Nigeria’s Participation in UN Peacekeeping Declines- Defence Minister
It is with great pleasure that I stand before you for the United Nations Peacekeeping Ministerial on Uniformed Capabilities Performance and Protection of Civilians.
Let me start by expressing my appreciation to the United Nations and our host for organizing this important Ministerial which presents opportunity to discuss and generate the specialized capabilities necessary for the United Nations Peacekeeping.
I also want to applaud the Secretary General’s ongoing effort to strengthen peacekeeping operations through Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) Initiative with a specific focus on uniformed capabilities, performance and the protection of civilians.
Nigeria’s participation in UN Peacekeeping has declined significantly of recent, mainly due to her commitment to the war on insurgency in the North-Eastern part of the Country and Sub-regional Peacekeeping commitments.
I am pleased to inform Your Excellencies that a lot of successes have been achieved in the fight against terrorism and we are in the process of demining affected areas and rebuilding communities. These successes have no doubt io8m International Community and countries of the Lake Chad Basin Commission.
Despite the above mentione Nations arecognition from the United Nations Integrated Training Service into August 2018. The renewal of the recognition has been requested by the Centre to meeting cup with international standards. This was after the curriculum was reviewed and updated in line with the present- day peacekeeping contemporary challenges. When approved, the Centre would serve as an additional training hub to the Regional Service Centre Entebbe, Uganda thereby reducing its burden.
I am also pleased to state that the Federal Government of Nigeria has put in place adequate measures in enhancing the performance of our troops and protection of civilians during peacekeeping operations. These measures include effective pre-deployment and in-mission training for troops, zero tolerance to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, clear leadership and instructions to troops as well as deployment of more female peacekeepers cfor effective peace operations and to better protect civilians amongst others.
On this note, on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria, I wish to assure the United Nations of our continuous commitment and support to ensure international peace and security.
Thank you for listening.
Mansur Dan Ali
Nigeria’s Defence Mini
