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Statement by Ms. Ameerah Haq  Under-Secretary-General for Field Support  at Security Council Open Meeting on Inter-Mission Cooperation  12 December 2012    Mr. President, Allow me to express my appreciation for this opportunity to address the Council on the subject of Inter-mission Cooperation. I also wish to thank you, Mr. President, for the role you are playing as the Chair of the Security Council Working Group on Inter-mission Cooperation.

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.

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.

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.