Merci bien, monsieur le président. Thank you very much for inviting me to appear before the committee to address the United Nations dimensions of the committee's study.
The United Nations is, of course, the organization where the world meets, and its agenda encompasses all areas of human activity. Through consensus and diplomacy, the UN is the forum in which the problems faced by the international community are resolved. That's why the UN is so vital to achieving Canada's international objectives.
On a daily basis the organization examines, weighs the implications of, and endeavours to address the threats to international peace and security. These threats range from conflicts between states, as was the case in Georgia in the summer of 2008, to threats to international shipping from piracy, to challenges to peace and stability within states themselves. The latter threats more and more define today's international security environment.
In most cases the threats manifest themselves in the form of the lingering military forces of internal civil conflict, the rise of organized criminal activity bent on maintaining instability, and foreign armed groups using states as bases for operations against their homelands. As a result, maintaining peace is conducted in an environment in which stability itself is often acutely fragile. Moreover, in many cases the internal capacity of the conflict-affected state to provide for its own security is severely limited.
These circumstances have given rise to the increased complexity of UN peacekeeping missions today. Consequently, the notion of traditional peacekeeping that many of us have in mind--that is, a force interposed between previously warring parties conducting observation, monitoring, and reporting tasks--no longer really fits the current operational paradigm. While there certainly remain some UN peacekeeping missions where this is the case, such as the UN forces deployed in Cyprus and on the Golan Heights, these represent only a few of the current 15 UN peacekeeping operations.
In contrast, the contemporary multi-dimensional concept now requires engagement across a much broader spectrum of activities, including the disarmament, demobilization, reintegration, and often repatriation of former combatants; the active involvement in security sector reform; the protection of civilians, including women and children; and border security functions, all against a backdrop and in support of a political dynamic that seeks to advance a peace process.
The United Nation's “Peace Operations 2009 Year in Review” notes that UN peace operations have truly become a global endeavour, with 120,000 women and men from 116 countries serving under the blue UN flag in 15 missions. On the military side, approximately 85,000 contingent troops, experts on mission, and observers were deployed by the end of last year. Over 13,000 police officers now keep the peace and support the development of national policing capacities, and over 21,000 international, national, and volunteer civilians provide professional expertise to peace processes and administrative and logistics support to missions.
The demand for peacekeepers has unquestionably grown, but this has caused significant strains on the UN and on the international community as a whole. These strains are reflected in the ability of the UN to manage the mandates given them for peacekeeping operations, as well as in the slow pace with which necessary troops are generated. But we think the system is getting better: greater scrutiny is given to the circumstances before missions are undertaken; a closer examination of the link between resources and mandates is now being made; better guidance is being developed, both on the preparations expected of deploying troops and on how to accomplish key tasks; and, equally important, the UN has embarked on a process for reforming its field support system, aimed at enhancing rapid deployment and mission sustainment. These initiatives, coupled with many others, are all improving the UN's capacity to conduct peacekeeping operations.
The UN will normally operate where there is a peace to keep, and it is guided by three fundamental principles: the consent of the parties involved, the impartiality of the UN operation, and the use of force only in self-defence or in defence of the mandate.
The focus of missions can vary significantly, covering a broad spectrum of activities, from stabilization, as we have seen in the case of MINUSTAH in Haiti, to overseeing a comprehensive peace agreement as exists in South Sudan with UNMIS. Ultimately, guided by the specific circumstances on the ground, the objective is to transition from peacekeeping to a stabilized environment and then to one of peace-building.
I would note, Mr. Chair, that there is now a greater reliance upon and relationship with regional organizations to meet the growth in demand for peacekeeping forces. The UN/AU hybrid mission in Darfur is one telling example of the UN leveraging the capacity of the African states to meet force requirements. In the same vein, the African Union's mission in Somalia receives extensive direct field support from the UN to accomplish its goals.
Despite our extensive commitments in Afghanistan, Canada is an active participant in UN peacekeeping. Although our military commitments are limited to key mission staff and observers, our police contributions have grown. We are also heavily focused on developing the capacity of other countries to take on complex peacekeeping roles, through both training and equipping programs, most particularly with African and Latin American and Caribbean states. In addition, we are very involved in the UN's peacekeeping reform agenda. We of course continue to chair and play a key leadership role in the UN's Working Group of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations. And, we cannot forget that out of an annual budget for peacekeeping operations of about $8 billion, Canada pays over 3% of the total cost.
Lastly, it is important to note that the blue helmet no longer provides for the relative degree of immunity from attack that it once did. Military, police and civilian experts are now under continual threat from belligerents who seek to undermine the progress of peace processes. Casualties are more commonplace in the UN peacekeeping arena, as are hostage-taking incidents. This has required the UN to be more robust in its deployments, both in terms of the capabilities being fielded, as well as the training of the peacekeeping forces. Indeed, at the tactical level, there is a growing requirement for the use of force to protect the troops themselves or to protect civilians in immediate danger.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Colonel Simonds and I would be happy to answer any questions you may have at this time.