Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi addressed the UN Peacekeeping Preparatory Conference (PrepCon) on ‘Safety and Security’ and ‘Protection’, hosted by Pakistan and the Netherlands in a virtual format on 25-26 October 2021.

In his remarks, the Foreign Minister underlined Pakistan’s longstanding commitment to UN peacekeeping as a major troop and police contributing country. He noted that, over the last six decades, Pakistani peacekeepers had served in 46 peacekeeping missions in almost all the continents of the world.

The Foreign Minister paid tribute to all the peacekeepers who had laid down their lives while serving under UN flag, including the 161 gallant Pakistanis who had made the ultimate sacrifice.

The Foreign Minister emphasized that peacekeeping is most effective when it is part of a ‘political strategy’ to settle disputes. Highlighting the evolving nature of conflicts, the Foreign Minister stressed that adequate resources must be provided for enhancing the performance and ensuring the safety and security of peacekeepers, as well as for helping the Missions in implementing their mandates on the protection of civilians.

The Foreign Minister recalled that through the Centre for International Peace and Security (CIPS) in Islamabad, Pakistan was imparting pre-deployment training to Pakistani and international peacekeepers, playing a key role in capacity building initiatives.

The Conference also featured video messages of the Defence Minister of Pakistan and the Foreign Minister of the Netherlands.

Senior civilian and military experts from Member States and the UN Secretariat participated in the two-day PrepCon. The discussions focussed on the importance of training and capacity building, health and medical support, mission integration, technology, and community engagement – with the goal of identifying measures for enhancing safety and security of peacekeepers, as well as the protection of civilians.

The PrepCon was held in the run up to the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Meeting scheduled to be held in Seoul on 7-8 December 2021.