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Committee Begins Comprehensive Review of Peacekeeping Operations

The Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Marie Guehenno, who assumed his post on 1 October, addressed the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) this morning on a wide range of issues, among them, planned structural changes in the Department for Peacekeeping Operations, the problem of understaffing, and the need for transparency with troop-contributing countries and for rapid and effective deployment of peacekeeping forces.

Speaking as the Committee began its comprehensive review of peacekeeping operations, Mr. Guehenno said the appointment of a third Assistant Secretary- General for Peacekeeping Operations, responsible for military and civilian police affairs, was an essential structural change in the Department. The appointment had been proposed to bolster the expanding Department and to give priority to its relations with troop- and police-contributing countries. Also, a restructuring of the Military Division had been proposed, and additional qualitative and quantitative changes were needed.

At present, he continued, roughly 400 Headquarters staff supported 58,000 field personnel. Such understaffing meant that daily emergencies took precedence over needed reform. To remedy that situation, the Secretary-General had requested extra resources on an emergency basis. He said other priorities included strengthening the Civilian Police Unit and enhancing the role of the Civilian Police Adviser.

Other priorities included the transformation of the Lessons Learned Unit into a "change-manager" that would develop mechanisms to translate lessons into peacekeeping practice; the creation of a small Gender Unit to mainstream gender perspectives systematically into peacekeeping operations, and to recruit women candidates for positions all levels; and the creation of a public information unit within the Department.

Another priority, he said, was the need for greater transparency in consultations with troop-contributing countries. It was important that mandates be clear and communicated to troop-contributing countries through the Security

Fourth Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/SPD/198 19th Meeting (AM) 8 November 2000

Council, along with assessments of requirements, at all levels. Such frank communication must continue throughout the life of the operation. Transparent communication between contingents was also important in other issues, such as investigations into misconduct.

He stressed the need for rapid and effective deployment of peacekeeping forces. To date, there had not been much progress in implementing recommendations of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations on developing such a capacity, owing to the lack of resources in the Field Administrative and Logistics Division. The Secretary-General had outlined proposals, including a revitalization of the Standby Arrangements System using on-call lists of military and civilian police officers.

Following his statement, the Under-Secretary-General responded to questions raised by delegations concerning a wide range of issues, including rotation of personnel between Headquarters and the field; training of contingents, selection of Force Commanders and under-representation of staff from developing countries in the Department.

Speaking this morning were the representatives of Jordan (on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement), Canada, India, Japan, Croatia, Ethiopia, Australia, Egypt, France (on behalf of the European Union), Norway, Zambia, Ghana, Portugal, United Kingdom, Bolivia, New Zealand, United Republic of Tanzania, Kenya, Côte d'Ivoire and Nigeria.

The Fourth Committee will meet again at 4 p.m. today to begin its general exchange of views on the comprehensive review of the whole question of peacekeeping operations in all their aspects.

Fourth Committee - 3 - Press Release GA/SPD/198 19th Meeting (AM) 8 November 2000

Committee Work Programme

The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) met this morning to hear a statement by the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations as it began its consideration of the comprehensive review of the whole question of peacekeeping operations in all their aspects.

The Committee had before it identical letters dated 21 August 2000 from the Secretary-General to the President of the General Assembly and the President of the Security Council (document A/55/305-S/2000/809), transmitting the report of the Panel on United Nations Peace Operations, chaired by Lakhdar Brahimi, Under-Secretary-General for Special Assignments in Support of the Secretary- General's Preventive and Peacemaking Efforts.

The recommendations of the Panel, established by the Secretary-General in March 2000, include: the extensive restructuring of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations; a new information and strategic analysis unit to service all United Nations departments concerned with peace and security; an integrated task force at Headquarters to plan and support each peacekeeping mission from its inception; and more systematic use of information technology.

Many of the proposed changes require political, financial or operational decisions from the United Nations Member States, the report states. For instance, the Panel urges the Security Council not to finalize resolutions authorizing large peacekeeping missions until Member States have pledged the necessary troops and resources; and recommends an increase in funding to strengthen the peacekeeping support staff at United Nations Headquarters.

In the area of doctrine and strategy, the Panel calls for more effective conflict prevention strategies, pointing out that prevention is far preferable for those who would otherwise suffer the consequences of war, and a less costly option for the international community than military action, emergency humanitarian relief, or reconstruction after a war has run its course. It says peacekeepers must be able to defend themselves and their mandate, with robust rules of engagement. And, it urges the Secretariat to draw up a plan for developing better peace-building strategies. Peacekeepers and peace-builders, it says, are inseparable partners, since only a self-sustaining peace offers a ready exit to peacekeeping forces.

The Panel further recommends that the Secretariat tell the Security Council what it needs to know, not what it wants to hear, when formulating or changing mission mandates.

Concerning transitional civil administration, the Panel states that a panel of international legal experts should explore the idea of an interim criminal code, for use in places where the United Nations is given temporary executive powers (as currently in Kosovo and East Timor), pending the re-establishment of local rule of law and law enforcement capacity.

In the matter of time lines, "traditional" United Nations peacekeeping operations (sent to monitor ceasefires and separations of forces after inter-State wars) should be fully deployed within 30 days; more complex peace operations, sent to help end intra-State conflicts, within 90 days.

Concerning personnel, Member States should work together to form coherent, multinational, brigade-sized forces, ready for effective deployment within those time lines; and should each establish a national pool of civilian police officers. The Panel does not call for a standing United Nations army, but says the Secretariat should establish "on-call" lists of about 100 military and 100 police officers and experts, from national armies and police forces, who would be available on seven days' notice to establish a new mission headquarters. Conditions of service for civilian specialists should also be revised so that the United Nations can attract more qualified personnel, and reward good performance with better career prospects.

Regarding speed and efficiency, the Secretary-General should be allowed funds to start planning a mission before the Security Council approves it, so that when approved it can be deployed quickly. Field missions should be given greater freedom to manage their own budgets. Additional ready-made mission "start-up kits" should be maintained at the United Nations Logistics Base in Brindisi, Italy.

In matters of funding for peacekeeping support, the Panel remarks that, after 52 years, it is time to treat peacekeeping as a core activity of the United Nations rather than a temporary responsibility. Headquarters support for it should, therefore, be funded mainly through the regular United Nations budget, instead of the current Support Account which has to be justified year by year, and post by post.

The Committee also had before it the Secretary-General's report on the implementation of the report of the Panel on United Nations Peace Operations (document A/55/502). Questions covered include actions taken since the issuance of the Panel's report; proposed action for implementing the Panel's recommendations; enhancing the effectiveness of key peace and security instruments; and new mechanisms for improving system-wide integration. Other issues covered are enhancing rapid and effective deployment capacities; funding of Headquarters support to peacekeeping operations; proposed restructuring of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations; strengthening other parts of the United Nations system; and information technology and knowledge management.

Regarding the Panel's recommendation for the strengthening of permanent United Nations capacity to develop peace-building strategies and implement supporting programmes, the Secretary-General notes that a clear division of labour has not yet emerged in the formulation of comprehensive peace-building strategies and their implementation. As a result of that lack of clarity, the Panel implied that there was a need to address the risks of competing demands on limited donor resources, potential duplication of efforts and/or gaps in key areas.

On peacekeeping operations, the Secretary-General notes that while it is within the Secretariat's responsibility to draft rules of engagement for each operation, these are individually tailored to the mandates adopted by the Security Council. As such, the Council will have a leading role in implementing the Panel's recommendations. In addition, as pointed out by the Panel, only 32 posts are authorized for military officers in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, in comparison with more than 30,000 military personnel in the field. An increase has been requested in resources for the Military Division (including for the Training Unit).

With respect to new mechanisms to improve system-wide integration, the Secretary-General proposes to create the Executive Committee on Peace and Security Information and Strategic Analysis Secretariat, effective January 2001. That will be done primarily by consolidating existing resources in the Department of Political Affairs, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the Department of Public Information, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the Department for Disarmament Affairs, the Office of the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

The report says that the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues/Division for the Advancement of Women will maintain close contacts with the Information and Strategic Analysis Secretariat, which should be headed by a Director reporting to the Under-Secretaries-General for Political Affairs and Peacekeeping Operations, as recommended by the Panel.

Agreeing with the Panel on enhancing rapid deployment capacities, the Secretary-General says that a first step would be to define the meaning of "rapid" and "effective", recalling that the Secretariat was asked to deploy the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic (MINURCA) in less than three weeks. Similar time constraints applied to the United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET). Peace processes were often most fragile in the initial phases and operations must be deployed when they could make the greatest contribution. The relevant parts of the Secretariat had been asked to use the time lines proposed by the Panel as the basis for evaluating the capacity of existing systems to provide field missions with the required human, material, financial and information assets.

Regarding the restructuring of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the Secretary-General requests the addition of one Assistant Secretary-General as proposed by the Panel. The additional post is a necessary investment to ensure high-level availability, effective management of the Department, shared responsibility and mutual back-up. It will also enable greater and more frequent interaction with field missions, including extended visits and deployment as heads of mission start-up teams. Another request is that the rank of the Civilian Police Adviser be upgraded to the D-2 level and that the Adviser no longer report to the Military Adviser, but rather to the Assistant Secretary-General for Military and Civilian Police Affairs.

The Secretary-General agrees that the Panel's proposal of a distinct unit responsible for operational planning and support of public information components is warranted. While he does not favour creating new capacities in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations that might otherwise already exist in the United Nations system, there might be certain instances where proximity to the daily decision-making processes overrides the benefits of central support structures providing assistance to the Department through the integrated mission task force mechanism.

Also before the Committee was the resource requirements for the implementation of the report of the Panel on United Nations Peace Operations (document A/55/507), which states that the Department of Peacekeeping Operations would be substantially reinforced and restructured and other departments supporting peace operations would be strengthened.