SC - Debate on UN peacekeeping operations: transitions and exit strategies
Statement by Ambassador Thomas Mayr-Harting,
Permanent Representative of Austria to the United Nations
New York, 12 February 2010
We welcome your initiative to organise today’s debate on transition and exit strategies. Let me also thank the Secretary-General and the Special Representatives present today for their impoertant presentations. We are convinced that this meeting also serves as a further opportunity for troop and police contributing countries to share their highly relevant experience with Council Members and the UN Secretariat.
Austria also aligns herself with the statement to be delivered by the Representative of the European Union later in this meeting.
The presidential statement before us rightly underlines that the overarching objective of successful UN peacekeeping operations should be the creation of conditions for sustainable peace on the ground, ultimately allowing for a mission’s reconfiguration and withdrawal. For a successful transition from peacekeeping to continued peacebuilding or other forms of UN presence, it is necessary that effective national capacities for the provision of security, basic services, rule of law and long-term development be put in place in an integrated manner by national authorities in close cooperation with international stakeholders on the ground. Peacebuilding and peacekeeping efforts need to go hand in hand from an early stage, based on a common and integrated strategy. Such a holistic approach to crisis management and conflict resolution should also guide future mandating of UN missions.
Clear, credible and achievable mandates must be oriented to a desired outcome, benchmarks and a clear prioritisation of tasks. I sypmathize with the criticism that SRSG Loj has voiced with regard to calls by the Council to missions to fulfil protection tasks within their capabilities. The Council also must ensure that mandates are matched with resources required for their full implementation. In order to avoid premature closure of operations, both benchmarks and objectives, however, must be field-driven and shared by all parties. Moreover, these tools for monitoring progress have to be regularly reviewed and aligned with the needs on the ground.
Against the background of more and increasingly complex operations cooperation with regional and subregional organisations and other international actors in particular in a transition context will become ever more important. To give one example the European Union has for several years actively supported the transition process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo under the framework of the security sector reform (SSR) launched by the DRC Government. More often than not the active involvement of regional and subregional organizations is essential for ensuring the sustainability of the peacekeeping and peacebuilding activities undertaken by the UN. We need to ensure coherence between the plans and programmes on peacebuilding launched by various Member States and those of international, regional and subregional organizations, the international financial institutions and UN presences on the ground.
In line with Security Council resolution 1894, the protection of civilians must be duly taken into account throughout the lifecycle of peacekeeping operations, including in the transition phase. The ability and willingness of a state to protect its own civilian population is a precondition for sustainable peace and thus for the withdrawal of a peacekeeping operation. Creating a favorable protection environment goes beyond the protection of civilians from physical violence and must be complemented by activities in the field of SSR, DDR, Rule of Law, transitional justice, human rights and empowerment of local society. Early coordination of these activities and a common strategy among all actors involved will be crucial for success. Let me also emphasize that the full participation of women in all processes has to be ensured, in accordance with Resolution 1325.
We welcome the clear link in the Presidential statement before us defines between peacekeeping, peacebuilding and sustainable development. An interconnection that Mr. von der Schulenburg has very eloquently described in the model case of Sierra Leone. This interrelationship is also one of the aspects that should be taken into account in the PBC review process. Early economic recovery and the delivery of a peace dividend are crucial incentives for societies to invest in peace and stability. In this context, let me also point out the significant contribution peacekeeping missions can make to socio-economic development in their areas of deployment not least through local procurement. Let me say that my delegation is very supportive of the work of USG Malcorra in this field.
Over the last years several peacekeeping operations have been closed and followed by other forms of UN engagement, in many cases by integrated peacebuilding offices. We agree that the time has come to draw lessons learned from those examples. We welcome, therefore, the decision of the Security Council Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations to address in the coming months key lessons learned from past and current missions regarding the successful implementation of transition strategies. We believe that continued dialogue between the Working Group and troop and police contributing countries will contribute to this exercise.
