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Statement by
Let me first of all congratulate you upon your election as the Chair of the Committee, and also offer our congratulations to the other members of the Bureau. My delegation assures you of its support and commitment in your work throughout this session. Before I continue, I would like to thank Under-Secretary General for Peacekeeping, Mr. Jean-Marie Guehenno for his well-informed and very useful statement remarks at the beginning of our meeting last Thursday. My delegation aligns with the statement that has been made by the distinguished delegate of Morocco on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. I would also like to pay tribute to the 86 peacekeeping personnel who, in the past year, lost their lives in the cause of peace in the world. To make these sacrifices of these brave men and women, as well as their families meaningful, it is our responsibility to ensure that their dreams of a better and more peaceful world are fulfilled. Mr. Chairman, The delegation of Indonesia believes that Mr. Guehenno’s statement has eloquently and appropriately captured the dynamic evolution that continues to sweep peacekeeping. Five years after the much talked-about Brahimi Report, there are clear improvements in United Nations peacekeeping, but a lot more remains to be accomplished in the implementation of that report. In view of the dynamic changes that have taken place during this period, and in order to take advantage of its lessons and make appropriate adjustments, my delegation believes that the time is ripe to take another look at the Brahimi report in the light of lessons learned and in the interest of best practices. Perhaps nothing illustrates the challenge before us more than the fact that although the Brahimi report was based on the understanding that the Department of Peacekeeping Operations would launch only one large mission per year, four such missions were launched last year alone. We all now know how complex and multidimensional these missions are. Numerically, we are currently operating 18 peace operations across the world and across diverse cultures using about 83,000 personnel. This simple picture defines the challenge of peacekeeping in the 21st century, and we share Mr. Guehenno’s views that, following the path traced by the Outcome Document of last month’s World Summit calls for institutional reorganization. Mr. Chairman, The United Nations now has over half a century’s experience of peacekeeping. We agree that the time has come to synthesize this experience into a body of knowledge and guidance the United Nations peacekeeping. This doctrine will help structure United Nations training in the area of peacekeeping and in preparing peacekeepers for work in the field, or even in particular fields. Although one size could never fit all, particularly in the inevitably dynamic environment of peacekeeping, there must be complete clarity of the issues and procedures, and this doctrine would provide the appropriate guidance. Turning then, to the related subject of personnel--- or people--- is safe to say that nobody can contest the point that an organization can only he as good as the people who serve it. It is because of this that Indonesia has always called for adequate and targeted training for United Nations peacekeepers in order to prepare and sensitize them for their important role. Within the context of a peacekeeping doctrine such as I have just referred to, ought to emerge an appropriate training profile for peacekeepers of all levels. On this point, we are pleased to learn from Mr. Guehenno that the Integrated Training Service, by which the United Nations will ensure consistent, thorough training for all peacekeeping personnel, will be implemented within the next six months, and we commend his department for this. In this connection, let me take this opportunity to thank to TES for the very professional Train-the-trainer’s peacekeeping course which it conducted early this year in Jakarta. Indonesia. This regional training was attended by several countries from the area, and was attended by officers from the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Defence, Police Officers, and Military Officers. We have no doubt that this excellent programme has enhanced the capacity of peacekeepers in Indonesia and the entire region for now and the future. In addition to training, however, we also believe that in order for the peacekeeper to be an effective representative of this Organization, a suitable career structure similar to what obtains in the United Nations Secretariat must he established, This would consolidate peacekeeping as the set of specialized skills that it is, and enhance the successful practice of it. On the issue of partnerships, Indonesia is happy, as an advocate of cooperation, that the value of enhancing partnership in United Nations peacekeeping is receiving greater recognition. This point needs no elaboration, except, perhaps, to stress that all angles to multilateral partnerships must be explored, along with how to effectively coordinate them to ensure the full utilization of the potential of each of them. My delegation has always believed that strengthening the coordination and cooperation between UN peacekeeping operations and regional arrangements, for instance, would greatly enhance the management of the upsurge in peacekeeping operations. We look forward to working with DPKO in its efforts to put such partnerships to work. Mr. Chairman, My delegation is also convinced
that DPKO must be reorganized in other for it to be able to meet
the challenges of the 21st century. We welcome the indication
of Mr. Guehenno to establish integrated and cohesive teams in
the department to direct and support field operations at Headquarters.
This sounds like an excellent proposal, and we look forward to
discussing his proposals, as he has indicated, in the Special
Committee on Peacekeeping Operations. In this regard, my delegation is pleased with the collaboration between DPKO and the C34 towards elaborating the framework for the Standing Police Capacity, for which basic ground work has been completed. We look forward to an update on this subject in the Special Committee at its forthcoming session. With reference to the proposed United Nations Strategic Reserve, as well as the United Nations Standby Arrangements System, about which a C34 working group is currently exploring policy options, we hope that DPKO will work closely with the group towards resolving the outstanding issues. Mr. Chairman, My delegation believes that peacekeeping success will always demand effective and sustained cooperation and interaction between the DPKO and the command on the ground. There should never be loopholes or grey areas in that relationship. In this regard, while we advocate peacekeeping training, we are hopeful that the curriculum of the Training and Evaluation Service (TES) will he flexible, and therefore he able to respond to the situation in particular situations. In this regard, we believe that advantage should he taken of the readiness of regional organizations to assist in peace operations, because these organizations are familiar with their regions and have the advantage of proximity to the crisis area. In the interest of success, however, the mechanism for such cooperation should he very clear. With regard to the reports of misconduct and sexual abuses of some peacekeepers in the past year, Mr. Chairman, my delegation wishes to express its profound disappointment. This poor conduct is a great stain on the United Nations, and on every peacekeeper that has ever served. We call for adequate action to ensure that this sad chapter in the history of the United Nations is never rewritten. Indonesia has taken serious steps in this direction, and would like to call on other troop-contributing countries to ensure that they equally take action to stamp out this unwanted behavior. To conclude, Mr. Chairman, let me say that it is the full belief of the delegation of Indonesia that the key to success in peacekeeping lies in having a good system, a clear mission mandate, a high quality of human resources, and cooperation between the parties involved. It is of great significance to realize that strong and effective leadership in the field will usually ensure that the mission is functioning at its best, and that its mandate will be accomplished. Thank you.
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