UN: World leaders to discuss tech & medical capacity building of Peacekeeping in Seoul

The Seoul UN Peacekeeping Ministerial will take place in South Korea beginning from December 7. The meet will witness attendance of over 700 people from 155 nations to discuss the technology and medical capacity building of UN Peacekeeping, as per a statement issued by the UN. It is to mention that the two-day event is the latest in a series of meets at the head of State, Government or ministerial level since 2014. The last meet was held in 2019 in New York.

Speaking at a press conference, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, said that peacekeepers "are facing increasingly daunting challenges." "They need support from the Secretariat and they need support from our Member States and that’s really what we expect from the Seoul meeting", he explained.

Peacekeepers are facing 'modern challenges' 

Meanwhile, Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support Atul Khare explained that the peacekeeping forces need a revamp in terms of technology and medical facilities. He noted that the peacekeepers are facing modern challenges while dealing with the situation. He discussed some of the most troublesome incidents in which the taskers need to handle the situation both "critically" and "sensitively". "Technology can make our missions smarter, more integrated, efficient, effective, safer and allow for end-to-end service delivery and operational support while minimising environmental footprint," explained Khare who took charge of Operational Support on 1 January, 2019. 

"We have made important progress in addressing the gaps in medical support in peacekeeping missions, but much more needs to be done," said Khare, adding the peacekeeping forces need to transform their services to digital in order to cater to more people at one go. During the presser, he elaborated his expectations in terms of improving the Casualty Tracking System, Mental Health Strategy for uniformed personnel, and a Public Health Surveillance System. Also, he added that the conference would dedicate a time slot to discuss the challenges faced by the women during the UN peace operations. 

What UN Peackeeping does?

UN Peacekeeping helps countries torn apart by conflict to create conditions for lasting peace. Its unique strengths include legitimacy, burden sharing, and an ability to deploy and sustain troops and police from around the globe – integrating them with civilian peacekeepers to advance multidimensional mandates. Over the past 70 years, more than one million men and women have served under the UN flag in over 70 UN peacekeeping operations.  

(Image: UN/MINUSCA/Leonel Grothe)