New York, 28 October 2021 (TDI): The two-day UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Preparatory Conference on Tuesday 26 concluded with the comments of Ambassador Munir Akram, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations.
Ambassador Akram stated that the multilateral approach to peacekeeping was essential for building a safer world. He considers it the most important enterprise on the planet.
The Netherlands and Pakistan jointly organized the conference to prepare for the ministerial meeting to be held in December, in Seoul South Korea, which focused on the Safety, Security, and Protection of Peacekeepers working on flashpoint areas around the globe.
The Pakistani Envoy at the United Nations called on member states to ensure equal representation of women from developing countries in leadership positions within the secretariat, as well as in field leadership.
Additionally, he also praises the Pakistani women peacekeepers for their efforts and highlighted the fact that Pakistan had tried in recent years, especially in medicine, to increase this number.
Furthermore, he added, “This will motivate more female peacekeepers to take part in peacekeeping missions and push the agenda for gender equality.”
Pakistani Envoy during the closing session reiterated Pakistan’s ongoing commitment to UN peacekeeping operation and announced that Pervez Khattak, Pakistani Defense Minister, would attend the Seoul ministerial conference, which will take place on December 7 and 8.
Whereas, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in his opening address on Monday via video link paid tribute to all peacekeepers along with 161 brave Pakistanis who gave their lives while serving under the UN flag.
Moreover, he informed the meeting that Pakistani Peacekeepers had taken part in 46 peacekeeping operations on almost every continent over the past 60 years.
Similarly, Ben Knapen, the Netherlands’ Foreign Affairs Minister, acknowledged the UN peacekeeping importance and praised Pakistani civilians for their success in disarmament operations, which helped to reduce the threat to peacekeepers in the Central African Republic
He said that Pakistani peacekeepers, by providing excellent medical care, also played an important role in the successful containment of West Africa’s Ebola Crisis.
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, El-Ghassim Wane, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) also took part in the conference and highlighted the measures for the safety and security of peacekeepers.
Ambassador Akram thanked each participant and expressed gratitude for all their efforts. He expressed his hope that this collaborative effort would lead to a better architecture for peacekeeping in the future.
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