UN peacekeepers rebuilding lives, societies, countries for more than 68 years -- Azcueta

From the Philippine News Agency (May 30): UN peacekeepers rebuilding lives, societies, countries for more than 68 years -- Azcueta

United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations have been saving lives, rebuilding communities, societies and nations since its inception some 68 years ago.

This was stressed by Undersecretary of National Defense Honorio Azcueta during the Philippine commemoration of International Day of the United Nations Peacekeepers Monday.

This year's theme is “Honoring our Heroes.” International Day of the United Nations Peacekeepers Day seeks to honor the sacrifice made by more than 3,400 peackeepers who lost their lives lives serving under the UN flag since 1948, including 128 last year.

Since its inception, UN peacekeeping operations have saved lives, helped communities and societies and helped rebuild nations," he added.

And due to the changing times, UN peacekeeping operations have evolved, such that peacekeepers now are called upon not only to maintain peace and security, but also to protect civilians, assist in disarmament, demolibilization and reintegration of former combatants, support the organization of elections, protect and promote human rights and assist in restoring the rule of law, Azcueta pointed out.

"Beginning in 1962, the Philippines contributed to UN peacekeeping operations in the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, a firm commitment which continues to this day with hundreds of Filipinos having served around the world as UN peacekeepers," he added.

Azcueta said peacekeeping is certainly a vital element in the Philippines’ modest contribution to international peace and stability, with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) envisioning itself capable of supporting high priority peace support operations.

The establishment of the AFP Peacekeeping Operations Center in 2002 in Tarlac and the ongoing efforts to develop it are concrete manifestations of Philippine commitment to peacekeeping operations.

"Education and training are crucial since modern day peacekeeping operations require enhancing the capacity of the AFP so that they are able to perform combat duties while exercising utmost restraint. It is imperative to enhance our capabilities for peacekeeping deployments and to deliver on what we have pledged under the UN peacekeeping capability’s readiness system, a newly established mechanism to ensure timely deployment of quality peacekeeping resources," the defense official stated.

The AFP has pledged three-force headquarter service units and 90 military observers and peacekeeping force staff.

Meanwhile, being able to balance international deployments with our domestic requirements is one of the challenges relative to peacekeeping.

Given the range of defense capabilities the AFP need to develop, and operations it needs to undertake, the Philippines is confronted with the task of efficiently deploying in UN mission areas while ensuring the effectiveness of units for other operations.

"Through our bilateral engagements, we pursue our thrust to develop the AFP peacekeeping capabilities. We explore cooperative activities with our foreign partners such as education and training exchanges for peacekeepers and instructors, sharing of information and experiences, and logistics cooperations for upgrading equipment. The Philippines has benefited from its partners’ programs such as the US Global Peace Operations Initiative, and Australia’s Defense Cooperation Program," Azcueta disclosed.

"We likewise pursue the thrust or this thrust in multilateral engagements. It may be recalled that the Philippines co-chaired with New Zealand the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus experts working group on peacekeeping operations in 2011 to 2014, with the various activities conducted contributing to peacekeeping efforts of ASEAN members," he added.

In line with this, the Philippines is also slated to organize and host the Association of Asia Pacific Peacekeeping Training Centers in June and the ASEAN Peacekeeping Center’s Network Meeting in October.

"We are cognizant of the need to balance our international commitments while ensuring the safety of our peacekeepers, which is of paramount importance. As such, the DND works closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Interior and Local Government through the National Council for UN Peace Operations in order to craft mechanisms to address these fundamental concerns," Azcueta stressed.

"We expect all Filipino peacekeepers to undertake their duties and responsibilities while upholding professionalism, integrity and service. Let us work closely together for the Philippines to make a meaningful contribution to global peace, stability and development," he added.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=890074