekeeping Ministerial took place virtually on 7 and 8 December as the latest in a series of high-level events since 2014 that have seen world leaders pledge substantial resources to strengthen UN Peacekeeping.
More than 87,000 peacekeepers from over 120 countries currently serve in 12 missions around the world, helping to save lives, preventing conflict and creating conditions for lasting peace.
Quotes:
Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea, CHUNG Eui-yong
“Our work this week has special meaning for my country, the Republic of Korea. It was these kinds of activities that we have discussed that helped rebuild a war-torn Korea.
Korea is a living example of how our peacekeeping efforts can bear real fruit for the future.
I look forward to the “Seoul Initiative” helping to ready our peacekeepers meet their goals and mandates to keep peace and protect vulnerable civilians on the ground.”
National Defense Minister of the Republic of Korea, SUH Wook
“I urge the international community to join the journey of building stronger peacekeeping operations. Korea, by establishing close partnerships with the UN and its Member States, will provide helicopter assets and support enhancing the performance of women and police peacekeepers to present successful exemplary cases of peacekeeping.”
Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix
“We are grateful to the Republic of Korea for hosting this Ministerial meeting and for their critical contributions to strengthening our operations. Through strong partnership and collective action, UN Peacekeeping remains one of the most effective tools to respond to today’s peace and security challenges. The strong political support and pledges we have received from Member States will help improve mandate delivery and support for our peacekeepers, who continue to make a tangible difference in the lives of millions of people each day.”
Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support, Atul Khare
“Partnerships is the backbone of UN Peacekeeping and I am a firm believer of its transformational potential. I was heartened by the many pledges to support ongoing established partnership initiatives and to forge new ones. I remain committed to working with all stakeholders to deepen and strengthen our strategic and operational support partnerships for UN Peacekeeping and for those who need it most.”
Under-Secretary-General for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance, Catherine Pollard
“Strengthening UN Peacekeeping relies on our joint action to improve peacekeeping performance and accountability. In this regard, we welcome the renewed commitments from Member States at this Peacekeeping Ministerial towards improving the performance of our missions and in particular preventing misconduct in peacekeeping operations, enforcing our standards of conduct and supporting victims, including by sharing good practices and ensuring accountability. We owe this to ourselves and to those we have the privilege to serve.”
More information on the meeting, including statements and the list of pledges, can be found on the UN Peacekeeping website and on @UNPeacekeeping digital channels.
For further information, contact: Aditya Mehta on +1 917 7754249; mehta2@un.org