Philippines Underscores Role of UN Peacekeeping Missions Amid COVID-19   

Philppine Expert Marivil Villa Valles of the Philippine Permanent Mission to the UN addresses the UN Fifth Committee during the Opening Session of the 75th UN General Assembly to discuss the Administrative and Budgetary Aspects of Financing UN Peacekeeping Operations. (Photo from New York PM)

UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK, 06 May 2021 – At the opening session of the UN Fifth Committee of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly on 3 May 2021, the Philippines expressed its appreciation for the sacrifices of UN peacekeeping personnel to maintain global peace and security during the pandemic, and called for adequate funding to enable them to deliver on their mandates.

“The pandemic has seriously challenged UN peacekeeping missions in various ways, including through suspended troop patrols, restrictions on movements of personnel and equipment and the need for quarantine facilities,” Philippine Expert Marivil V. Valles of the Philippine Mission to the UN said during the Committee’s opening session on administrative and budgetary aspects of financing peacekeeping operations. She said that these challenges have reduced the effectiveness of peacekeeping forces and impaired mandate implementation but cited that despite these limitations, peacekeeping missions have continued to carry out their mandates and even assisted countries in their pandemic response by facilitating humanitarian access, promoting awareness and using a performance and assessment track system to mitigate impacts on mandate delivery.

Noting the reductions in peacekeeping budget for the past years, the Philippines underscored the necessity for appropriate funding to meet the needs and requirements of peacekeeping personnel and expressed concern that the reduced budget may not be commensurate with the mandated tasks as well as the needs and requirements in the operational environment.

Ms. Valles noted that peacekeeping missions have had a limited budget.  Since the organization continues to experience liquidity crisis aggravated by the economic consequences of COVID-19, these budgetary constraints are affecting, more than ever, UN’s efforts in strengthening the protection not only of civilians but of peacekeepers as well, and in the implementation of the women, peace and security agenda. END

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