UN must follow up on efforts to reform security sector, Slovakian official says

Slovakia’s foreign minister today called for the United Nations to sustain its focus on how to help countries consolidate stability, carrying out further work to foster positive change.

Since security practices are “better explored on the ground,” Foreign Minister Ján Kubiš of Slovakia, which holds the revolving Security Council presidency this month, told reporters at UN Headquarters that his country plans to hold workshops in Africa which “would look into lessons learned and experiences from concrete peacekeeping operations.”

To be conducted jointly with South Africa, these studies would investigate the experiences of several countries emerging from war to ascertain deficiencies, such as insufficient funding and lack of national commitment, in maintaining security.

The more attention paid to security sector reform, he said, “the better for the stability and for the control of the development” of the post-conflict country.

Mr. Kubis, who spoke at Tuesday’s open debate at the Security Council on security sector reform, said the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is one likely candidate which will be studied jointly by Slovakia and South Africa.

In a statement at the end of the day-long debate, Ambassador Peter Burian of Slovakia said that the 15-member body “stresses that reforming the security sector in post-conflict environments is critical to the consolidation of peace and stability, promoting poverty reduction, rule of law and good governance, extending legitimate state authority and preventing countries from relapsing into conflict.”

Mr. Burian also pointed out that any reforms made in the sector will not impinge on the sovereignty of any State, and that the Council recognizes that it is the “primary responsibility of the country concerned to determine the national approach and priorities of security sector reform.”