NEW YORK – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on Friday announced the establishment of a High Level Independent Panel on UN Peace Operations.
Ban also announced the appointment of Mr Jose Ramos-Horta of Timor-Leste to chair the panel.
In a statement, Ban said: “the world is changing and UN peace operations must change with it if they are to remain an indispensable and effective tool in promoting international peace and security.
“That is why I am announcing the establishment of the Panel on Peace Operations and appointed Ramos-Horta to chair it. It will draw together individuals with a wide range of experience and expertise.”
The panel, Ban said, would make a comprehensive assessment of the state of UN peace operations today, and the emerging needs of the future.
It will consider a broad range of issues facing peace operations, including the changing nature of conflict, evolving mandates, good offices and peace building challenges.
Others are managerial and administrative arrangements, planning, partnerships, human rights and protection of civilians, uniformed capabilities for peacekeeping operations and performance.
Ban said the last major external review of peace operations was undertaken in 2000 and led by Mr Lahkdar Brahimi.
In addition, he said, this will be the first such panel to examine both peacekeeping operations and special political missions.
‘As we approach the 15-year anniversary of the Brahimi report, we must acknowledge that peace operations today are increasingly called on to confront politically complex and challenging conflicts, often in volatile security environments where operations are directly targeted.
‘We must take stock of evolving expectations and consider how the organisation can most effectively advance peace and assist countries caught in conflict.
“It will ensure that our peacekeeping operations and special political missions remain strong and effective in a changing global context,’’ Ban said.
He added that it will work closely with the main UN Departments concerned, as well as with Member States and the UN system as a whole.
The panel’s recommendations, he said, will be available for consideration by the General Assembly at its 2015 General Debate.
Members include Jean Arnault, France; Abhijit Guba, India; Ameerah Haq, Bangladesh; Andrew Hughes, Australia; Alexander Ilitchev, Russia; Hilde Johnson, Norway and Bruce Jones, Canada.
Others are Youssef Mahmoud, Tunisia; Ian Martin, U.K; Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, Ghana; Lynn Pascoe, U.S; Floriano Neto, Brazil and Wang Xuexian of China.(NAN)
