Mr. Chairman,
1. The Delegation of Brazil warmly welcomes this opportunity to carry out an exchange of views on all aspects pertaining to peace-keeping operations a tool which has been of considerable assistance to the United Nations in its pursuit of the international peace and security.
2. We are grateful for the comprehensive statement delivered by Under-Secretary-General Kofi Annan, whose competent work at the head the Department of Peacekeeping Operations is recognized by all. We have also benefited from the wisdom of Professor Ibrahim Gambari, the distinguished Permanent Representative of Nigeria and Chairman of the Special Committee on Peace-keeping Operations. Likewise we wish to express our appreciation to the delegation of Canada for the exemplary manner in which it has conducted the deliberations of the Open-ended Working Group of the Special Committee and the negotiations on one of the draft resolutions before us.
Mr. Chairman,
3. The number of United Nations peace-keepers declined dramatically in the recent months. In July 1995 the total number of peace-keepers was 67,269. One year later, this figure dropped to 25,296. The complexity of the tasks assigned to UN peace-keeping operations, however, did not diminish. In fact, the nature of conflicts which has led to the deployment of the 16 peace-keeping operations currently in place poses continuing challenges and calls for efforts to improve the United Nations' capacity in this area on a permanent basis.
4. In addition to the difficulties in the field, DPKO has faced administrative constraints at headquarters. As a consequence of Organization's financial difficulties and of the lower revenues of the support account for peace-keeping operations.
5. The level of outstanding contributions to the financing of peacekeeping operations has negatively affected troop contributors, as the Organization has not been able to reimburse them in a timely manner. In his Report on the Work of the Organization (document A/51/1) the Secretary General has stated that "Troop contributors are in effect financing the shortfalls that result when some Member States fail to pay their assessed contributions on time and in full."
6. As a direct consequence of the lack of funds, the Department has continued to resort to so called "military officers on loan". Although this category was introduced as a temporary solution, it do not seem that it will be discontinued in the near future. As stated on the report of the Special Committee on Peace-Keeping Operations (document A/51/130), there is a need to "ensure that the recruitment and use of loaned personnel is consistent with the requirements of Article 100 and 101 of the Charter, including that due regard be paid to wide geographical representation." In this respect it is worth noting that while we have to face the problem that not all developing countries are in a position to provide officers on loan to DPKO, it is encouraging to see that many officers from the developing world have been making a contribution to the work of the Secretariat and we welcome this.
7. In his report on the work of the Organization the Secretary-General mentioned some key lessons derived from peace-keeping operations which are worth highlighting. First, he recalled that every operation should be deployed with the strength necessary to achieve the tasks entrusted to it and to protect itself. Secondly, he stressed that "no instrument for peace and security can bring about a lasting peace without the will of the parties to the conflict to achieve peace."
8. Brazil shares these views. We have reaffirmed in various instances that peacekeeping operations must respect certain basic principles in order to fulfill the role they are to play. Among these principles, the consent of all relevant parties remains of utmost importance. Moreover, a peace-keeping operation should be impartial and force should only be utilized in self-defense, if at all. Peace-keeping operations can be aptly described as an instrument to assist peacemaking efforts on the ground and should not be seen as an end in themselves. Their mandates should be clearly established and their composition geographically diverse.
9. Since the end of the Cold War a number of peace-keeping operations have either bordered on or trespassed into enforcement action with unsatisfactory results. Not only are the legal grounds for entrusting coercive mandates to peacekeepers questionable, but the suspicions it arouses only weaken the Organization's credibility as a broker for peace.
10. In accordance with the Charter the use of force must remain an option of last resort. Peace-keeping activity must not encrouch upon Chapter VII territory inadvertently.
11. It may become necessary, in due course, to establish clear guidelines for peace-keeping, so as to avoid conceptual confusion. It is our view that any such attempt would have to be undertaken on the understanding that the essential philosophy of the Charter must be preserved, in terms of the distinction it makes between the peaceful settlement of disputes and coercive collective action.
Mr. Chairman,
12. For the United Nations to be in a position to react swiftly to emergency situations it must continue to develop and refine its peace-keeping capacity. The idea of establishing a rapid deployment headquarters is consistent with this proposition. During the meeting of the Special Committee on Peace-keeping Operations held last October this issue was discussed at some length and in a transparent fashion. While we remain ready to participate with other delegations and the Secretariat in consultations on this matter, we are convinced that a broader geographical participation at headquarters will add to its legitimacy as well as its efficiency.
Mr. Chairman,
13. We welcome the adoption of Presidential Statement S/PRST/1996/13, which reinforces arrangements for consultation and exchange of information with troop-contributing countries on the basis of the guidelines previously established by Presidential Statement S/PRST/1994/62. The enhancement of communication and transparency between the relevant parties concerned in peacekeeping operations is not only in line with the aspirations of the Membership at large but is also conducive to an improved peace-keeping performance. We trust that the procedures for these kinds of meetings will continue to be progressively perfectioned. My Delegation will spare no effort to cooperate in this endeavour in all relevant bodies of the United Nations.
Mr. Chairman,
14. In one of the draft resolutions before us, the enlargement of the Special Committee on Peace-keeping operations is addressed in clear and satisfactory terms. The long awaited expansion of the Committee is dealt with in a consensus text which originated in its spring session. The new committee will have among its full members the largest UN troop contributors, representing wide-ranging views on how to deal with peace-keeping issues. Brazil is certain that the new Committee will be in a better position to contribute constructively to the discussions on peace-keeping in the United Nations, in an international context of growing complexity.
16. Let me conclude by reiterating our expressions of gratitude to the Chairman of the Special Committee on Peace-keeping Operations, Ambassador Ibrahim Gambari of Nigeria, as well as to that of Ambassador David Karsgaard of Canada, for the leadership and guidance in helping to promote a commom view in the Committee on this important matter on its Agenda.
Thank You Mr. Chairman
