UN chief calls for prioritizing UN's prevention, mediation efforts

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday that the UN needs to prioritize its prevention and mediation efforts to make its peace operations respond faster.

In a statement released here, Ban said fundamental changes are urgently required to adapt UN peace operations to challenges and first of all, "we need to prioritize prevention and mediation if we are to break the cycle of responding too late and too expensively."

Ban has presented his report on the recommendations of a high-level independent panel on peace operations, according to the statement.

The UN chief appointed the panel in 2014 to examine UN peace operations. The panel is authorized to recommend on how UN peace operations can be strengthened to better meet new challenges, and it has submitted its report of recommendations in June this year.

Ban said the UN needs to change the way it plans and conducts peace operations to make them faster, more responsive and more accountable to countries and people in conflict.

Ban's report also highlights that a global-regional framework needs to be reinforced to manage peace and security challenges, especially the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union.

"The fundamentals of UN peace operations will not change," said Ban in his statement. "Our job is to support the negotiated settlement of conflicts and to protect civilians and advance their right to security, justice and development."

On how to rid the UN of sexual exploitation and abuse, Ban said detailed guidance on standards and procedures for alerting UN headquarters to criminal misconducts by civilian, military or police personnel will be sent to peace missions in early 2016.

In addition, Ban said he has strengthened administrative sanctions against UN staff members found to have committed sexual abuse, including placing them on administrative leave without pay pending completion of investigations.

The United Nations marks its 70th anniversary this year. In recent months, reports on sexual allegations of UN peacekeepers have strengthened the call for a change in UN's peace operations.

"The 70th anniversary of the United Nations is the moment to rise to this challenge," said Ban. "I look forward to working with the entire Membership and all partners to advance this agenda."

Source: XINHUA