EU Statement – UN General Assembly 4th Committee: Comprehensive review of peacekeeping operations

Thank you, Chair,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The Candidate Countries North Macedonia*, Montenegro^*, Serbia^*, Albania^*, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina^* and Georgia, as well as San Marino align themselves with this statement.

Chair,

In a world where crises are multiplying and where the core principles of international cooperation are being challenged, United Nations peace operations and peacekeepers serve a key purpose. They embody multilateralism in action, and they remain a key instrument in support of peace and security around the world. The EU is committed to working with and supporting the UN to achieving our common interests of peace, security and global stability, and we fully support the Secretary General’s efforts to review UN peacekeeping.

The EU and its Member States remain steadfast supporters of UN peacekeeping. We jointly contribute almost one quarter of the UN’s peacekeeping budget, and we currently deploy over 4,000 personnel to UN peacekeeping missions, while one EU Member State is hosting a peacekeeping operation. The increasing complexity of the international security landscape demands greater and more sophisticated engagement. This is why we have recently reinforced our EU-UN Strategic Partnership by agreeing on a new set of Joint Priorities on Peace and Security for 2025-2027, which reflect a shared commitment to a more coherent, preventive, and multidimensional approach.

The EU currently deploys 21 civilian and military missions and operations of its own, some of which were established in parallel to UN missions. Two EU operations directly implement UN Security Council mandates: Operation IRINI in the Mediterranean Sea and Operation ALTHEA in Bosnia and Herzegovina; while others act in line with Security Council resolutions, including Operation ASPIDES in the Red Sea and Operation ATALANTA in the Horn of Africa and the Western Indian Ocean. Our missions and operations cooperate on issues from field support to information-sharing and joint political messaging, and, in the future, we envisage even closer collaboration.

Chair,

UN peacekeeping operations are confronted with increasingly complex challenges, including regional threats, the effects of climate change, mis- and disinformation, increased presence of non-state actors like private military companies, trans-national criminal activities, eroding support from host nation governments and communities, and the weaponization of new and emerging technologies.

Nevertheless, UN peace operations remain one of the most critical multilateral instruments for preventing armed conflict, sustaining peace and security, supporting the peaceful settlement of conflicts, and responding to a broader range of crises and threats to international peace and security. 134 Member States have recently renewed their commitment and support to this instrument at the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial 2025.

Chair,

In light of these challenges, we welcome the Pact for the Future and its call to adapt peace operations to better and more flexibly respond to existing challenges and new realities, in line with their mandates. We recognize the need for political strategies as part of a comprehensive approach to achieving sustainable peace in host countries, and we recognise the importance of providing UN peacekeeping operations with the adequate resources, including predictable and sustainable financing, to function effectively and to fulfil their mandatesin accordance with the UN Charter. UN peacekeeping must adapt to new challenges, including by addressing climate impacts by managing its environmental footprint to leave a positive legacy for local communities.

We welcome the ongoing review on the future of all forms of UN peace operations, to which we have provided substantive input, while we underline that these processes should not affect the ability of peace operations to deliver on their mandates.

We recall that the Pact underlines the importance of enhanced cooperation between the UN and regional organizations – something we are already working on through the EU-UN Strategic Partnership. UNSC resolution 2719 is a good example of a strategic rethinking of the multilateral peace and security architecture, where the African Union will have a more important role and will enable a better response to crises and conflicts in a comprehensive manner. We regret that no consensus was found to implement resolution 2719 in Somalia this year to give a clear framework to AUSSOM.

UN peacekeeping must ensure the protection of civilians. This means putting civilians and communities at the centre of peacekeeping operations, and it includes the understanding that interventions on peace and security go beyond physical safety. They must additionally encompass mental health, psychosocial support, and trauma-informed ways of working to effectively and durably support affected civilians and communities.

We stress the EU’s support to increasing the full, safe, equal, and meaningful participation of women in peace operations at all levels, including leadership, and areas of expertise. Women peacekeepers play a crucial role in securing peace and security – and we need to harness their role and contributions. This was the central reason for the adoption, 25 years ago, of the ground-breaking UN Security Council Resolution 1325. Although we have made progress since then, much work remains ahead.

Chair,

In conclusion, let me reaffirm the EU’s commitment to an open, inclusive discussion on the challenges facing UN peacekeeping. EU Members States will continue to support UN peacekeeping and engage constructively in the work of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (C34), which is a crucial forum for the implementation of the Secretary General’s Action for Peacekeeping.

Let me finish by paying tribute to the invaluable work of peacekeepers and honour those who have lost their lives on duty.

Thank you.

* North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.