Minister of State Hina Rabbani Khar attends High-level meeting on UN Peacekeeping

Minister of State Hina Rabbani Khar participated in the High-Level meeting on ‘Ensuring the success of Transitions in UN Peace Operations’ on the sidelines of the 77th UNGA Session in New York. The Foreign Minister of Ireland hosted the event which was co-sponsored by Pakistan, Brazil, Ghana, Japan and Switzerland. Several other high-level dignitaries also participated.

The challenges associated with transitions were discussed in an interactive panel comprising Under Secretary General for Peace Operations Jean Pierre Lacroix, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cote d’Ivoire Ms. Kandia Camara, and Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Head of MONUSCO, Ms. Bintou Keita.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister of State called for coordinated system-wide responses during transitions of peacekeeping operations to mitigate potential negative consequences and to help the host authorities further their peacebuilding objectives. She highlighted that if not properly planned, transitions could risk jeopardizing hard-won gains and make it more difficult to prevent relapse of conflict. She also presented a road map for successful transitions.

The Minister of State highlighted Pakistan’s key role in the most successful UN peacekeeping transitions, such as in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Burundi, and Timor-Leste. She reiterated Pakistan’s deep-rooted commitment to women’s critical role in the promotion of sustainable peace and security and especially mentioned the deployment of the first all-female community engagement team in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which undertook several successful peacebuilding initiatives, including vocational training for students, teachers and women, and conducted psychological workshops for Congolese police.

The Minster of State summed up by underscoring that transition in a conflict-affected country should be a step towards self-sustaining peace, stability, and economic prosperity.

Islamabad
24 September 2022

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