Pence urges reform to make peacekeeping missions more efficient

UNITED NATIONS: President Donald Trump’s policy of ‘America First does not mean America alone,’ vice-president Mike Pence told the UN Security Council as he urged reform to make peacekeeping missions more efficient, effective, accountable and credible.

The 15-member council discussed how to improve peacekeeping operations during the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations. There are currently 15 UN peacekeeping missions, costing more than US$ 7.3 billion for the next year.

Since January, Trump’s UN Ambassador Nikki Haley has led a push to cut costs and is reviewing the mandate of each operation as annual mandates come up for renewal by the Security Council.

Trump wants to cap the US share of the peacekeeping bill at 25 per cent, down from 28.5 per cent, a level he says is “unfair.”

The United States is a vetowielding member of the council, along with Britain, France, Russia and China.

“Peacekeeping missions must support a political solution; have the consent of the host country; its mandates must be realistic and achievable; every mission must have an exit strategy; and the United Nations peacekeeping missions must adjust to progress and failure,” Pence said.

“In short, when a mission succeeds, we should not prolong it. When a mission underperforms, we should restructure it. And when a mission consistently fails to fulfill the mandates of this council, we should end it,” he said.

The Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution pushing for improved accountability, transparency and effectiveness and to make peacekeepers more flexible.

Critics worry that harsh cuts could harm operations in volatile African states.

UN Secretary- General Antonio Guterres has pledged to make UN peacekeeping more efficient but has noted that the current budget to fund it is less than one half of 1 percent of global military spending.

“Across the years and across the globe, fifty-five peacekeeping operations have successfully completed their mandate,” Guterres told the council.

“Many political missions have done the same.”

He appealed for the Security Council to ensure mandates for missions were clear and that operations were well equipped. — Reuters

British Prime Minister Theresa May and Pence vote to pass a resolution during a meeting of the Security Council to discuss peacekeeping operations during the 72nd United Nations General Assembly in New York. — Reuters photo

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