Parliamentary support key for improving UN peace operations - Annan
"As the institutional bridge between the state and civil society, as the link between the local and the global, you are uniquely well-placed to work for a United Nations that is more effective and more responsive to the needs and aspirations of the people you represent," the Secretary-General said in a message to a seminar on "Strengthening United Nations Peace Operations," organized by Parliamentarians for Global Action in New Delhi from 2 to 3 March.
Recalling the recommendations put forward on Mr. Annan's request by a panel on UN peace operations led by Ambassador Lakhdar Brahimi - the so-called Brahimi Report - the Secretary-General noted that many of the proposals required legislative approval, action or additional resources. "That is where you, as parliamentarians, have a crucial role to play," the Secretary-General said.
Mr. Annan also stressed that there was an acute need for increased support from the legislators' Governments for peace operations once they were mandated, in terms of well-equipped and trained troops, police and civilian personnel, as well as more flexible administrative and financial rules and regulations that promoted operational effectiveness.
The Secretary-General's message was delivered by the Director of the UN Information Centre in New Delhi, Feodor Starcevic, who also conveyed a statement on behalf of Jean-Marie Guéhenno, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, on the lessons learned, status of implementation of the Brahimi Report and the future of UN peacekeeping operations.