UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on member states to "renew political support" for UN peacekeeping operations, his spokesman said Thursday.
Pakistan, Britain and Ukraine have so far endorsed the Declaration of Shared Commitments on UN Peacekeeping Operations, which was sent on Aug. 16 by the UN chief for endorsement to the member states and relevant international and regional organizations, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Guterres at the daily news briefing.
The declaration is part of the secretary-general's Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) initiative and aims to renew political support for UN peacekeeping operations, said the spokesman.
"It spells out specific commitments that are vital to their success such as enhancing their political impact and strengthening the protection they provide," he added.
According to the spokesman, Pakistan was the first country to endorse the declaration, on the day after its issuance. Britain endorsed it Wednesday during the secretary-general's meeting with British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt. Ukraine just confirmed its endorsement Thursday.
"The secretary-general has requested that member states convey their endorsements by Sept. 14, ahead of a heads of state and government event on action for peacekeeping on Sept. 25," said Dujarric.
"The event will showcase the past and current role of UN peacekeeping, reflect on the challenges, and help to revitalize global engagement for this unique multilateral tool," he added.
"Today, peacekeeping faces critical challenges, and success depends on all stakeholders playing their part in a renewed collective commitment. We support the secretary-general's vision for reforming the peace and security pillar of the UN Secretariat and his commitment to improving the ability of the UN to deliver on its mandates through management reform, which will enhance the impact of peacekeeping," says the declaration.
"We collectively reaffirm our continued and strong support for peacekeeping to play a critical role in preventing, containing and resolving conflicts where peacekeeping operations are deployed and for its role in promoting compliance with international law and building peace," according to the declaration.
The declaration is based on three months of consultations with all member states and relevant international and regional organizations and contains commitments by all the main stakeholders of peacekeeping, including Security Council members, troop, police and financial contributors to peacekeeping, host governments and regional and sub-regional organizations, according to the spokesman.
