“Refugees International welcomes yesterday's Security Council presidential statement which re-affirms the need for clear, achievable UN peacekeeping mandates, earlier consultation with troop contributing countries and more sustained and coordinated political engagement in ongoing peacekeeping operations.  RI is pleased that the presidential statement reflects the recommendations that Refugees International made in recent Congressional testimony.  Throughout 2009, the Security Council has placed the improvement of peacekeeping missions at the top of its agenda, and yesterday’s debate is a part of a series of important developments in peacekeeping reform that have occurred this year.

“This statement follows the release of the UN Secretariat's "New Horizons" report, which elaborates ways to speed up the deployment of new missions, create more cohesive mission planning and management systems, and clarify the roles and capabilities of UN peacekeepers. Most importantly it underlines the need for political coalition building and the sustained engagement of Security Council members after a mission has been authorized.  This is a critical reminder that resolving conflicts depends on political solutions.

“In a hearing before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs last week, the U.S. Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice described the role that the US can play to achieve these objectives. Ambassador Rice asserted that the U.S. ‘will support reforms that help achieve economies of scale and realize cost savings; that strengthen oversight, transparency, and accountability; that improve field personnel and procurement systems; that strengthen the process of mission planning; that reduce deployment delays; that encourage stronger mission leadership; and that clarify the roles and responsibilities of all UN actors, in the field and at headquarters.’

“Refugees International applauds the Obama administration for charting a comprehensive and constructive new agenda for U.S. engagement in UN peacekeeping.  RI calls on the U.S. to move quickly to build a coalition among Security Council members, troop contributing countries, and other countries and organizations committed to effective peacekeeping and conflict resolution to move forward with the reforms laid out in the New Horizons report.

“Refugees International also asks that the Obama administration take immediate steps to fulfill the commitments made in Ambassador Rice's testimony by working with partners to provide engineering units, transport units, aerial reconnaissance capabilities, and medical units to the UN mission in Chad (MINURCAT) and UN/AU hybrid mission in Darfur (UNAMID).”

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Read Erin Weir’s Testimony