Chair, Excellencies, Colleagues,

At the outset, allow me to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to, you Chair, the Bureau and the facilitators for your excellent work so far. We wish you success and a good hand for the upcoming weeks. Further, Germany aligns itself with the statement delivered by the European Union.

It has already been said by a number delegations this morning. Peacekeeping is one of the United Nations’ great success stories. In Germany the UN is closely associated with the blue helmets. It is indeed hard to imagine a world without blue helmets. It would undoubtedly be a world that is more violent, less stable, and far less peaceful.

Peacekeepers uphold security, protect vulnerable communities, and foster the hope for a peaceful future.

Anyone who has witnessed the work of MINUSCA in the Central African Republic or UNMISS in South Sudan knows: Peacekeeping is making a tangible difference in the lives of those who need it most.
And where peacekeepers are prematurely withdrawn, serious negative consequences often follow, as we have recently seen in Sudan.

I want to take this opportunity, to pay tribute to the men and women serving in Peacekeeping operations, for their professionalism, their commitment, and for taking high personal risks at a daily basis.

This been said, of course, peacekeeping must be continually improved and adapted, adapted to evolving challenges and ever-changing operational environments.

This is, we believe, where the Special Committee has an important role to play.

It is the responsibility of the Committee to ensure that peacekeeping operations are in the best possible position to implement their mandates effectively. Furthermore, the Special Committee must contribute to shaping the future of peacekeeping so that peacekeeping remains ready to serve and fit for purpose in the years to come.

We don’t know what the future will bring, but it appears certain that modern technologies will increasingly affect operational effectiveness.

Artificial intelligence, Unmanned Aerial Systems: UAS and Counter-UAS, tele-medicine, and other innovations can and will improve performance but also help to enhance the protection of peacekeepers.

We must collectively see into this matter and come forth with joint answers on how in future UN peace mission can make best use of those technologies.

At the same time, and this critical for us, we must not lose sight of the fundamentals: well trained and well-equipped personnel will remain at the core of peacekeeping.

We need to combine our efforts and use this year’s session of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations to reach an agreement on recommendations, recommendations that are urgently needed to support our peacekeepers in the field and to help us to shape the future of peacekeeping.

Chair,

Germany will continue to contribute, within this committee and beyond.

We hosted a highly successful Peacekeeping Ministerial in Berlin last year. We are now implementing German pledges amounting to almost 100 million USD.

Germany is a troop and police contributing country, currently to four missions, and we will continue to contribute personnel.

We will further continue to work for integrated, holistic approaches for durable peace, as we have done as last year’s Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission.

We will remain the leading donor for extra-budgetary funding with the Secretariat, and we continue to co-chair the Elsie-Initiative-Fund.

Through our mobile and in-mission training teams we will continue to strengthen partners and support mission headquarters.

Finally,

Germany remains committed, to the work of this Committee, to the future of Peacekeeping, and to the UN as a whole. We stand ready, when needed, to take over more responsibility, in the coming years.

Thank you.