Against the backdrop of intermittent attacks on peacekeepers around the conflict-hit regions in the world, India, the third largest contributor to UN peacekeeping missions, has made a spirited pitch for fast-tracking reforms of the security institutions linked to the UN and offered its expertise in peace-building.
Participating in a UN Security Council debate on ‘Security Sector Reform (SSR): Challenges and Opportunities,’ India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Asoke Mukerji underlined that security sector reform is an “important element of post-conflict peace building” and should be part of the internal political process of a nation emerging from conflict.
The envoy told the UN Security Council that India has experience relevant to reform of a country’s security sector as it has played an active role in 43 UN peacekeeping missions in which almost 170,000 Indian peacekeepers have participated so far.
Alluding to a recent attack on two Indian peacekeepers who were injured while protecting civilians at the UNMISS base at Bor in the South Sudan, the envoy stressed that this attack was “another example of unresolved political issues in South Sudan which also reflects the importance of understanding the complex political environment of these peacekeeping missions, where security sector reform has to take root as part of the internal political process of the concerned member state.”
Six peacekeeping operations and eight Special Political Missions have been mandated to pursue security sector reforms. He pointed out troops from India were directly involved in many of these peacekeeping operations and outlined core principles that must guide security sector reform. Ensuring national ownership of the process should top the list of SSR.
“We have, in the past, also emphasised that the external footprint, including of the UN, should be light to avoid any possible overtones of neo-colonialism,” he added.
The envoy also cautioned against an agenda driven by priorities of donor countries and stressed on a pragmatic approach to capacity building.
“Given the importance of national ownership and the scarcity of resources, the priority, in our view, should be given to issues such as ensuring impartiality in recruitment, vetting of new recruits and training. A focus on the political dimension of police reform will only be controversial and, perhaps, also counter-productive,” he said.
He also struck a circumspect note on then so-called doing more with less approach and warned that cost cannot be cut without also cutting corners.
“There is a belief that UN missions can be asked to do more with less. We can understand that at some level such logic will appeal to some people. The truth, however, is that cost cannot be cut without also cutting corners,” he added.
Against this backdrop, he urged member-states to place security sector capacity building at the centre-stage in security sector reform. “Such an approach would be both cost-effective and sustainable,” he said.
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