Peacekeeping

Botswana notes with appreciation the recommendations contained in the report of the Secretary-General and finds them to be a useful framework for guiding the actions of concerned parties in addressing the core challenges, which are: compliance with international law by parties to a conflict, the protection role of United Nations peacekeeping missions, humanitarian access, and accountability for violations of international law.

We support more comprehensive and detailed information on the protection of civilians in country specific situations as well as on measuring progress in the implementation of peacekeeping mandates issues related to the protection of civilians. That is of key importance in the context of mission drawdown, as well as when identifying areas of concern, prioritizing response activities and ensuring accountability for actions or shortcomings.

Although the primary responsibility for the protection of civilians lies with States and with parties to an armed conflict, the United Nations, with its systematic approach to the protection of civilians, must be, and is, at the helm of the global effort. Positive developments must be supported and publicized.

The vulnerable situation of civilians in postconflict societies needs special attention. For peace to be sustained, civilian victims must be rehabilitated and reintegrated into their communities more effectively, and the perpetrators must bear the resultant cost. The presence of uniformed female personnel may play a pivotal role in protecting civilians in armed conflict.

Peacekeeping operations are one of the most important tools available to the United Nations for the protection of civilians in armed conflict.

While we share the Secretary-General's assessment that more needs to be done to meet the five core challenges, we are also encouraged by the progress made over the past year in implementing resolution 1894 (2009). I would like to thank the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations for their consistent work and support.

We are encouraged by the fact that the Secretary- General's report has noted a change in the way and extent to which protection is addressed in Council resolutions, including in the mandates of peacekeeping operations.

Mass rapes in Kibua in Eastern Congo in July and August this year have demonstrated the massive challenges we still face in preventing and responding to such atrocious crimes. As the presidential statement rightly underlines, peacekeeping missions must communicate with the local communities and must be equipped with the necessary capacities to do so.

Thirdly, I would like to discuss an issue on which Australia has been particularly active. Uniformed components of peacekeeping missions need guidelines to implement protection-of-civilians mandates. Guidelines are necessary to enable troop and police contingents to understand their responsibilities and adequately prepare and execute protection-of-civilians mandates.

Secondly, we support the Secretary-General's call to move away from a selective approach to addressing the protection of civilians. We must acknowledge that peacekeeping is but one tool at the disposal of the Council in protecting civilians. The most effective way, of course, is to prevent the conflict in the first place.