United Nations (TDI): Pakistan, one of the world’s largest contributors to UN peacekeeping, on Thursday warned that the growing use of drones and other new technologies by hostile actors has dramatically increased risks for blue helmets.
Addressing an event at UN Headquarters in New York on the “Safety and Security of UN Peacekeepers in the Context of Emerging Technologies,” Pakistan’s permanent representative, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, said, “Peacekeeping environments are becoming more complex, more fluid, and more lethal. Our response must therefore be adaptive, coherent, and collective.”
Highlighting the human dimension of peacekeeping, Ambassador Ahmad noted that Pakistan has lost 182 personnel serving under the UN flag. He warned that shrinking mission resources and reduced operational footprints in places such as South Sudan, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and UNIFIL in Lebanon and Israel, leave peacekeepers increasingly exposed to attacks.
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Citing a recent drone strike in Kadugli that killed six Bangladeshi peacekeepers, he stressed that emerging technologies make it harder to identify perpetrators and hold them accountable, weakening deterrence. “Accountability must remain central to our collective efforts,” he said.
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The envoy also urged that new technologies be harnessed to enhance protection, calling for counter-UAS (unmanned aircraft systems) capabilities, improved early-warning systems, better surveillance, and data-driven threat analysis. “Mandates must be matched with the necessary capabilities and resources,” he said, underlining that safety and security start with adequate support for peacekeeping forces.
