Pakistan meets UN target of female participation in peacekeeping operations: FO
Our faith in this indispensable tool for maintenance of international peace and security is firm and abiding: Lodhi
The Pakistani envoy further informed the UN Committee that Pakistan was deploying an engagement team consisting of women in the Democratic Republic of Congo in May 2019. PHOTO: EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan's Ambassador to United Nations (UN) Maleeha Lodhi said on Tuesday that the Islamabad has enhanced the participation of women in UN peacekeeping operations, reads the Foreign Office (FO) statement.
Speaking at the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN, Lodhi, said that, "Pakistan is proud to have achieved the goal of deployment of 15 per cent female staff officers in its missions".
Lodhi was referring to the fact that in less than 18 months, Pakistan has gone from zero participation of female military staff officers in peacekeeping operations to the UN prescribed benchmark of 15 per cent, the statement added.
Based on the Security Council’s call in 2015 to double its female deployment in the uniform component, the UN’s Office of Military Affairs set the target of deploying 15 per cent female military and staff officers in peacekeeping missions by December 2018.
The Pakistani envoy further informed the UN Committee that Pakistan was deploying an engagement team consisting of women in the Democratic Republic of Congo in May 2019.
Ambassador Lodhi said that as a leading troop contributor as well as a host state, Pakistan would continue to support efforts to strengthen peacekeeping. “Our faith in this indispensable tool for the maintenance of international peace and security is firm and abiding,” she added.
The Pakistani envoy also referred to United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) and said that Pakistan had always supported the mission in the implementation of its mandate.
She said that UNMOGIP had an important role to play in the maintenance of peace and security in a volatile neighborhood and called for its strengthening and expansion to make it more effective.
The Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, also known as C-34, is an annual forum where key stakeholders deliberate on issues of peacekeeping, and evolve policies to address emerging challenges.
“This Committee”, Ambassador Lodhi said, “must play its role in norm building and policy formation, and enable peacekeepers to meet the high expectations that we all have of them”.
UNGA president due in Pakistan next week
The Pakistani envoy stressed that the safety and security of peacekeepers remained urgent as threats faced by them have increased due to complex and evolving conflicts.
“Deployment decisions”, she said, “have to be based on consultations, preparation and knowledge of the ground situation”.
Ambassador Lodhi also said that troop-contributing countries possessed practical on-ground and in mission experience which made their suggestions critical during mandate formulation, renewal and review stages.
Calling for increased representation of major troop-contributing countries at leadership levels in the field and at headquarters, Ambassador Lodhi said that such a step would bring more field-based perspective in decisions related to peacekeeping operations.
Ambassador Lodhi also touched upon the issue of financing peacekeeping operations and criticized calls for cutting costs.
Peacekeeping, she maintained, is already a cost-effective undertaking which draws strength from the collective political will of the international community. “We must, therefore, pool our best human resources, and ensure adequate financial and material resources for the success of this enterprise”, she added.
“Achieving more with less is not sustainable”. “It is time we start enabling our peacekeepers to live up to the ideals that we claim to be committed to”, she added.
UN credibility depends on success of peacekeeping operations: Maleeha
Stressing the need to preserve the fundamentals of peacekeeping, Ambassador Lodhi said that the legitimacy and credibility enjoyed by UN peacekeeping operations was based on the commitment to uphold these principles.
Blurring the lines, she underscored, was fraught with risk as it would impact the UN’s neutrality and credibility.
Pakistan's Ambassador to United Nations (UN) Maleeha Lodhi said on Tuesday that the Islamabad has enhanced the participation of women in UN peacekeeping operations, reads the Foreign Office (FO) statement.
Speaking at the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN, Lodhi, said that, "Pakistan is proud to have achieved the goal of deployment of 15 per cent female staff officers in its missions".
Lodhi was referring to the fact that in less than 18 months, Pakistan has gone from zero participation of female military staff officers in peacekeeping operations to the UN prescribed benchmark of 15 per cent, the statement added.
Based on the Security Council’s call in 2015 to double its female deployment in the uniform component, the UN’s Office of Military Affairs set the target of deploying 15 per cent female military and staff officers in peacekeeping missions by December 2018.
The Pakistani envoy further informed the UN Committee that Pakistan was deploying an engagement team consisting of women in the Democratic Republic of Congo in May 2019.
Ambassador Lodhi said that as a leading troop contributor as well as a host state, Pakistan would continue to support efforts to strengthen peacekeeping. “Our faith in this indispensable tool for the maintenance of international peace and security is firm and abiding,” she added.
The Pakistani envoy also referred to United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) and said that Pakistan had always supported the mission in the implementation of its mandate.
She said that UNMOGIP had an important role to play in the maintenance of peace and security in a volatile neighborhood and called for its strengthening and expansion to make it more effective.
The Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, also known as C-34, is an annual forum where key stakeholders deliberate on issues of peacekeeping, and evolve policies to address emerging challenges.
“This Committee”, Ambassador Lodhi said, “must play its role in norm building and policy formation, and enable peacekeepers to meet the high expectations that we all have of them”.
UNGA president due in Pakistan next week
The Pakistani envoy stressed that the safety and security of peacekeepers remained urgent as threats faced by them have increased due to complex and evolving conflicts.
“Deployment decisions”, she said, “have to be based on consultations, preparation and knowledge of the ground situation”.
Ambassador Lodhi also said that troop-contributing countries possessed practical on-ground and in mission experience which made their suggestions critical during mandate formulation, renewal and review stages.
Calling for increased representation of major troop-contributing countries at leadership levels in the field and at headquarters, Ambassador Lodhi said that such a step would bring more field-based perspective in decisions related to peacekeeping operations.
Ambassador Lodhi also touched upon the issue of financing peacekeeping operations and criticized calls for cutting costs.
Peacekeeping, she maintained, is already a cost-effective undertaking which draws strength from the collective political will of the international community. “We must, therefore, pool our best human resources, and ensure adequate financial and material resources for the success of this enterprise”, she added.
“Achieving more with less is not sustainable”. “It is time we start enabling our peacekeepers to live up to the ideals that we claim to be committed to”, she added.
UN credibility depends on success of peacekeeping operations: Maleeha
Stressing the need to preserve the fundamentals of peacekeeping, Ambassador Lodhi said that the legitimacy and credibility enjoyed by UN peacekeeping operations was based on the commitment to uphold these principles.
Blurring the lines, she underscored, was fraught with risk as it would impact the UN’s neutrality and credibility.