India wants more fund for peacekeeping missions

United Nations, Aug 16 (PTI) India, the current President
of the UN Security Council, has asked member states to address
the "unsatisfactory situation" of paucity of resources for
peacekeeping missions, saying it is a "central entreprise" of
the world body.
A three-page concept note on peacekeeping circulated at
the UNSC by India's Permanent Representative to the UN Hardeep
Singh Puri states that there is a severe mismatch between the
resources and mandate of peacekeeping operations.
"The central challenge that peacekeeping missions now
face is the resource gap... This is an unsatisfactory
situation and a serious discussion is required on the issue of
resources. The inability of the Council to address this will
lead to a performance deficit on the part of UN peacekeeping
missions which in turn could erode the legitimacy of this
Council," sai the note titled 'UN Peacekeeping Operations:
Taking Stock and Preparing for the Future'.
The current annual outlay for peacekeeping is under eight
billion dollars and in some cases there is one peacekeeper for
several hundred square kilometers.
Under the presidency of India, the Security Council is
scheduled to hold an open debate on UN peacekeeping operations
on August 26.
Puri said the concept note has been prepared in order to
help steer discussions on the subject.
Noting that peacekeepers often have to make "tough moral
choices" and take "life-and-death decisions in situations of
legal ambiguity," India said: "effective peacekeeping requires
that the men and women operate in an environment of legal
certitude."
The note said the issue of consent, which has
implications on the concept of state sovereignty, needs
particular attention. It said over the years, peacekeeping
operations have moved into "newer territory".
"The extent to which peacekeeping missions can be used as
instruments of innovation in the application of
international law is an area where a greater degree of common
understanding is required amongst the member countries."
"The relationship of these innovations with the guiding
principles of peacekeeping, viz., consent of the parties,
non-use of force except in self-defence or defence of the
mandate, and impartiality, will require clarification for UN
peacekeeping to retain its credibility and universal
acceptability," the note said.
The note said that policing and rule of law capabilities
are required to consolidate the peacekeeping capabilities of
the United Nations.
Member states need to deliberate on the types of
capacities required, mix of capacities and their sourcing.
"This exercise needs to be undertaken in accordance with
the needs of national authorities and relevance to conditions
of the host countries. A capability-driven approach to
peacekeeping that is demand-driven and responsive to national
priorities needs to be fostered," the note said.