DPKO officials say no UN peacekeepers monitoring Rafah crossing – Press release (excerpts)

Press Conference on Rule of Law in Peacekeeping Operations

Officials of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations stressed the importance of strengthening the rule of law as a key part of peacekeeping, as they marked the ninth International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers at a Headquarters press conference this afternoon.

“Rule of law is essential for peace. It’s part of our exit strategy and its part of our entry policy,” said Dmitry Titov, Assistant Secretary-General for Rule of Law and Security Institutions, a unit established in 2007, describing the theme of this year’s International Day, which is observed annually on 29 May, but is being commemorated today because it falls on a Sunday this year.

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The panel knew of no United Nations peacekeeping presence that would help to monitor a reopened Rafah crossing from Egypt to Gaza, though there was a liaison office in Cairo, speakers replied to another question. Asked why rule of law was not a focus of peacekeeping in the Middle East, the panel stressed that the international system had different mechanisms for different cases. The Peacekeeping Department only dealt with the issue when it was mandated as part of an operation authorized by the Security Council.