New York — 29 March 2019
Opening of “Training and Capacity Building” Session
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to thank all the Co-Chairs of the Peacekeeping Ministerial process, and in particular the governments of Uruguay and the United Kingdom, which co-hosted the preparatory meeting on training and capacity building that I attended in Montevideo.
As the Secretary-General emphasized, and I quote: “only our continued strong partnership can help us bring lasting peace.” End of quote.
I am privileged to have participated in every Summit and Ministerial since September 2015 and am pleased to continue being a part of this important process.
Partnership for training and capacity building is a critical element of the Action for Peacekeeping initiative.
Department of Operational Support (DOS) serves both the entire UN as a service provider, as well as the troop and police contributing countries, as a partner to support the development and deployment of their peacekeeping capabilities.
A single-entry point for Member States on all support-related matters of Uniformed Capabilities — from establishing the capability captured in the Memorandum of Understanding, through deployment of the contingent to reimbursement — has been created in the Department of Operational Support.
We are continuing our efforts to improve the fundamental aspects of peacekeeping: safety and security. For example, we are applying the 10-1-2 principle consistently through an effective integrated mission structure, to ensure provision of skilled first aid within 10 minutes, advanced life support within 1 hour, and access to damage‑control surgery within 2 hours of an incident. Furthermore, we continue to “stress test” our CASEVAC capabilities, specifically in the high‑risk missions to overcome any barrier to rapid and successful rescue of casualties.
The Declaration also highlighted another priority area of work for DOS: sound environmental management of our missions. I reiterate our call to all Member States to fulfil the commitment to deploy environmentally responsible solutions for all operations and mandate delivery.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
This session is, of course, about training and capacity building. Our current priority in training is addressing peacekeeping challenges related to safety and security, medical support, engineering, protection of civilians and performance. We are very grateful for the many training and capacity‑building pledges that have been and will be announced today.
A prime example of training to strengthen peacekeeping capabilities is our Triangular Partnership Programme, as mentioned by the Secretary‑General in his opening remarks. To date, with support from several Member States, my Department has carried out several engineering and signals trainings in Africa and Southeast Asia, and we will be expanding the programme to include medical training this year.
Together with the Department of Peace Operations, we have also operationalized a light coordination mechanism to deconflict training programs and share information on best practices.
Let me conclude by reiterating a point made by the Secretary-General in his opening remarks. We have made real progress in the past few years in strengthening the role of women in peace operations. However, it is clear that we can and must do much more, especially in the areas of women’s participation in training and capacity building and deployment. I look forward to hearing today further offers of training support to help us meet our shared commitments on women, peace and security.
Thank you for your shared commitment, tangible pledges and support.