New York, USA – In cooperation with CCCPA and the Permanent Missions of Egypt, Sweden and Indonesia to the UN, the International Forum for the Challenges of Peace Operations organized a high-level lunch on “Sustaining the Momentum for a Holistic Implementation of the Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) Commitments” on 19 February 2020. The event brought together ambassadors from countries hosting a Challenges Forum Partner, the Group of Ten (G10), A4P Champions, host countries of peacekeeping missions, and the UN Secretariat to exchange views on how to advance the realization of the A4P objectives.

The event--organized on the sidelines of the 2020 Special Committee on Peacekeeping (C-34) substantive session--aimed to leverage the opportunity presented by the decision of the C-34 to restructure its report along the A4P eight thematic areas, to better support the integrity of the A4P framework and the implementation of the shared commitments in a comprehensive manner.

Discussions underscored the important contribution of “The Cairo Roadmap on Enhancing the Performance of Peacekeeping Operations: From Mandate to Exit” in providing a comprehensive, integrated and balanced framework emphasizing the responsibilities of all peacekeeping stakeholders in enhancing the performance and effectiveness of UN peacekeeping operations. Most notably, the Cairo Roadmap introduced the concept of “Quadrilateral Cooperation”, underlining the imperative for consultations between troop and police contributing countries (T/PCCs), the UN Security Council, host nations and the UN Secretariat, with a view to advancing host nations’ ownership of the political process.

Ambassador Mohamed Edrees, Egypt’s Permanent Representative to the UN, praised the restructuring of the C-34 report and its alignment with the A4P eight thematic priorities, adding that it’s “an important step towards ensuring the ownership of the A4P by the broader UN membership through the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations.”

On her part, Ambassador Anna-Karin Eneström, Sweden’s Permanent Representative to the UN, highlighted Sweden’s active role in peacekeeping since its conception, and its support of the reform process to make peacekeeping fit for purpose. Amb. Eneström also emphasized Sweden’s focus on the Women, Peace and Security Agenda (by integrating it into all UN missions), as well as the importance of peacebuilding and sustaining peace--highlighting CCCPA’s role in this regard.

Brig. General Victor Hasundungan Simatupang, Commandant of the Indonesian Armed Forces Peacekeeping Center, underlined Indonesia’s commitment to improving peacekeeper skills.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Akuei Bona Malwal, Permanent Representative of South Sudan to the UN, noted the critical role of leadership in UN peace operations, especially the UN mission in South Sudan, including in supporting the political process, protecting civilians and facilitating the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

Mr. Victor Casanova Abos, lead author of the recent research by the Security Council Report "Prioritisation and Sequencing of Council Mandates: Walking the Walk?", introduced the report’s recommendations, including the importance of focusing on a limited number of tasks; and the importance of determining a logical progression of the mandate through time, ensuring its adequacy to address the evolving situation on the ground.

In his closing remarks, Ambassador Ihab Awad, Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister for UN Affairs, expressed Egypt's belief in the importance of the ongoing C-34 discussions in providing an integrated approach for A4P implementation.