New Delhi: Minister of State for External Affairs (MoS MEA), Meenakshi Lekhi on Wednesday said UN Peacekeeping Missions have been playing an important role in bringing about peace and stability in countries of deployment, despite numerous operational challenges.
Speaking at the UN Security Council ministerial open debate on 'transitions' under the agenda item 'United Nations Peacekeeping Operations', Lekhi said India is the largest troop contributor to the UN peacekeeping operations in cumulative terms since their inception, having deployed more than 2,50,000 peacekeepers across 49 UN missions.
"This bears testimony to India’s commitment towards contributing a reliable, well-trained and highly professional peacekeeping force. As of today, nearly 5,500 Indian peacekeepers are deployed across 9 UN Missions. India was also happy to donate vaccines for all UN peacekeepers and upgrade two of our hospitals for peacekeeping to combat the pandemic," she pointed out.
Over the past seven decades, more than a million men and women have served under the UN flag in more than 70 peacekeeping operations. "India joins other delegations in paying tribute to the men and women who have served and continue to serve in peacekeeping operations for their professionalism, dedication and courage. We also remember the 4,089 peacekeepers who have laid down their lives, and the courage and bravery of India’s 174 peacekeepers who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty," she said.
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Lekhi said India takes pride in the fact that the first-ever all-women peacekeeping contingent was from India and stationed in Liberia. Due to their dedication, professionalism and motivation, she said, the all-female Forward Police Unit proved to be strong, visible role models, gaining worldwide attention and illustrating the significant contribution that women can make towards global peace and security. Today, India’s Female Engagement Team (FET) is also playing an important role in MONUSCO - The UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
India’s fundamental approach to peacebuilding efforts is to respect national ownership and to be guided by the host States’ development priorities, Lekhi said, adding India is "convinced that human-centric, gender-sensitive and technologically primed solutions and the robust functioning of democratic institutions of governance that give all stakeholders a say in creating a better future are the biggest guarantees for the success of peacebuilding and for sustaining peace". "India will continue to be a force multiplier for peacebuilding with an emphasis on the human-centric approach," she said.
