India has said that a reform of the Security Council is essential for finding enduring peace in conflict situations because, ultimately, political solutions must support peacekeeping operations. Peacekeeping cannot be the sole solution to conflicts,” India’s Permanent Representative P. Harish told the Security Council (UNSC) on Monday.
“Peace holds when peacekeeping operations are accompanied by political solutions,” Harish said during a debate on peacekeeping operations. He stressed the necessity of reforming the UNSC in both its permanent and elected categories to better reflect and represent current geopolitical realities.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres acknowledged the evolving challenges facing peacekeeping, highlighting the growing complexity of global threats. He pointed to terrorism, extremist groups, organized crime, the weaponization of new technologies, and climate change as key factors testing the international community’s ability to respond effectively.
Harish also spoke of some of these factors challenging peacekeeping and offered India’s help in training peacekeepers to meet them.
“India is willing to curate and offer courses that address specific demands of modern peacekeeping at our Centre for UN Peacekeeping (CUNPK), which has been training national and international peacekeepers for over two decades,” he said.
About India’s role in helping enhance peacekeeping, he referred to the First Conference for Women Peacekeepers from the Global South that brought together representatives from 35 troop and police-contributing countries.
Guterres said that a comprehensive review of all forms of peace operations is underway, involving extensive consultations with member states and stakeholders. The review aims to critically assess existing mechanisms and propose concrete recommendations to enhance their effectiveness. He underscored the need for peace operations to be guided by clear, realistic, and achievable mandates, along with well-defined exit strategies and transition plans.
Harish echoed this sentiment, calling for clear mandates and viable transition plans that ensure sustained peace even after peacekeeping missions conclude. He also reminded the Council of the ongoing construction of a Memorial Wall to honor more than 4,000 peacekeepers, including 182 Indians, who have lost their lives in service to the UN. The memorial, first proposed in a General Assembly resolution introduced by India in 2003, should be completed at the earliest, he urged.
(IANS)
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