Expert Marivil Villa Valles of the Philippine Permanent Mission to the UN addresses the UN Fifth Committee during the Opening Session of the 75th UN General Assembly to discuss the Administrative and Budgetary Aspects of Financing UN Peacekeeping Operations.
3 May 2021, New York - At the opening session of the UN Fifth Committee of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly, the Philippines expressed its appreciation for the sacrifices of UN peacekeeping personnel to maintain global peace and security during the pandemic, and called for adequate funding to enable them to deliver on their mandates.
“The pandemic has seriously challenged UN peacekeeping missions in various ways, including through suspended troop patrols, restrictions on movements of personnel and equipment and the need for quarantine facilities,” Philippine Expert Marivil V. Valles of the Philippine Mission to the UN said during the Committee’s opening session on administrative and budgetary aspects of financing peacekeeping operations. She said that these challenges have reduced the effectiveness of peacekeeping forces and impaired mandate implementation.
The Philippines added that despite these limitations, peacekeeping missions have continued to carry out their mandates and even assisted countries in their pandemic response. The Philippines also noted that in the 2021 Report of the UN Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations or C-34, peacekeeping missions have taken swift measures, within their mandates and capacities, to adapt and adjust their working practices to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19, by facilitating humanitarian access, promoting awareness and using a performance and assessment track system to mitigate impacts on mandate delivery.
The Philippines also underscored the necessity for appropriate funding to meet the needs and requirements of peacekeeping personnel, and noted the reductions in peacekeeping budget for the past years. The Philippine representative stated that reductions have continued recently and expressed concern that the reduced budget may not be commensurate with the mandated tasks as well as the needs and requirements in the operational environment.
Ms. Valles noted that peacekeeping missions have had a limited budget. Since the organization continues to experience liquidity crisis aggravated by the economic consequences of COVID-19, these budgetary constraints are affecting, more than ever, UN’s efforts in strengthening the protection not only of civilians but of peacekeepers as well, and in the implementation of the women, peace and security agenda.
The second resumed session of the UN Fifth Committee is the dedicated session to discuss the administrative and budgetary aspects and requirements to finance UN’s peacekeeping operations.- END