Thank you, Mr. President.
Germany aligns itself with the statement delivered by the European Union.
I would like to thank Slovenia for organizing this timely debate, and the briefers for their valuable insights.

Mr. President,
Every single day, peacekeepers monitor ceasefires and protect the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians. I want to acknowledge the profound commitment and personal sacrifices of these women and men serving in UN peacekeeping missions.
When embedded in a political strategy, adequately resourced and mandated, UN Peacekeeping is one of the most effective and sustainable tools that we can imagine.

In order to succeed, peacekeeping missions depend on a united Security Council. Also, peacekeeping reform must continue and must be implemented, in line with the Action for Peacekeeping / A4P+ initiative.

Three aspects are crucial:

First,
Security Council mandates need to pursue clear and realistic objectives. Exit strategies must be given thought. Missions need to be enabled to address a variety of challenges, such as mis- and disinformation and hate speech, transnational organized crime or the climate crisis.

Second,
the Security Council must ensure that peace operations are more integrated and draw on the comprehensive peacekeeping, peacebuilding and conflict prevention toolkit, where suitable. Close cooperation and clear division of labor between peace operations and UN country teams is key.

Third,
in order to gain and maintain legitimacy and better protect civilians, the Security Council might consider new types of mandates, capabilities and mission models, while maintaining existing normative frameworks, for instance the Women, Peace and Security agenda. Regional approaches, for instance through Security Council Resolution 2719, need to be strengthened.

Mr. President,
Germany, as a troop- and police contributing country and the largest supporter of UN peacekeeping projects, is honored to host the next UN Peacekeeping Ministerial in Berlin on 13 and 14 May 2025. We aim at continuing the political reflection about the future of peacekeeping and want to generate substantial pledges to address existing gaps.
On the road to the “Berlin Ministerial”, we look forward to further substantial debates, in particular at the upcoming preparatory meetings. Let us make UN Peacekeeping fit for the future!

Thank you.