Daily Times

UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has warned that arbitrary cuts in peacekeeping funding risk diminishing the effectiveness of U.N.’s flagship operations and jeopardizing the safety of peacekeepers.

“Our objective should be to enhance capabilities. This cannot be achieved by reducing resources for peacekeeping,” Aamir Khan, Pakistan’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, told the General Assembly’s Fourth Committee, which deals with Special political and decolonization matters, on Wednesday.

“Providing less but expecting more is not a workable model for any enterprise,” he went on to say in the course of the Committee’s comprehensive review of U.N. peacekeeping operations, in which Pakistan is a leading participant.

Noting that the past years have seen an enhanced focus on performance and accountability in peacekeeping, the Pakistani delegate said although expectations for peacekeeping have risen, so have efforts to reduce the resources for those activities.

Aamir Khan said that as one of the largest and most consistent troop-contributing countries for almost six decades, Pakistan has contributed more than 200,000 troops who have served in 46 missions with honour, professionalism and distinction, with 156 of its bravest making the ultimate sacrifice for the cause of peace.

He said Pakistan has also met the United Nations targets on female participation.
Pakistan co-hosts one of the UN’s earliest missions — the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) — which continues to monitor the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. “We greatly value its vital role in maintaining peace and security in our region,” Khan said.

Whereas Pakistan supports a data-based performance assessment system, peacekeeping begins with mandates and resourcing formulated at the United Nations, he said, cautioning that caveats or complicated mechanisms in the deployment of peacekeepers will lead to less effectiveness.

Furthermore, providing medical facilities must be the top priority when planning and resourcing a mission, he added.