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H. E. Ambassador Mochamad S.
Hidayat
I would like to begin by joining previous speakers in congratulating you in your re-election as Chair of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations. Our felicitations also go to the other elected members of the Bureau. We are confident that under your able and wise guidance our work will culminate in a successful conclusion. May I take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the Secretary-General for his report on the Implementation of the recommendations of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations as contained in document A/57/711. Before proceeding further, my delegation would also like to express its support and associates itself with the statement delivered by the distinguished delegate of Jordan who spoke on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement yesterday. We would, however, like to touch upon several issues of importance in the role of UN peacekeeping in the maintenance of international peace and security. Mr. Chairman, The first business of the United Nations is peace. That is not surprising: peace is the first desire of the heart of every one of us. This is why the UN Charter strongly opens with a declaration of the determination of the peoples of the world to safeguard the future for peace. To that extent, peacekeeping continues to be a desirable feature of, and contribution to, our efforts at the United Nations to fulfill that promise to our children and ourselves. Peacekeeping is a fundamental pillar of the maintenance of international peace and security, and deserves our support. In that respect, my delegation reiterates that peacekeeping operations should observe the purposes and principles of the UN Charter as well as respect the basic peacekeeping principles, namely the consent of the parties, the non-use of force, except in self-defense, and impartiality. For this purpose, we welcome the contributions that this Committee, with the mandate of endeavoring for a comprehensive review of the whole question of peacekeeping in all their aspects, has made in the past, and what it is primed to do in the future. Mr. Chairman, We note the promising steps that the United Nations peacekeeping has witnessed in 2002. In March, Kosovo saw the establishment of the provincial institutions of self-government; its second municipal elections followed later in the year, in October 2002. In April, following the success of the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea concerning the temporary security zone between both countries, the Border Commission finally announced its decision on the delimitation of the border. That was followed, in May, by the independence of Timor Leste, which marked the end of the work of United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor, and the commencement of UNMISET, the United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor with which my country enjoys a good working relationship. Similar developments took place in Sierra Leone, where the UN mission (UNAMSIL) facilitated the elections in May; and in Prevlaka, where UNMOP completed its mandate in December, as did the UN Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH). The Secretary-General has also reported that in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United Nations mission overcame many significant challenges concerning the completion of phase II and the beginning of phase III of its work. There were also interesting and welcome developments in some other United Nations peacekeeping efforts. In the view of my delegation, it is not a coincidence that these events transpired the way that they did throughout the year. These successes may be traced to the understanding of peacekeeping gained over the years by Member States, troop-contributors, host nations, and the Secretariat in mission planning and management. We think that the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations has justification to be proud of this progress, and its role in it. Mr. Chairman, Peacekeeping has been, and will always be, a series of important and interrelated tasks that require a good deal of coordination. That is why the third segment of the report of the Secretary-General on “enhancing the capacity of the United Nations for peacekeeping” bears particular importance. Attention is paid in this segment to developments and reform initiatives in such areas as cooperation between the Secretariat and troop contributors, personnel recruitment for the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), management, best practices, comprehensive strategies, training, and public information. With regard to the enhancement and strengthening of cooperation between the Security Council, the Troop Contributing Countries and the Secretariat in planning, preparing and managing missions, my delegation continue to place emphasis on the importance of increasing this cooperation and its modalities. In reference to the attention given by the Special Committee to the importance of increasing the representation of both troop-contributors and unrepresented and under-represented countries within DPKO - within the boundaries of the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, it is notable that the findings of the Office of Internal Oversight Services (A/57/224) found representation to be equitable and balanced in 2001. Furthermore, 13 candidates from unrepresented and underrepresented countries, according to this Report, were selected for the vacancies under review during 2002. These are developments in the right direction that should be further continued. My delegation, however, shares the view that responsibility for deploying military units in peacekeeping operations cannot continue to be carried by mostly developing countries alone. If peacekeeping is a worthwhile endeavour for the United Nations, all its Member States must share more in all aspects of the challenge. We also share the views of other delegations towards continued efforts to improve the management cadre of peacekeeping, both at Headquarters and in the field. Equally important, we must stress the importance of enhancing the quality of the strategic coordination available to United Nations peacekeeping, as this is a critical component if we are to continue to be successful. Another important element in the planning and execution of every peacekeeping operation is that we should remain conscious and cognizant of the cultures, traditions and local sensitivities of the target populations, so as to forge with them the necessary alliance for the success of the mission. Meanwhile, similar to other delegations, we would like to recall one of the results of the recent Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Malaysia which expressed concern over the negligible share of the developing countries in UN procurement. In this regard, we reiterate the view of the Movement that there is a need to ensure greater UN procurement from the developing countries. It is important therefore that serious efforts be taken to ensure that all countries are given equal chance to become a UN supplier for the PKOs. To this end, we encourage the Secretariat to approach this issue in a comprehensive manner. Mr. Chairman, For our part, Indonesia has always taken the challenge of peacekeeping seriously. Indeed, this is a very important area of our foreign policy, and my country has taken part in over 20 peacekeeping missions since 1956. As I stated in my address before this Special Committee last year, Indonesia is currently establishing a national center for peacekeeping operations. One of our key areas of interest is in the contribution of more civilian police to United Nations peacekeeping, and we would continue to welcome the assistance of the Organization towards improving the quality of our police to meet the required standards. Mr. Chairman, Although promising developments occurred in 2002, there still remains room for improvement. In this regard, my delegation is of the view that the proposal of the Secretary-General to shift the focus of the discussion to the more field-oriented aspects of the recommendations of the Panel and the Special Committee, in both conceptual and operational areas, is a valid recommendation that merits to be further studied by the Committee. We look forward to a successful session under your leadership and hope that further constructive contributions to a better, more timely and more effective United Nations peacekeeping emerge at the end. I thank you.
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