Speaking at the UN Secretary-General’s briefing on the Review on the Future of All Forms of UN Peace Operations, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN, said the review comes at a critical juncture, as conflicts become more numerous and complex while the United Nations faces shrinking resources, rising expectations and the need for continued reform.
Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad stated that, as a longstanding and leading supporter of UN peacekeeping, Pakistan considers peacekeeping to be the most visible and vital instrument available to the United Nations for maintaining international peace and security.
While emphasizing that peacekeeping cannot substitute for political processes, he noted that UN peace operations have, in many situations, created the conditions necessary for political solutions by supporting ceasefires, protecting civilians and monitoring fragile peace arrangements.
Welcoming the report’s emphasis on peacemaking, conflict prevention and the peaceful settlement of disputes, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said these principles are firmly anchored in Chapter VI of the UN Charter. He stressed that peacekeeping and peacemaking should be viewed as mutually reinforcing elements.
Referring to situations where political processes have stalled, he called for the Secretary-General’s good offices, proactive engagement by the Security Council and other diplomatic efforts to be deployed with greater urgency to restore political momentum towards peace and settlement.
Addressing the report’s recommendations, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad emphasized that these should be considered primarily in the spirit of making UN action more effective and should not be selectively interpreted in ways that weaken the mandates of peace operations.
“The benchmark should not be how mandates can be reduced, but how their efficiency can be improved and their implementation strengthened,” he stressed.
He emphasized that “reform must strengthen peace operations, not hollow them out.” While efficiency should be enhanced and duplication reduced, cost-cutting should not become the central logic of reform.
Peacekeeping, he emphasized, is a global public good that requires adequate resources and sustained political support from the Security Council and the wider UN membership.
The Pakistan Permanent Representative further highlighted that UN peace operations are a collective responsibility requiring close consultation and coordination among the Security Council, General Assembly and its C34, the UN Secretariat, host countries, troop- and police-contributing countries, and other relevant stakeholders.
He also welcomed the report’s recognition of the importance of accountability for crimes against UN peacekeepers, including through implementation of Security Council resolution 2823.