©UN Photo/Bajornas
Statement by Mogens Lykketoft, President of the 70th session of the General Assembly, at Peacekeeping Operations Summit
28 September 2015
Heads of states, heads of governments, distinguished ministers,
Mr. Secretary-General, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, good evening.
Peacekeeping is at the heart of UN’s global engagement. It has helped to prevent atrocities and to lay foundations for better days. It is one of the major innovations since the UN’s inception 70 years ago, albeit one that needs continued refinement; one that must always protect human rights, including through a zero tolerance of sexual exploitation and abuse.
Through your commitments, you have demonstrated that it is better to invest in peace today than to be faced with the human, economic, and environmental costs of conflict tomorrow. Your commitments will ensure that the UN is better able to respond not just in a timely, integrated manner, but calibrated to the requirements of an increasingly complex security reality in the field.
But of course, there is always scope for more action. And as President of the General Assembly, I will ensure that issues of peace and security get the attention they require this session.
Given the need for a thoughtful, well-attuned and comprehensive approach beyond peacekeeping, there is strong convergence between today’s summit, the high-level independent panel’s report on peace operations, and the Secretary General’s implementation report.
On the 10th and 11th of May, I will hold a high-level thematic debate which, like today’s event, seeks to strengthen the world’s capacity to reply collectively, swiftly and effectively to the security problems that we face and that call for UN-based action.
Through it, I hope to advance synergies among the three major peace and security reviews on-going at the UN – on peace operations, on peacebuilding and on women, peace and security – and to ensure that those reviews lead to coherent and immediate action. Your participation, together with tangible proposals for change, can help make this another milestone event.
Ladies and gentlemen, I congratulate the organizers and the co-hosts for their leadership in organizing this excellent event and I look forward to maintaining this spirit of action throughout the 70th session.
I thank you.