YouSaid · the spoken record

Lieutenant General Kelta

lines on the record: 14
first: 2017-05-23
most recent: 2017-05-23
sittings or episodes: 1
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“Only well-equipped and well-trained troops, working in an environment free of bureaucratic red tape and supported by firm policy positions at every level - the Security Council, regional organizations and partners 4 can enable us to mobilize effectively and decisively. I know that not all of the thoughts that I have shared with the Council can help to solve the problem definitively and in the short term, but they accord with the major conclusions of the report of the High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (see S/2015/446). I hope that they will at least help to emphasize the urgency of speeding up the consolidation of the concept of robust mandates in order to ensure that effective peacekeeping operations will enable us to save thousands of human lives.”
2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source
“MINUSCA is an example, even if an imperfect one, of robust peacekeeping, although we recognize that we could have done better without various ongoing complications. IfI may, while apologizing for perhaps bypassing some of the rules, I would like to say that I believe MINUSCA is on the road to success. Despite that, it still needs support, and I would like to solemnly request that the Council continue to give it robust support. In conclusion, I believe that getting the two parts aligned - on the one hand, the robust mandates and on the other, the appropriate bodies, means and procedures - is crucial to bridging the gap between the expectations of the parties involved and missions' actual capacities.”
2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source
“If I may, I would like to refer to our mission, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), which has, to some extent, been able to embody such a robust approach to peacekeeping by preventing the slaughter of the civilian population in a number of areas and in particular by defending the town of Bambari against a coalition of armed groups. That operation succeeded because we bent various administrative rules, challenged some limiting agreements with troops and changed morale where the use of force was involved. Our efforts also benefited from the unequivocal support of the Security Council, which took targeted measures at the right time.”
2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source
“That does not mean giving missions licence to abuse force but rather helping them make better use of the weapons they have. While I am aware that some changes are under way, we will not be able to realize them fully until we mobilize the fundamental and rapid change of mindset that I mentioned earlier. Nonetheless, I believe that is the price we must pay in order to ensure that the desire for decisive action expressed in our robust mandates can lead to tangible results on the ground.”
2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source
“The forces themselves, which are at the core of the drive for robust action, should reflect the necessary reality and consistency in their numbers, their equipment, their operational preparedness and their morale. Those parameters should be thoroughly tested not just before deployment but also during their entire deployment. Units that do not meet the required criteria should be withdrawn, and Force Commanders should be able to demand that they be repatriated if they are clearly incapable of the necessary operational effectiveness. The rules of engagement should also be revisited in order to enable strong offensive operations so as to be able to properly protect populations and ensure that missions have the freedom to manoeuvre and support their actions.”
2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source
“And it is impossible to conduct effective operations under such administrative regulations. Similarly, the principles of exemptions and flexibility for contingents in the memorandums of understanding and statements of unit requirements should be reviewed with a critical eye, because they are two of the most limiting factors for the force's effectiveness. They are, frankly, incompatible with the intensity of engagement, capacity for rapid reaction, unexpected changes in posture and vigorous supported action, which are intrinsic to robust operations. Lastly, within missions, the progress that must be made is needed at several levels.”
2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source
“Those differences are even greater at the level of regional organizations. We also have to rethink the internal structure of peacekeeping missions if we are to give them the resilience and decision-making agility needed to implement such robust mandates effectively. For that, we should give particular emphasis to reducing red tape and administrative regulations, which lead to slowdowns, a lack of cohesiveness and serious handicaps. I should underscore that the regulations that we are dealing with end up producing logistical support that is not well adapted to robust operations, owing to the slowness of the processes and severe restrictions on the operational use of essential force multipliers such as military aviation and engineering and transport units.”
2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source
“These changes should also lead to Member States, in particular troop-contributing countries, taking a resolute stance to protect suffering civilian populations and accepting the political and operational risks inherent to the application of robust mandates. The Security Council should demonstrate its resolve through ongoing political support for missions, which could also lead to the adoption of sanctions regimes that are more tailored and aggressive with respect to individuals and organizations acting as spoilers in the context of the peace process. This is the same type of strong message that has to come from regional organizations. Rightly or wrongly, the perception is, unfortunately, that some troop-contributing countries are reluctant and that the Security Council is sometimes divided because of differing strategic interests.”
2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source
“For the concept of a robust mandate to actually lead to vigorous and decisive action, the doctrine and structure of peacekeeping missions, their focus and the political posture underlying them, as well as the resources allocated to them, all must transcend traditional peacekeeping methods. We therefore need to finalize this paradigm shift and support this intent to act with firmness through the necessary psychological, organizational and doctrinal changes. Along the same lines, there is a need to strengthen, make credible and streamline this approach by providing the resources necessary to ensure that the declared goals can be effectively met.”
2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source
“In fact, no military action, vigorous though it might be, can make up for the shortcomings I have just mentioned if it is not carried out in support of an appropriately firm policy, established by an organized structure and operating on the basis of tailored rules and procedures. In fact, there is a fundamental contradiction between, on the one hand, the declared intent to take a more offensive stance on the basis of Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations and, on the other, an implementation framework that remains under Chapter VI, which, as the Council is aware, involves a role that is far less ambitious, namely, that of referee between warring parties.”
2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source
“I will also talk about various pathways for discussion as to how we could make the appropriate adjustments. It is our humble view that a robust mandate should manifest at all levels, from the Security Council to the troops on the ground, the armed branch of the system. Indeed, I think that the concept of a robust mandate has suffered from a deficiency in the original concept, namely, that the intent to conduct robust and aggressive, even offensive, action has seemed to take the form of only operational and tactical action. But logically, this desire for firm action should have been translated equally into all of the dimensions 4 political, legal and administrative - of the actions ofthe impacted missions.”
2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source
“Situated somewhere between peacekeeping and peace enforcement, the main goal of this new approach, which combines strong political intentionality with aggressive military action, is to give the peacekeeping missions concerned the necessary operational credibility, especially with respect to spoilers. This would allow them to better protect civilian populations and ensure that the discharge of their mandates; the process of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration; and the political process are notjeopardized. However, it is clear that this desire for robust action, free from artificial constraints of neutrality and determined to use force as and when necessary, has fallen short of expectations. Here I should like to comment briefly on factors that I believe have hampered the effective implementation ofthe concept ofa robust mandate.”
2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source
“For several years now, we have been seeing major changes in peacekeeping missions, which are facing increasingly complex and chaotic conflicts characterized by rising levels of violence and a strengthened presence by uncontrollable warring parties. The tragedies of Srebrenica and Rwanda are still fresh in our minds, as are those in South Sudan, Somalia and Mali, which are a challenge to us all. In many ways, the move towards more robust mandates was inevitable. An example is the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2013, where a Force Intervention Brigade was established within the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source
“At the outset, allow me to warmly thank the Council for providing me with this opportunity to present to it, in 10 minutes or so, my Mission's views on an issue that is of such crucial importance to the Council, namely, robust peacekeeping. I am fully aware of the difficulty and delicate nature of this task, as the Security Council itself established this concept and has been following its difficult implementation for several years now. Thus I am grateful for your understanding regarding this issue and would like to touch upon, ifI may, certain aspects that will in all likelihood lead to the appropriate reactions on the part of the Council.”
2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source