PK

We also share the assessment that the presence of women peacekeepers in conflict zones can facilitate interaction and confidence-building with local communities and affected populations, particularly women and children. In addition to endorsing the three Ps — planning, pledges and performance — the London communiqué, adopted by the United Nations Peacekeeping Defence Ministerial meeting last year, also affirmed the commitment to increase women’s participation in uniformed roles. In that regard, I am pleased to share that, as of today, Malaysia has increased the number of women military personnel deployed within our contingent under the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon from 26 to 40. The Government of Malaysia is also currently taking steps to ensure that our contingent reaches the 15 per cent target of women military personnel deployed in Lebanon.

Additionally, my delegation would like to take the opportunity to advocate for mandatory predeployment training on child protection, in addition to training on sexual exploitation and abuse prevention, for all United Nations peacekeepers in support of the Secretary-General’s initiative for troop- and police-contributing countries to issue certificates of compliance. Knowledge is the best defence and the importance of the provision of training for peacekeeping personnel cannot be overstated as a means of prevention.