YouSaid · the spoken record

Major General Menon

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2017-05-23
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2017-05-23
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un-security-council

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  1. “Although some people call it a challenge, I will designate it as more of an opportunity, because both Israel and Syria strongly support us in our return to the Golan. Furthermore, I would like to take this opportunity to say that it was through the unanimous support of the Security Council that we were able to return to Camp Fouar during phase 1. I believe that we should subsequently move forward. In the meantime, I would like to assure all members of the Security Council that UNDOF is up to the challenge and will do its best to maintain peace and stability in that area.”

    2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source

  2. “Nevertheless, although the tripartite coordination mechanism of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon is good, I would say that both parties have to agree on that particular issue. Lastly, I would like to thank the Security Council for assisting UNDOF in its return to the area of separation limitation on the Bravo side, which took advantage of a great existing opportunity. With the support of the Security Council, we managed to move back into certain vacated locations earlier than expected. Once again, both parties, Israel and Syria, have strongly supported UNDOF's return to the Golan. I will leave the Security Council with the following reflection. Who monitors the Golan? In my opinion, it should be UNDOF or the United Nations.”

    2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source

  3. “The issue of capability versus willingness is one that needs to be addressed. Ideally, we would have willing and capable forces, and we have to resolve that particular issue. United Nations missions definitely need to be flexible. We need to be agile and adaptive, and we have to keep up with changing conditions in the world. My personal opinion is that we continue to remain lacking in that regard. Concerning the subject of the tripartite coordination mechanism, which was raised by representative of Italy, I wouldjust like to say that both parties, Israel and Syria, very strongly support us. I enjoy extremely open lines of communication with both parties whenever a crisis situation arises.”

    2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source

  4. “Such was the case with the Nepal contingent, which brought in five APCs and will possibly bring in a mechanized company, because they turned to the open market to acquire that particular capability. But I sincerely feel that we need nations with capability to come in and assist United Nations missions in a crisis situation, rather than leaving the job to nations that do not have the capability and which have to go out and build it up. However, in the event that a nation that has the capability cannot come in, it then becomes imperative that we help others trying to bring in that capability in their efforts to build up their capabilities so that they can protect the missions in carrying out their mandates. Headquarters is doing its utmost to build up the capability of UNDOF.”

    2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source

  5. “They were in very good condition. UNDOF's method of operation has also changed significantly. We will no longer operate in small teams or remain in isolated pockets, as we had done for the previous 40 years. I have already touched upon the sense-and-warn radar, and I am confident that, once that equipment arrives, it will strengthen the force protection measures of the camp significantly. As far as availability and capabilities are concerned, we are, as I said, a light infantry force that is now turning and metamorphosing into an armoured- protected capable force. It is being built up slowly. I would like to commend the Fijian contingent, which came in with APCs. They did not have that capability, but they went out and acquired it.”

    2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source

  6. “We are now looking at getting armoured personnel carriers (APCs) to the Mission, so that we can stop using the earlier soft-skin vehicles. Any movement is carried out in very close coordination with both parties, Israel and Syria, so as to ensure that, when troops are moving, we keep them safe. We are in the reconstruction phase. We have engineer platoons with us. When we went into Camp Fouar, the first issue on which we concentrated was to build up its force protection measures, which we have now strengthened significantly. I would also like to say that, despite the fact that we left those positions some time ago and some of them were vandalized, the force protection measures, such as bunkers, among others, are in a very good state. In fact, when we moved into Camp Fouar most of the bunkers did not require any reworking.”

    2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source

  7. “He has been very forthcoming and open to it, but he has also told me that we need to share that information with his side, once that particular equipment has been identified. I am hopeful and confident that we will very soon be able to get that particular equipment to UNDOF. As far as technology is concerned, we definitely require a greater amount. The Mission really started with nothing, since we were a very traditional peacekeeping mission, but things have changed. I think that the way forward now is to build up technology for the Mission. With regard to the protection measures concerning which the United States representative inquired, I would just like to say that UNDOF used to operate in soft-skin vehicles. That has changed significantly. Now every person who comes to the Syrian side travels in an armoured, protected vehicle.”

    2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source

  8. “But I would like to emphasize that both nations very strongly support us in the endeavour of bringing in technology. The question of sense-and-warn radar was raised. No troop-contributing country has offered UNDOF that capability, and Headquarters is therefore now looking into the possibility of acquiring the equipment on the open market. We are currently working on that. The issue of who will operate it and how it will be maintained - the logistic model - will have to be addressed. I would also like to say that we are in very close coordination with both Israel and Syria with regard to that particular equipment. They have been very forthcoming. I have discussed it personally with my Syrian interlocutor.”

    2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source

  9. “Major General Menon: I will be brief in answering the questions that were raised during the meeting. As far as technology is concerned, I would like to assure the members of the Security Council that the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) has conducted a detailed study of what additional technology needs to be brought in. We are building that capability but it takes some time. I can say that we have already brought in certain night-vision devices - which we did not have earlier in the mission. We are bringing in surveillance trailers, cameras and so forth. It is important that we understand national sensitivities when we bring in technology. Whatever technology we bring in, we share it with both Syria and Israel, and it is important that we keep up that dialogue with them.”

    2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source

  10. “It is perhaps fitting to end with him also. Chapter VI peacekeeping is challenging, but so is anything worthwhile. And peacekeeping is not just worthwhile, it is essential. As Hammarskjold said, the United Nations was not created to take humankind into paradise, but, rather, to save humankind from hell. Peacekeepers all over the world try to meet this challenge on a daily basis. Some ofour peacekeepers die trying to achieve it, as we have so tragically seen only recently in the Central African Republic and yesterday in Chad. Our challenge is to ensure that the ends, ways and means required are available so as to give our peacekeepers the best possible chance of success.”

    2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source

  11. “The solution required is an organization that is flexible and agile enough to change as the mission situation does. The organization must be willing and able to learn, and learn quickly. It should be able to respond quickly to changing situations, including the allotment of an additional budget if required. And troop- contributing countries, whose support is so critical to peacekeeping, must be willing to match capability to requirement, rather than providing support based on national interest. Peacekeeping, in any guise, is challenging. However, we should not be looking for the perfect solution, simply the best possible one. At the start of this address I referred to Dag Hammarskjold, who identified the challenge for the United Nations early by referring to "Chapter VI and a half" of the Charter.”

    2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source

  12. “For 40 years, it was a classic Chapter VI mission, observing and reporting on an agreement between two sovereign States attempting to avoid war. For 40 years, a specific way of operating, with minimum means, was sufficient to achieve the desired end. Since 2011, however, this has utterly changed. UNDOF and the United Nations are challenged on a daily basis in transforming and adapting to a new reality. The ends, ways and means are all changing, and while this change is happening, UNDOF is required to achieve its mandate however it can - limited initially, but now moving back into Syria and the areas from which it withdrew in 2014. But UNDOF will not, and cannot, go back to how it operated for 40 years. The question posed to UNDOF has not changed, but the answers required have, and this is the ultimate challenge.”

    2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source

  13. “However, in order to meet the demand, countries without that capability have to develop it, rather than countries with experienced capability providing it. This mismatch of capability versus willingness must be addressed. Inter-mission cooperation is also required ifChapter VI mission operations are to succeed. A good example of such inter-mission cooperation and coordination, including with a State that is not covered by the mandate, is how UNDOF is required to conduct its operational and administrative moves through Lebanon with full cooperation, assistance and facilitation by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon and the Lebanese authorities, because of the absence of a crossing across the ceasefire line between Israel and Syria. UNDOF is an excellent example of the challenges facing Chapter VI peacekeeping.”

    2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source

  14. “That is an admirable commitment, and I commend their support. I could not achieve my mandate without it. However, that also presents difficulties. The newly developed capability has not been fully developed. The experience is not present on deployment and must be developed in an environment that is often not suitable for on-the-job training. The challenge for the Organization is to match troop-contributing-countrys' capabilities with the requirement. In moving to achieve new ends and ways, the means available from troop- contributing countries are lacking. UNDOF is attempting to turn a traditional light infantry force into one with armoured protection and firepower as critical force-protection measures.”

    2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source

  15. “That requirement covers a multitude of issues for Chapter VI peacekeeping operations: troop-contributing country support; contingent-owned equipment suitable for deployment; the rotation of troops who have received the correct environment-specific training in their home nations i including with respect to sexual exploitation and abuse, cultural awareness and the rules of engagement; and the complete absence of national caveats that present commanders with unacceptable situations on the ground. In UNDOF, troop-contributing countries have deployed some contingents without the required equipment. The support from the deployed troop- contributing countries has been superb in trying to match the mission's requirement. Two countries have started to develop the specific capability for the mission that they do not possess in their home countries.”

    2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source

  16. “UNDOF is currently changing the ways in which it operates. It must - because the political, security and operational situations have all changed. The specific challenge for Chapter VI peacekeeping is to ensure that the new ways are supported and resourced. The United Nations as an organization must be open to change, open to new ways of doing things, not be afraid to chart a new course, even though the past 40 years have reflected a successful way of achieving the requirements. The Organization must be willing, and able, to learn - and quickly, as the situation demands it. No mission can operate without the means to do so - that is, the capability. Capability development is more than just equipment. It is the right equipment, in the right place, at the right time, with the right people qualified and capable of operating it.”

    2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source

  17. “They also come from the Civil population, which they seek to control and influence, whereas the civilian population requires protection, security, humanitarian and human rights assistance. The challenge for Chapter VI missions is that the same ways will not always be suitable or possible. Just because something was acceptable, successful or agreeable in the past does not mean that it is the right course of action now. For 40 years UNDOF had a particular way of operating, with specific parameters agreed by Israel and Syria, the parties to the Agreement on Disengagement between Israeli and Syrian Forces. Those ways were also agreeable and suitable to the other key factor in peacekeeping operations - the troop-contributing countries. That way of operating is no longer suitable - even if it were possible.”

    2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source

  18. “The challenge for Chapter VI operations is to ensure that the United Nations as an organization is flexible and agile enough to change as the mission situation does. How the mission achieves that end is through various ways - strategic, operational and tactical. And the ways can change rapidly. The political, security and operational situations are all influenced by the parties - legitimate or otherwise. As we have experienced directly in UNDOF, third parties become influential and change the dynamic. The third parties cannot be ignored, because they also have aims and agendas that influence and shape the situation. Although in our specific example the third parties are not party to the original agreement, they are stakeholders nevertheless.”

    2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source

  19. “I believe that in order to overcome those particular challenges, the United Nations mission must have a clear and robust mandate, and it must also be flexible and adaptive. Any United Nations mission, particularly under Chapter VI, must have the ability to transform itself. It must be able to respond to challenges, adapt its disposition, tailor its forces and alter its deployments and focus as the situation requires. That enables the mission to respond to its environment without becoming ineffective because the situation has changed. That has proven to be a significant challenge for UNDOF as we transition for the third time in four years with the return to operations in Camp Faouar and on the Bravo side in Syria. However, with a clear vision, that transformation is possible.”

    2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source

  20. “That is particularly the case when a shift occurs in the balance of power, or when a split takes place. Clearly, it is essential that the parties to an agreement abide by that agreement. In UNDOF, the particular challenge has been the entry and presence of a third- party belligerent not party to any previous agreement, not bound to accept the established conventions and not committed to accepting the presence or role ofthe United Nations mission. That can significantly alter the nature of the original agreement and how it is subsequently implemented. The intentions ofparties can also change, and the challenge is not always to try and renegotiate the original settlement - even where possible.”

    2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source

  21. “Finally, I will conclude by highlighting the importance ofpeacekeeping, beset as it is by challenges, and how we can move forward with that critical task. It is important for the success of any peacekeeping operation to have a clear vision for the end - that is, the outcome. I do not necessarily refer to an "exit strategy" - although that is important - but, rather, to a clear idea of what constitutes success. That might be the observance of a ceasefire or the voluntary settlement of a dispute. However, even in traditional observation and monitoring missions, like UNDOF, the existence of an agreed settlement does not always provide the condition for success. Persistent belligerence or the non-commitment of the parties to a settlement after the initiation of a mission can represent a significant challenge.”

    2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source

  22. “The constant vigilance and zero tolerance of sexual exploitation and abuse represent an unfortunate but necessary example of where even peacekeepers, seen as a beacon of hope in the most desperate of circumstances, can fall prey to the worst aspects of human nature. Is it possible to determine the conditions required for successful peacekeeping? That has proved elusive, as history has taught us. It is my intention in this short statement to attempt to group the challenges of Chapter VI peacekeeping operations under three familiar strategic concepts: ends, ways and means. I will use my personal experience in the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) - which I have the privilege and honour to lead in a difficult and challenging period - to highlight the challenges that exist.”

    2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source

  23. “It is also notable that as challenges emerge and the very nature of Peacekeeping Operations evolves the core principles of peacekeeping have remained constant, particularly under Chapter VI of the Charter: consent, impartiality and the non-use of force, except in legitimate defence. Arguably, an expanded understanding of what constitutes a threat to peace, as defined in Article 39, has led to a fourth principle. Violence against civilians has reached levels of cruelty in conflict beyond comprehension. It includes ethnic cleansing, genocide, the rape of women and children, forced displacement, the use of chemical and other banned weapons and the crisis of refugees and the displaced. The fourth principle is that of protecting civil populations, human rights and the protection of humanitarian operations.”

    2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source

  24. “Major General Menon: The challenges of Chapter VI peacekeeping have been acknowledged. Indeed, that acknowledgement goes as far back as Dag Hammarskjold, when he referred to peacekeeping operations as belonging to "Chapter VI and a half" of the Charter. However, while we accept that challenges exist, it is important to state that many improvements have been made as peacekeeping operations have evolved, concepts have changed, and legal and operative guidelines have been transformed. They include, among others, An Agenda for Peace in 1992, the Supplement to an Agenda for Peace in 1995, the Brahimi Report in 2000, the Capstone Doctrine in 2008, the report of the High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations in 2015 (S/2015/446) and the work of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations.”

    2017-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7947 (2017) · source