Delegation From Represented By
Pakistan Northwestern Polytechnical University
Position Paper for Security Council
Over the past six decades, the United Nations Peacekeeping Operation (PKO) has played a vital role of stabilizing the political situation and promoting the global peace process. With the increasing need for expansion of duties, PKOs are evolving into a complex, multidimensional undertaking, becoming a basic but comprehensive tool for human protection in the UN. Pakistan attaches great importance to UN Peacekeeping functions and is the single largest troop contributor to UN peacekeeping. Currently, 8252 troops of Pakistan Army are engaged in 7 different peacekeeping missions across three continents, with performance in Darfur, Haiti and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, acknowledged worldwide by numerous world leaders and the UN leadership. Pakistan notes with concern the deterioration of security situation in Darfur as well as north Mali, and calls for a ceasefire for further PKOs in these areas. Pakistan appreciates the significant progress with international efforts, including Resolution 2086(2013). Pakistan believes a strengthening partnership will have a positive impact on enlarging the base of troop-contributing countries. In this regard, as stated in Resolution 2086, Pakistan expects a further triangular cooperation between the Security Council, the Secretariat and the troop- and police-contributing countries, reconfirming the responsibility of each role suggested in the Report of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (A/66/19). Pakistan shares the common responsibility under the New Horizon process, with a view to improve the performance of operation and to reform the constructure of UN peacekeeping. Pakistan expresses grave concern to the violent attack on peacekeepers in South Sudan on April 17th .Accordingly, pursuant to the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel, Pakistan expects the key provisions in the convention, including those regarding attacks against peacekeepers as crimes punishable by law, to be included in status-of-forces. Pakistan supports a comprehensive understanding on PKO mandate amongst civilians in host country, considering the use of unarmed unmanned aircraft and other new technologies as a significant progress. In spite of this, Pakistan stands in a clear position that use of new weapons like armed drones should be subject to the international law to avoid civilian casualties and case of misconduct. Pakistan acknowledges that the complex and challenging peacekeeping missions requests high-quality trained peacekeepers, and that civilian under attack and abused need qualified protection. Pakistan participated actively with International Association of Peacekeeping Training Centers (IAPTC), cultivating generations of high-quality officers through South Asia Center of Peace (SACP). Pakistan concerns about the serious human rights violation, including rape, killing, enforced disappearance and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. Particularly, Pakistan condemns the sexual abuse against women and children, calling for comprehensive protection of these civilians, as well as children recruited by armed groups. Pakistan has been through a domestic tension since last year, and has formed a new policy, and under it, ‘police personnel would not be dispatched to UN peace missions.’ But the policy will be revised as soon as the situation improves. Meanwhile the troop contribution won’t decrease. A batch of 255 Pakistan Army troops departed for Congo to perform peace-keeping duties on May 5th, which is the testimony to its endeavors towards promoting the noble cause of both home and global peace.