UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has called for stronger international support to address the United Nations’ growing financial crisis in peacekeeping, warning that the credibility of the world body’s most visible mission is at stake.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly’s Fourth Committee, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, said the peacekeeping system stood “at a critical crossroads”, facing political, financial and operational challenges.
“The ongoing liquidity crisis is the most immediate and serious symptom of a deeper problem – a waning political commitment by some key member states,” he said, cautioning that failure to act could “erode confidence in the most visible symbol of multilateralism.”
Pakistan, one of the largest troop contributors to UN peacekeeping, is home to one of its oldest missions, the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), and has deployed more than 250,000 personnel to 48 missions over seven decades. At least 182 Pakistani peacekeepers have died in service.
Ambassador Ahmad noted that peacekeeping remained one of the most legitimate and cost-effective global tools, with an annual budget of around $5.5 billion — less than 0.3 per cent of global military expenditure.
He proposed that future peacekeeping missions should be guided by clear political objectives and realistic mandates, ensure full involvement of troop-contributing countries, and prioritise the safety of peacekeepers.
He also urged stronger cooperation with regional organisations such as the OIC and ASEAN and the use of digital technologies to improve operations.
“Peacekeeping is not a panacea, but neither is it expendable,” Ahmad said. “It remains the most visible embodiment of multilateralism in action and a symbol of collective resolve to confront conflicts through international cooperation.”
