Mr. President, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to thank the President of the Council for having invited me to discuss the critical issue of women, peace and security.
Dear Mr. Chairman, distinguished delegates, Let me say what a great pleasure it is to be here with you today and to participate, once again, in this important annual debate. I am very pleased to be joined here by our new Under-Secretary-General for Field Support, Ms. Ameerah Haq, who comes to this position with a deep knowledge of peacekeeping and a strong field orientation.
Statement by Ameerah Haq
Under-Secretary-General for Field Support
to the Fourth Committee
29 October 2012
(rescheduled and delivered on 1 November 2012, due to Hurricane Sandy)
Mr. Chairperson, Distinguished Delegates,
Spokesperson Nesirky: Welcome to the briefing. We are pleased to be joined by the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Mr. Hervé Ladsous.
Welcome back. Mr Ladsous is here to brief you on the challenges and trends there are in UN Peacekeeping as well as on the situation in Mali and on peacekeeping related aspects of the latest Security Council Resolution on that particular topic. So, first of all will turn to Mr Ladsous for some introductory remarks followed by questions for which we have about half an hour in total. So, please, welcome back.
Good morning.
This is my ninth report on the protection of civilians in armed conflict.
Its essential thrust is clear:
Too many people are dying, in too many places. Sometimes they are caught in the crossfire; frequently they are targeted.
They are the innocent victims of attacks on their communities and, often, places that rightly should be sanctuaries — hospitals and schools, places of worship.
I am honoured to pay tribute today to the memory of the 112 peacekeepers who died while serving the United Nations in 2011.
Sadly, this marks the fourth year in a row that more than 100 peacekeepers lost their lives in the line of duty.
I offer my heartfelt condolences to their families, friends and countries.
You in this room represent the governments that contribute these forces – and bear the losses. I am deeply grateful to you for engaging in this global partnership.
In 2011, 112 UN peacekeepers were killed in the line of duty – adding to the almost 3,000 military, police and civilian staff members who have lost their lives as a result of acts of violence, accidents and disease since the first UN peacekeeping mission in 1948.
Spokesperson Martin Nesirky: Good afternoon everyone and welcome to this briefing. As you are all aware, today is the International Day for Peacekeepers. That is why I’m joined by Hervé Ladsous, the Under-Secretary-General for peacekeeping operations and Tony Banbury, the Assistant Secretary-general of the Department of Field Support.
Remarks of Anthony Banbury, Assistant-Secretary-General
Acting Head, Department of Field Support
Introduction of GFSS
Opening session of the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly
Second resumed sixty-sixth session
Mr. Chairman, distinguished delegates,
Opening Remarks: Good morning to you all. I wanted to give you some update on where we stand on the deployment of military observers in Syria.
In fact, we have had unarmed military observers on the ground since the 15th of April.
