AMN / United Nations
The United Nations peacekeeping chief has said that rapid deployment of uniformed personnel to the field was a costly, complex and difficult process that required the commitment of the contributors, the host country and neighbours, as well as the support of the Security Council.
“Generating uniformed personnel for UN peacekeeping is a tireless and enormous task,” said Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for UN Peacekeeping Operations, in a briefing yesterday, noting that this was the first time the Council has dedicated a meeting to this issue – strategic force generation.
A small team of dedicated officers is in charge of generating and rotating more than 300 units – including 76 infantry battalions – with tens of thousands of troops and police from over 120 countries, while selecting and deploying several thousand individual staff and police officers throughout the year, Mr Lacroix explained.
In the weeks and months that pass from the issuance of a mandate by the Security Council, until a mission reaches a minimum operating capacity, lives can be lost.
There are financial implications of long deployment timelines as well, as a peacekeeping operation deployed too late will have a more intractable situation to address, potentially requiring a larger footprint and prolonging the life of that mission, he stated.
Read more at http://www.uniindia.com/un-peacekeeping-chief-seeks-security-council-support/world/news/1009824.html#AJjIT80xuTxGJzzo.99