STRENGTHENING UN EFFORTS TO MAINTAIN PEACE AND SECURITY
The Secretary-General has expressed his resolve to strengthen the United Nations ability to play its role to the fullest extent in conflict prevention, peacemaking, peacekeeping and peacebuilding – these are all part of a continuum, and the approach must be integrated, coordinated and comprehensive. Enhancing the UN’s capacity for preventive diplomacy and supporting sustainable peace processes will help to build long-term solutions and enable the Organization to respond more effectively to conflict situations. Similarly, strengthening the UN’s capacity to support Member States efforts to implement the UN’s Global Counter-terrorism Strategy will provide the foundation for a united international stand against terrorism.
Strengthening capacity to manage and sustain peacekeeping operations
"Because of the surge in demand, our system is dramatically strained and over-stretched. What kind of peace operations do we want to see in the future? These reforms would enable us to meet the growing demands placed on us with strengthened capacity, consolidated support, and a system that is more effective, transparent and accountable."
- The stability provided by UN peacekeeping is vital for millions of people all over the world. No other multinational actor deploys comparable numbers of civilian and military personnel; no bilateral partner engages in so many field operations of such scope and complexity.
- To help meet these unprecedented challenges, the General Assembly approved the Secretary-General’s proposal to restructure the Department of Peacekeeping Operations; creating a Department of Field Support (DFS) to consolidate the support functions of recruitment for field personnel, including senior appointments, procurement and financial management. DFS’ establishment will ensure more effective and accountable management of resources and improved responsiveness to field support requirements.
- The Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) will focus on providing effective mission management, strategic planning and policy guidance and will foster partnerships with UN and non-UN actors, including maintaining close liaison with regional organizations. Key sectors within DPKO, such as Rule of Law and Security Institutions, Military Affairs and Police have all been strengthened. But further resources will be necessary as peacekeeping continues to expand.
- The Department of Field Support will allow the system to provide more effective logistical, personnel, financial and communications and information technology support to the UN’s missions in the field. Through the establishment of Integrated Operational Teams (IOTs) the two Departments will work as one to ensure maximum efficiency, promote both accountability and transparency, and maintain clear reporting lines to facilitate the overall harmonization of efforts.
Enhancing capacity for preventive diplomacy, mediation,
peace-making and peacebuilding
“Strengthening the UN's capacity to step in - to resolve conflicts earlier rather than later - is among the smartest investments we can make.”
The United Nations needs to strengthen its capacity not only to stabilize situations through the deployment of forces after peace agreements are reached, but also to prevent and resolve conflict through political means. The Secretary-General wants to better equip and better position the United Nations to prevent and resolve conflicts at an early stage, before they escalate into larger and costlier tragedies.
-
To this end, the Secretary-General unveiled in November 2007 a proposal to strengthen and restructure the Department of Political Affairs (A/62/521), to transform it into a more mobile and field-oriented structure, allowing for more proactive and effective use of the tools of preventive diplomacy, including mediation and the good offices of the Secretary-General. Some of the elements of the restructuring plan are:
- Strengthened regional affairs desks;
- Greater mobility to deploy in areas of potential conflict;
- Enhanced management and oversight capacity of current field operations;
- Gradual establishment, in close consultation with Member States, of regional offices that can work closely with Governments and regional organizations on conflict prevention and resolution;
-
Improved capacity to work with Governments to identify potential problems before they spread and to respond with timely initiatives.
- A Mediation Support Unit within the Department of Political Affairs is already working with regional desks to assist UN peace envoys in the field as they try to prevent and resolve conflicts. A full-time UN “stand-by” mediation team became operational in March 2008, and will provide urgent expert advice to mediation efforts around the world.
- In order to assist countries emerging from conflict and to prevent them sliding back into instability or war, the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), its Support Office, and the Peacebuilding Fund were established based on the recommendations of Member States at the 2005 World Summit, and reflected the Organization’s belief that peacebuilding is a solid way to consolidate peace and put in place building blocks for governance and development, advancing long-term stability.
- Two countries currently under consideration by the Peacebuilding Commission, Burundi and Sierra Leone, have identified priority areas, such as employment creation, good governance, the rule of law, democracy consolidation and security sector reform. In December 2007, Guinea-Bissau became the third country to be placed on the PBC agenda with backing from the Security Council.
- The UN Democracy Fund (UNDEF), awards grants to projects that aim to promote and consolidate new and restored democracies. The Fund, with some $62 million to disburse, provides assistance to governmental, non-governmental, national, regional, and international organizations, including relevant United Nations departments, offices, funds, programmes and agencies. In 2006, in the first round of project selection and fund disbursements, the Secretary-General approved 125 projects worth $36 million, with the largest share devoted to projects in sub-Saharan Africa. Applications for the second round of funding were opened at the end of 2007. A meeting of the UNDEF Advisory Board was held in March 2008 to consider a recommended list of projects.
Countering terrorism globally
"Terrorism hurts all nations -- large and small, rich and poor. It takes its toll on human beings of every age and income, culture and religion. It strikes against everything the United Nations stands for. The fight against terrorism is our common mission."
While terrorism has been on the agenda of the United Nations for decades, in September 2006 for the first time in history, all UN Member States agreed to a common strategic and operational approach to fight terrorism, adopting by consensus in the General Assembly the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (Strategy).
- The Strategy spells out concrete measures for Member States to take individually, as well as collectively to, address the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism, prevent and combat terrorism and strengthen their individual and collective capacity to do so, and protect human rights and uphold the rule of law while countering terrorism. The Strategy calls for Member States to work with the UN system to implement the provisions of the plan of action contained in the strategy and at the same time calls for UN system entities to assist Member States in their efforts.
- UN departments, programmes, funds and agencies have been taking actions in a number of areas in line with the strategy both in their individual capacity and through joint efforts in the framework of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF).
- The CTITF, which consists of 24 United Nations system entities, is working with Member States to facilitate implementation of the Strategy in areas where United Nations system entities can add value.
Revitalizing the disarmament and non-proliferation agenda
“Amid heightened global anxiety about weapons of mass destruction, this deeply alarming situation calls for the revitalization of the disarmament agenda.”
The persisting risks posed by nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, as well as from conventional arms, underscore the need for determined leadership at the highest level to revitalize the disarmament agenda.
- To ensure the highest-level decision-making and to re-energize action on both disarmament and non-proliferation issues, the Secretary-General established the Office of Disarmament Affairs (ODA) as a new office in the Secretariat, headed by a High Representative.