. Earth Science News .




.
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Demands to grow for UN peacekeepers, says outgoing chief
by Staff Writers
United Nations (AFP) Aug 10, 2011

Growing international instability and economic crisis will place greater demands on UN peacekeeping even as it tries to wind down operations, the outgoing head of the 120,000-strong global force said.

Conflicting pressures on the UN missions were evident during an interview with Alain Le Roy, head of the $8 billion budget peacekeeping division, from the New York office he left Wednesday.

On one side of the building was a demonstration by Sudanese calling for UN intervention in the troubled state of South Kordofan. On the other, Haitians demanded an end to the UN "occupation force" in their impoverished nation.

Le Roy wanted to highlight the "overwhelming good" that UN peacekeepers have brought to troublespots from Haiti to Ivory Coast, East Timor and Sudan, while also acknowledging some bad and ugly cases.

"I think there will be more instability in the world," he said. "We are not the ones asking for an increased number of troops -- never."

The United Nations wants to close its operation in East Timor next year and start drawing down forces in Liberia, Ivory Coast and Haiti.

But it has also just started two new missions with 4,200 Ethiopian troops heading for Sudan's troubled Abyei region and 7,000 to go to the new country of South Sudan.

"There are other countries where we might be called," the French diplomat added. Planning is already underway for an observer force for Libya, if a ceasefire is ever agreed.

However "the trend is clearly that European defense budgets are globally decreasing," Le Roy said, so their ability to help in faraway conflict zones will become limited.

The United States also relies on UN power. "Ask President Barack Obama," said Le Roy. "He is very happy because we bring stability to so many countries where he cannot go. If we left the Congo, who else would go there? If we left the Sudan, who would be there to protect the population?"

The UN Security Council is adding to the demands with its growing calls for UN forces to better protect civilian populations.

"No army force in the world is trained to protect civilians. They are trained to make war, to be warriors. To protect civilians is a very specific task," said Le Roy.

"The Security Council says in one sentence in its mandate that you have to protect civilians under threat.

"That simple sentence raises a lot of expectations amongst the populations and the countries concerned," he continued.

So the UN is pressuring the 120 countries that contribute to the 15 peacekeeping missions around the world to change their training and ethics.

UN forces must be more "robust," the Security Council has ordered. That needs numbers, skills and equipment, according to the UN undersecretary general.

That is why attack helicopters were needed in Ivory Coast this year to destroy weapons being used by Laurent Gbagbo, the president who refused to stand down after losing an election.

UN forces are also forced to get tougher in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Le Roy said.

Pressure has also mounted for the UN to overcome what Le Roy acknowledges were three major peacekeeping failures of the 1990s -- at Srebenica in Bosnia, the Rwanda genocide and in Somalia -- when troops could not or would not act.

"There were three big tragedies, three failures and since then we have changed tremendously," he said.

"We have reformed a lot to become more professional. It cannot be compared even to how we were five years ago."

Le Roy has had to tell UN commanders they must stay at their post on threatened bases, even when they were at risk.

"For me, there cannot be the Srebenica syndrome. This was the case in the Ivory Coast, Sudan. In Darfur, there were times when peacekeepers were threatened," he said.

"If I accept evacuation, the whole credibility of peacekeeping would be lost. Each time I said no. In each case it was not easy."

The UN has also had to confront cases of rape by peacekeepers.

According to UN figures, alleged attacks have dropped from 127 in 2007 to 84 last year, and Le Roy dismissed the perpetrators as "black sheep."

"Every army in the world has black sheep. We have 84 cases for 120,000 peacekeepers. That is 84 cases too many. But we have improved," Le Roy said, demanding credit for the good work done ending strife in Liberia and East Timor hailed by the countries' leaders.

"Perhaps some people in Haiti would like us to go. But who brought stability to Haiti? It was our operation. Who avoided the chaos after the earthquake? The peacekeepers," Le Roy said. "In Haiti, we declared war on the gangs in Cite Soleil.

"There may be some politicians who say we want to be a sovereign nation, but the populations at risk never say 'we want you to leave.'"




Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
A world of storm and tempest
When the Earth Quakes

.
Get Our Free Newsletters Via Email
...
Buy Advertising Editorial Enquiries






. Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle



DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Demands to grow for UN peacekeepers, says outgoing chief
United Nations (AFP) Aug 10, 2011
Growing international instability and economic crisis are placing greater demands on UN peacekeeping even as it tries to wind down operations, the outgoing head of the 120,000-strong global force said. Alain Le Roy highlighted the "overwhelming good" that UN peacekeepers have brought to troublespots from Haiti to Ivory Coast, East Timor and Sudan, while also acknowledging some bad and ugly c ... read more


DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Britons use social networking sites to expose rioters

Quake-hit N.Z. city unveils plans for low-rise future

Demands to grow for UN peacekeepers, says outgoing chief

Asia's giants highly exposed to natural disasters - survey

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Samsung, Apple battle goes to Dutch court

Samsung appeals Europe tablet sale ban

No charges for iPhone 4 prototype bloggers

'Housekeeping' could solve space junk mess

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
New paper examines future of seawater desalinization

Cold snap triggered massive coral die-off

Human impact on the last great wilderness of the deep sea

Better desalination technology key to solving world's water shortage

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
The last 3 million years at a snail's pace

Large variations in Arctic sea ice

Arctic melting brings benefit

Australia's Antarctic claim at risk: study

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
China jails seven over tainted pork

China awash with counterfeit vintage wine

Carbon hitches a ride from field to market

Research helps breeders really know their onions to enhance global food security

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Scientists find eruption at undersea volcano after forecasting the event

U.N. tsunami warning system tested

26 injured in China quake: state media

US scientists predict eruption of undersea volcano

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Hard-liner said to take over al-Shabaab

Africa response to Somalia famine too slow: aid group

Growing child toll in Somali famine: UN warns

Ivory Coast charges 62 pro-Gbagbo army officers

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Narcissism may benefit the young, researchers report; but older adults? Not so much

Study: Some are born with math ability

Six Million Years of African Savanna

Forest or grassland: where did humans learn to walk?


Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily Express :: SpaceWar Express :: TerraDaily Express :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News
.

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2011 - Space Media Network. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement