Thank you for that very important question.
I think Canada is known, from its past, to have stepped up at a time when the world needed it. Canada has always played a very important role with its allies when it comes to peace and security around the world. The United Nations plays a very important role on the world stage, and especially dealing with conflict, trying to prevent conflict and reducing it.
Since the defence ministerial conference last year, we took a very thoughtful approach in terms of consulting with the right people to make sure what Canada's re-engagement in peace support operations was. We wanted to support the United Nations' goals and reforms. Even though Canada had a very strong reputation for peacekeeping, we know that the peacekeeping of today is not the peacekeeping of the past.
We looked at what the missions require and what whole-of-government means. When we put forward our pledges, our whole-of-government approach, from military, development and capacity-building, it was about providing the right resources.
One aspect that was very important was understanding the realities on the ground. There is great work happening with the missions, but there's a lack of high-level capability, which only a select few nations can provide. That's how the smart pledges concept was created, and that's what we are doing in Mali at this time. We are providing a high-level capability, but at the same time no one nation will be burdened with that capability. It allows commanders to make sure the mission evolves and continues within a good progression.
The other aspect was the increasing number of women in peacekeeping operations. The Elsie initiative is making sure we incentivize nations to increase the participation of women and do it in a meaningful way. We are working very closely with Minister Freeland and Global Affairs to help deliver on this.
The other aspect was the challenges that the current conflicts create of the increasing number of people being recruited into radical organizations. This is where the child soldiers initiative and the Vancouver principles play very important roles. How do we reduce the number of recruits going in while also being able to train our members and also member states—the troops—to deal with child soldiers?
So, the work is progressing, but we have been doing it in a meaningful way that's going to have a tangible impact, not only for the United Nations but on the ground.