New Delhi: Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations at the United Nations, has commended the steadfast efforts of Indian UN peacekeepers amid escalating violence in eastern Congo. Stationed in some of the most perilous and unstable areas of the country, such as North Kivu, Indian troops deployed at the UN mission are confronting a deteriorating situation, fuelled largely by the M23 rebel group.
Speaking at a press conference in Delhi, Lacroix emphasised the UN&rsquo;s commitment to their safety, stating, &ldquo;We will do everything possible to ensure the safety of our peacekeepers. I want to pay tribute to all of them, including Indian peacekeepers, yes, it&rsquo;s challenging, they are standing their ground and it&rsquo;s highly appreciated.&rdquo;
Indian peacekeepers serve under MONUSCO, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where India ranks among the top contributors of troops.&nbsp; Lacroix elaborated on the challenging circumstances, noting, &ldquo;It is not an easy environment because most of the Indian peacekeepers, most of them in the M23-occupied areas. Indian peacekeepers are under restrictions, including movement.&rdquo;&nbsp; He added, &ldquo;India is an important country, an important troop contributing in world. We do everything possible to make sure our peacekeepers are safe. We are working on camp protection.&rdquo;
Congo&rsquo;s turbulent history has taken a heavy toll on Indian personnel serving in UN missions. In 2022, two Indian peacekeepers from the Border Security Force, Head Constable Shishupal Singh and Head Constable Sanwala Ram Vishnoi, lost their lives during violent anti-UN protests in Butembo, where a mob of 500 attacked a MONUSCO base.&nbsp; Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/over-20-civil-service-employees-resigned-from-trumps-doge-in-protest-8758303" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Over 20 civil service employees resigned from Trump&rsquo;s DOGE in protest</a> Previously, in 2010, three soldiers from the 19 Kumaon Regiment were killed in a sudden assault by Mayi-Mayi rebels on their outpost in Kirumba, North Kivu.&nbsp; Lacroix, who is travelling from Delhi to Congo to evaluate the situation firsthand, praised the dedication of Indian troops, saying, &ldquo;Indian peacekeepers are present in most of our peacekeeping missions. They are serving with commitment. I want to thank India for that.&rdquo;
He also advocated for reforms within the UN, stressing that the organisation must be &ldquo;more representative of today&rsquo;s international reality is very important&rdquo; and noted that the Secretary General &ldquo;has time and again insisted on the importance of bringing about reforms of international governance, including reform of the Security Council&rdquo;. Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-gaza-number-one-us-president-shares-his-vision-of-post-war-region-with-netanyahu-chilling-by-pool-8758822" rel="noopener" target="_blank">&lsquo;Trump Gaza number one&rsquo;: US president shares his vision of post-war region, with Netanyahu chilling by pool</a> Lacroix&rsquo;s visit to Delhi coincided with the inaugural Conference for Women Peacekeepers, attended by representatives from 35 leading Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) from the Global South. The event saw addresses by India&rsquo;s External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth, Secretary (West) Tanmaya Lal, Indian Army Vice Chief Lt. General NS Raja Subramani, and Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lt. General Rakesh Kapoor. Women peacekeepers also met with President Droupadi Murmu during the visit.
India has long been a key pillar of UN peacekeeping, deploying nearly 300,000 troops across over 50 UN missions since the 1950s. Currently, over 5,000 Indian troops serve in 9 of the 11 active UN peacekeeping missions, including high-risk conflict zones. India has lost 180 peacekeepers in service of global peace, making the highest sacrifice among all troop-contributing nations. India has also led the way in deploying women to UN missions, starting as early as the 1960s. Dr. Kiran Bedi broke ground as the first woman UN Police Advisor from 2003 to 2005. In 2007, India made history by sending an all-female Formed Police Unit (FPU) to Liberia, which served until 2016. Presently, 154 Indian women in uniform contribute to UN missions, including three Female Engagement Teams in Abyei, Congo, and South Sudan. Major Suman Gawani (2019) and Major Radhika Sen (2023) have been recognised with the UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award for their exceptional work. Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-president-donald-trump-to-sell-5-million-gold-cards-offering-wealthy-foreigners-us-residency-and-citizenship-us-citizenship-green-card-8757321" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trump to sell $5 million 'gold cards', offering rich foreigners US residency and citizenship</a> Beyond troop contributions, India has spearheaded peacekeeping innovations, such as donating 200,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses for UN peacekeepers globally, creating the UNITE AWARE platform to boost situational awareness, and championing the UN Peacekeepers&rsquo; Memorial Wall, a proposal backed by an unprecedented 190 co-sponsoring nations at the United Nations. The Centre for UN Peacekeeping (CUNPK) in India, a UN-accredited training hub, has prepared over 2,000 officers from 96 countries for service.

World India News: India has long been a key pillar of UN peacekeeping, deploying nearly 300,000 troops across over 50 UN missions since the 1950s. Currently, over 5,000 Indian troops serve in 9 of the 11 active UN peacekeeping missions.

New Delhi: Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations at the United Nations, has commended the steadfast efforts of Indian UN peacekeepers amid escalating violence in eastern Congo. Stationed in some of the most perilous and unstable areas of the country, such as North Kivu, Indian troops deployed at the UN mission are confronting a deteriorating situation, fuelled largely by the M23 rebel group. Speaking at a press conference in Delhi, Lacroix emphasised the UN’s commitment to their safety, stating, “We will do everything possible to ensure the safety of our peacekeepers. I want to pay tribute to all of them, including Indian peacekeepers, yes, it’s challenging, they are standing their ground and it’s highly appreciated.” Indian peacekeepers serve under MONUSCO, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where India ranks among the top contributors of troops. Lacroix elaborated on the challenging circumstances, noting, “It is not an easy environment because most of the Indian peacekeepers, most of them in the M23-occupied areas. Indian peacekeepers are under restrictions, including movement.” He added, “India is an important country, an important troop contributing in world. We do everything possible to make sure our peacekeepers are safe. We are working on camp protection.” Congo’s turbulent history has taken a heavy toll on Indian personnel serving in UN missions. In 2022, two Indian peacekeepers from the Border Security Force, Head Constable Shishupal Singh and Head Constable Sanwala Ram Vishnoi, lost their lives during violent anti-UN protests in Butembo, where a mob of 500 attacked a MONUSCO base. Also read: Over 20 civil service employees resigned from Trump’s DOGE in protest Previously, in 2010, three soldiers from the 19 Kumaon Regiment were killed in a sudden assault by Mayi-Mayi rebels on their outpost in Kirumba, North Kivu. Lacroix, who is travelling from Delhi to Congo to evaluate the situation firsthand, praised the dedication of Indian troops, saying, “Indian peacekeepers are present in most of our peacekeeping missions. They are serving with commitment. I want to thank India for that.” He also advocated for reforms within the UN, stressing that the organisation must be “more representative of today’s international reality is very important” and noted that the Secretary General “has time and again insisted on the importance of bringing about reforms of international governance, including reform of the Security Council”. Also read: ‘Trump Gaza number one’: US president shares his vision of post-war region, with Netanyahu chilling by pool Lacroix’s visit to Delhi coincided with the inaugural Conference for Women Peacekeepers, attended by representatives from 35 leading Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) from the Global South. The event saw addresses by India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth, Secretary (West) Tanmaya Lal, Indian Army Vice Chief Lt. General NS Raja Subramani, and Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lt. General Rakesh Kapoor. Women peacekeepers also met with President Droupadi Murmu during the visit. India has long been a key pillar of UN peacekeeping, deploying nearly 300,000 troops across over 50 UN missions since the 1950s. Currently, over 5,000 Indian troops serve in 9 of the 11 active UN peacekeeping missions, including high-risk conflict zones. India has lost 180 peacekeepers in service of global peace, making the highest sacrifice among all troop-contributing nations. India has also led the way in deploying women to UN missions, starting as early as the 1960s. Dr. Kiran Bedi broke ground as the first woman UN Police Advisor from 2003 to 2005. In 2007, India made history by sending an all-female Formed Police Unit (FPU) to Liberia, which served until 2016. Presently, 154 Indian women in uniform contribute to UN missions, including three Female Engagement Teams in Abyei, Congo, and South Sudan. Major Suman Gawani (2019) and Major Radhika Sen (2023) have been recognised with the UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award for their exceptional work. Also read | Trump to sell $5 million 'gold cards', offering rich foreigners US residency and citizenship Beyond troop contributions, India has spearheaded peacekeeping innovations, such as donating 200,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses for UN peacekeepers globally, creating the UNITE AWARE platform to boost situational awareness, and championing the UN Peacekeepers’ Memorial Wall, a proposal backed by an unprecedented 190 co-sponsoring nations at the United Nations. The Centre for UN Peacekeeping (CUNPK) in India, a UN-accredited training hub, has prepared over 2,000 officers from 96 countries for service.

Indian UN peacekeepers stood the ground in Congo: UN Peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix

India at the UN said that the COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted initiatives that contribute to peacebuilding and exacerbated conflict situations, stressing that some conflict actors are exploiting the current uncertain climate to press their agendas through misinformation and even sponsor opportunistic terrorist attacks.

"We are in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic that has caused global disruption on a scale that has not been experienced before by this generation," India said in a statement to the High-Level open debate of the UN Security Council on 'Pandemics and the Challenges of Sustaining Peace' on Wednesday.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/have-been-brought-to-our-knees-by-coronavirus-says-united-nations-314360">Have been 'brought to our knees' by coronavirus, says United Nations</a>

The pandemic has "impacted adversely almost all initiatives which usually go on to contribute to peacebuilding. In some ways, it has served to exacerbate conflict situations to the extent that we now have to tackle more strife and conflict as well as a growing humanitarian crisis rather than address some of the other important issues relating to peacebuilding,"&nbsp;India said.

"This is where our current challenge lies. How do we prioritize between various needs."

India recalled that UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres had outlined several trends related to the pandemic with implications for conflict prevention, including erosion of trust in public institutions and rise in societal tensions associated with national government's response measures.

"Some conflict actors are also exploiting the current climate of uncertainty to press their agendas, including through spread of misinformation to foment discord and violence and even sponsor opportunistic terrorist attacks,"&nbsp;India said.

India further stressed that peacebuilders must mobilize to identify and counter misinformation.

"Community engagement and effective communication are critical to combat the 'infodemic' of false information that often drives fear and division,"&nbsp;the statement said.

In the context of the pandemic, India suggested that the immediate focus of the international community should be on ensuring that the humanitarian needs of the community which are in a conflict are met so that lack of availability of minimum needs itself does not become a matter of greater conflict.

"National governments should support and engage local peacebuilders to help design and lead COVID-19 sensitization and response efforts to help mitigate further conflict, prevent violence, adapt and sustain peace processes, and rebuild social cohesion," India, among the largest Troop Contributing Countries to the UN peacekeeping operations, suggested.

India also called for donors and international organizations to sustain financial support to and partnership with local peacebuilders during the crisis, adding that they should also provide flexibility for rapid program re-design, as well as re-direction of resources to respond to emergency situations.

In his remarks, Guterres said the international community's responses to the pandemic must be conflict-sensitive, starting with a multidimensional analysis that looks at how the pandemic affects underlying risks that drive conflict. 
India underlined that if peacebuilding has to endure then it should rest on institutions and not on individuals.

"It is only when institutions are strong can other factors, like addressing equitably the needs of the conflicted communities and strengthening of human rights, can be effective."

India stressed that need of the hour is human-centered and cooperative approaches, which are at the core of peacebuilding work. "We also need resilience approaches that can enhance local capacities, skills, and attributes, and enable communities to not just "bounce back"&nbsp;but "build back better".

"These locally owned, conflict-sensitive, gender-sensitive and trauma-informed peacebuilding approaches are highly cost-effective and sustainable. They must not be sacrificed due to short-term reallocation of funds to what is deemed as 'immediate' pandemic responses. Short- and long-term responses to COVID-19 must be aligned."

As the world grapples with the pandemic, India said it is equally essential to ensure performance in peacekeeping. 
"Troop Contributing Countries should entail adherence to training plans, including pre-deployment and in mission training, so that key mission tasks are not left to 'learning on the job'."

Underscoring that ensuring women's participation in peacebuilding is not only a matter of women's and girls' rights, India said women are crucial partners in shoring up three pillars of lasting peace: economic recovery, social cohesion and political legitimacy.

"Gender capacity should be deployed in peacebuilding initiatives, gender-responsive analysis of key issues mainstreamed across mediation work and gender-inclusive language incorporated in peace agreements."

India noted that national efforts at peacebuilding and addressing the various facets of peacebuilding have been "weakened" since national resources are being diverted to tackle more immediate humanitarian issues of life and death and the scope for finding innovative solutions have also shrunk.

"While we are still in the early stages of adapting to the new reality of peacebuilding during a global pandemic, we must build back better to regain stability and spur peace and prosperity in a world that is perhaps changed forever,"&nbsp;India said.

India at the UN said that the COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted initiatives that contribute to peacebuilding and exacerbated conflict situations, stressing that some conflict actors are exploiting the current uncertain climate to press their agendas through misinformation and even sponsor opportunistic terrorist attacks.

India at the UN said that the COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted initiatives that contribute to peacebuilding and exacerbated conflict situations, stressing that some conflict actors are exploiting the current uncertain climate to press their agendas through misinformation and even sponsor opportunistic terrorist attacks. "We are in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic that has caused global disruption on a scale that has not been experienced before by this generation," India said in a statement to the High-Level open debate of the UN Security Council on 'Pandemics and the Challenges of Sustaining Peace' on Wednesday. Also read | Have been 'brought to our knees' by coronavirus, says United Nations The pandemic has "impacted adversely almost all initiatives which usually go on to contribute to peacebuilding. In some ways, it has served to exacerbate conflict situations to the extent that we now have to tackle more strife and conflict as well as a growing humanitarian crisis rather than address some of the other important issues relating to peacebuilding," India said. "This is where our current challenge lies. How do we prioritize between various needs." India recalled that UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres had outlined several trends related to the pandemic with implications for conflict prevention, including erosion of trust in public institutions and rise in societal tensions associated with national government's response measures. "Some conflict actors are also exploiting the current climate of uncertainty to press their agendas, including through spread of misinformation to foment discord and violence and even sponsor opportunistic terrorist attacks," India said. India further stressed that peacebuilders must mobilize to identify and counter misinformation. "Community engagement and effective communication are critical to combat the 'infodemic' of false information that often drives fear and division," the statement said. In the context of the pandemic, India suggested that the immediate focus of the international community should be on ensuring that the humanitarian needs of the community which are in a conflict are met so that lack of availability of minimum needs itself does not become a matter of greater conflict. "National governments should support and engage local peacebuilders to help design and lead COVID-19 sensitization and response efforts to help mitigate further conflict, prevent violence, adapt and sustain peace processes, and rebuild social cohesion," India, among the largest Troop Contributing Countries to the UN peacekeeping operations, suggested. India also called for donors and international organizations to sustain financial support to and partnership with local peacebuilders during the crisis, adding that they should also provide flexibility for rapid program re-design, as well as re-direction of resources to respond to emergency situations. In his remarks, Guterres said the international community's responses to the pandemic must be conflict-sensitive, starting with a multidimensional analysis that looks at how the pandemic affects underlying risks that drive conflict. India underlined that if peacebuilding has to endure then it should rest on institutions and not on individuals. "It is only when institutions are strong can other factors, like addressing equitably the needs of the conflicted communities and strengthening of human rights, can be effective." India stressed that need of the hour is human-centered and cooperative approaches, which are at the core of peacebuilding work. "We also need resilience approaches that can enhance local capacities, skills, and attributes, and enable communities to not just "bounce back" but "build back better". "These locally owned, conflict-sensitive, gender-sensitive and trauma-informed peacebuilding approaches are highly cost-effective and sustainable. They must not be sacrificed due to short-term reallocation of funds to what is deemed as 'immediate' pandemic responses. Short- and long-term responses to COVID-19 must be aligned." As the world grapples with the pandemic, India said it is equally essential to ensure performance in peacekeeping. "Troop Contributing Countries should entail adherence to training plans, including pre-deployment and in mission training, so that key mission tasks are not left to 'learning on the job'." Underscoring that ensuring women's participation in peacebuilding is not only a matter of women's and girls' rights, India said women are crucial partners in shoring up three pillars of lasting peace: economic recovery, social cohesion and political legitimacy. "Gender capacity should be deployed in peacebuilding initiatives, gender-responsive analysis of key issues mainstreamed across mediation work and gender-inclusive language incorporated in peace agreements." India noted that national efforts at peacebuilding and addressing the various facets of peacebuilding have been "weakened" since national resources are being diverted to tackle more immediate humanitarian issues of life and death and the scope for finding innovative solutions have also shrunk. "While we are still in the early stages of adapting to the new reality of peacebuilding during a global pandemic, we must build back better to regain stability and spur peace and prosperity in a world that is perhaps changed forever," India said.

Conflict actors exploiting current uncertain climate through misinformation: India at UN

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Indian UN peacekeepers stood the ground in Congo: UN Peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix

Conflict actors exploiting current uncertain climate through misinformation: India at UN