ISLAMABAD: Pakis­tan will host a two-day preparatory meeting of the forthcoming United Nations Peacekeeping Ministerial commencing on Wednes­day. The theme of the me­­eting will be “Safety and Security of UN Peace­keepers”.

The United Nations Peacekeeping Ministerial is an important opportunity for member states to come together in a collective effort to strengthen the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations and their impact on the communities they serve.

Japan is the co-host of the meeting being held at the Centre for Internatio­nal Peace and Stability (CIPS), Pakistan’s prem­i­­er training institute offering courses, workshops and seminars to UN peacekee­pers from all over the world.

Foreign and the defence ministers will deliver keynote addresses at the meeting.

Member states represented in the UN Special Committee on Peace­keep­ing Operations — comprising 156 countries — will participate along with lo­­cal and international exp­erts.

Also in attendance will be senior officials from the UN Secretariat including the Under-Sec­retary-General for Peace Operations, the Under-Secretary-General for Ope­­­rational Support, and the UN Police Adviser.

Panel discussions will be held during the two-day meeting on various sub-themes to deliberate on capacity-building needs; safety and security of UN peacekeepers from the perspective of internatio­nal law; enhancing medical capacity of UN peacekeeping missions; and leveraging technology and strategic communication.

Pakistan is an active player in the field of UN peacekeeping both at the policy and at operational levels. It is also among the largest troop contributors, and since 1960, has contributed over 230,000 men and women peacekeepers to 46 UN peacekeeping missions of the world.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2023