Security Council Open Debate on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations: Training and Capacity-Building – Canada National Statement

Mister President,

I commend Indonesia for convening today’s open debate and thank the briefers for their engaging presentations

As you know, the Security Council determines when and where a UN peace operation should be deployed.

The Security Council also determines the range of tasks assigned peacekeeping operations through mission mandates and thematic resolutions.

In recent years, this Council has expanded the mandates and tasks to be executed in peacekeeping operations. Guided by the need to protect vulnerable populations and secure a more sustainable peace, we are asking our military, police, and civilians deployed to do more than ever before.

At the same time, as today’s briefers have noted peacekeeping operations have become more complex, multifaceted, and dangerous.

In order to go from strategic intent to practical effect we need capabilities that are provided collectively by Troop and Police contributing countries.

Delivering these capabilities requires specialized training and capacity-building because the tasks and operational environment of UN peacekeeping are often unique.

It is for this reason that today’s debate is so timely.

Training needs to be specialized and context-specific. Where possible it should be scenario-based, providing concrete examples and practical guidance on how to respond to realities on the ground. And it should be carried out pre-deployment and in theatre as needed.

We recognize that training and capacity-building is inherently a work in progress whether it is to maintain our edge, prepare successive rotations of peacekeepers, or adapt strategies and tactics to the evolving nature of conflict.

As noted in the Santos Cruz report, training and capacity-building is also intimately linked to the safety and security of our peacekeepers.

Not a single UN peacekeeper’s safety or security should be compromised by a lack of adequate training. That’s not a high bar; it’s the only responsible way to deploy. For our troops and police and for the communities they serve.

Furthermore, training and capacity-building is an essential component of peacekeeping performance. We simply cannot enhance performance without investing in knowledge and skills.

In this regarding partnerships are essential. As Troop and Police Contributors, we don’t need to operate alone. We can work together, drawing on each other’s strengths areas of expertise, and eliminating redundancies in our efforts.In this regard Canada has provided $20 million in the past three years in direct support of identified UN training and professional development needs.

Canada has also partnered with institutions such as the École de maintien de la paix Alioune Blondin Béye de Bamako to deliver essential training to peacekeepers.

More recently, we have worked in developing implementation guidance on Vancouver Principles to help peacekeepers better deliver on their child protection mandates.

Training is required at all levels. Indeed, in addressing complex challenges, effective leadership is an essential pre-requisite.

This is why for the last three years we have supported the UN Senior Mission Leaders course, and taken steps to make that course more accessible to a wider and more diverse range of personnel.

Of course, it’s not just how we train but also who we train.

Research and experience has demonstrated that greater diversity leads to better outcomes for peacekeeping, by bringing varied perspectives, assets, connections, and strengths. As we say in Canada, “diversity is strength”.

Training and capacity-building should seek enhance diversity, including by broadening representation in peacekeeping from all Member States, but also ensuring the full and meaningful participation of women at all levels of peace operations.

Through the Elsie Initiative we have seen how women do not have the same access to training opportunities that develop core deployment competencies. They face ostracism within training cohorts, as well as a perception that they cannot do the job as well as men. We need to ensure that women peacekeepers have equitable access to training and capacity-building, enabling them to deploy and contribute to mission success.

Because language skills are essential to understanding the local peacekeeping context, there is also a clear linguistic imperative to our training and capacity-building efforts. This is particularly evident in the number of large scale peacekeeping missions deployed to francophone environments. We therefore wish to highlight the importance of developing training material in French, as well as providing French language training to peacekeepers.

In this regard, we applaud Djibouti’s efforts to deliver a training course in French dedicated to building the peacekeeping capacity of Francophone countries. This kind of leadership is worthy of our support.

Lastly, as we approach the 20th anniversary of the Protection of Civilians mandate, we should recall that failure to deliver on mission mandates can have catastrophic effects on regions, on Member States, on communities, and on the lives of the people peacekeepers are meant to serve.

Training of peacekeepers is vital in a literal sense. We must therefore ensure that UN peacekeepers have the skills, training, and equipment to execute their protection mandates.

In conclusion, you can count on Canada to be a partner in training and capacity-building, whether as chair of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations Working Group of the Whole, the host of the upcoming Challenges Forum in June in Montreal, or a candidate for a seat on Security Council for 2021-2122.

Thank you