UNITED NATIONS, Jul 30 : Pakistan has called for strengthening and better-equipping the United Nations peacekeeping to address
\nthe underlying causes of disputes, saying, \u201cNowhere is this more urgently needed than in Jammu and Kashmir\u2019 \u2014 a longstanding dispute on the UN Security Council\u2019s agenda.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis Council, which mandates the missions, must ensure that missions are deployed with an accompanying credible political process that addresses the root causes of conflicts, and that mission mandates are demand-driven, clear, sequenced, and context-specific\u201d, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, told the 15-member body on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe imperative of political solutions is obvious,\u201d he said in a debate on \u2018Adapting Peace Operations for the Pursuit of Political Solutions\u2013 Priorities and Challenges\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis Council should fulfill its obligations and make concerted efforts to secure a just and lasting solution to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with relevant resolutions of the Security Council and the wishes of the Kashmiri people,\u201d the Pakistani envoy added.<\/p>\n
In his remarks, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar highlighted Pakistan\u2019s experience of nearly eight decades of engagement with UN Peace operations, saying the
\ncountry had remained among the top troop contributors, host to one of the UN\u2019s oldest missions \u2014 United Nations Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), which monitors the Line of Control (LoC) in the distributed Kashmir region.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are also founding member of the Peacebuilding Commission,\u201d he said, pointing out that over 235,000 Pakistani peacekeepers have served with distinction in 48 missions across 4 continents. \u201cA total of 182 of our bravest have laid down their lives in the service of peace. We greatly value the importance of the UN peace operations\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cOverall, peace operations are a success story,\u201d added Ambassador Asim Iftikhar, who is the Council President for July, speaking in his national capacity.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith an annual budget of $5.5 billion, UN peacekeeping worldwide constitutes less than 0.3 per cent of global military spending.\u201d<\/p>\n
Multiple studies have confirmed that it peacekeeping reduces violence, protects civilians and helps sustain peace arrangements, he pointed out.<\/p>\n
All reform efforts must therefore preserve operational credibility, institutional memory and readiness of peace operations, he said, stressing: \u201cPeacekeeping is not a silver bullet, but neither is it obsolete.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Pakistani envoy said the success of peace operations depends on strong political undertaking by member states, particularly the Security Council.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere the UN and the Council retreat or hesitate, political vacuums emerge,\u201d he said, noting that this vacuum is being increasingly filled by negative actors and soldiers of fortune, thus proliferating the threats to international peace and security.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat space must be reclaimed through credible political processes, anchored by the Council\u2019s authority and implemented through empowered UN missions,\u201d Ambassador Asim Iftikhar said, adding that peacekeeping must maintain a people-centered approach.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeacekeeping missions should put greater emphasis on promoting local peace arrangements at the community level wherever possible to reduce violence and build trust.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 30 : Pakistan has called for strengthening and better-equipping the United Nations peacekeeping to address the underlying causes of disputes, saying, \u201cNowhere is this more urgently needed than in Jammu and Kashmir\u2019 \u2014 a longstanding dispute on the UN Security Council\u2019s agenda. […]<\/p>\n
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