UN Peacekeeping Ministers' Meeting Begins Today

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The UN Peacekeeping Ministers' Meeting, hosted by our government, will be held from the 7th. The UN Peacekeeping Ministers' Meeting is one of the largest conferences in the field of UN peace and security, and this is the first time an Asian country is hosting it.

According to the government on the 7th, the '2021 Seoul UN Peacekeeping Ministers' Meeting' will be held over two days targeting foreign and defense ministers from 155 member countries of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (C-34) under the UN General Assembly.

The opening ceremony and Sessions 1 and 2, scheduled for the first day, will be conducted via video conference in the afternoon. At the opening ceremony, UN Secretary-General Ant?nio Guterres will deliver a video message, and Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and Defense Minister Suh Wook will give opening remarks. Three UN Under-Secretaries-General, including Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations (DPO), will also visit Korea to attend the opening ceremony.

Session 1, chaired by Minister Chung Eui-yong, will discuss 'Sustaining Peace.' Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abdul Momen will deliver the keynote speech, and countries such as China, the United Kingdom, and Canada are expected to announce their contribution pledges.

Session 2, with the agenda of 'Partnership, Training, and Capacity Building,' will be chaired by Atul Khare, Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support (DOS), with participation from Japan, Germany, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), among others.

Notably, in Session 2, Minister Suh Wook will deliver the keynote speech and announce Korea's contribution pledges, including the application of Korea's advanced information and communication (IT) technology to UN missions through the 'Smart Camp' and the provision of reconnaissance helicopters to missions based in Africa.

On the 8th, Session 3, with the theme of 'Mission Capability,' and Session 4, focusing on 'Protection and Safety of Civilians,' will be held.

Originally, this meeting was prepared as an in-person conference with delegations from over 100 countries visiting Korea. It was expected to be the largest ministerial-level international conference since the pandemic, but due to the spread of the new COVID-19 variant Omicron, it was switched entirely to a virtual format. This meeting also marks the culmination of this year's government events commemorating the 30th anniversary of Korea's UN membership.

Since joining the UN in September 1991, Korea has steadily contributed to UN peacekeeping operations, starting with the dispatch of the Somalia Engineering Battalion (Sangnoksu Unit) in 1993. Currently, Korea ranks as the 10th largest financial contributor and the 37th largest troop contributor (as of August this year).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.