NEW YORK, (DNA) – Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi today participated in the High Level Event on Action for Peacekeeping (A4P), hosted by the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Speaking on the occasion, the Foreign Minister paid tribute to peacekeepers who were serving in volatile environments to complete their mandates.  He also highlighted that Pakistan, as a top troop contributing country to UN peacekeeping, had provided over 200,000 troops in 46 peacekeeping mission since 1960s, 156 of our bravest had given the ultimate sacrifice for the cause of peace.

Welcoming SG’s initiative for its comprehensive and inclusive approach, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi cautioned that it was vital to maintain a balance between various components of peacekeeping missions.

Ensuring effective implementation in letter and spirit of the initiative was also necessary for achieving desired effects on ground. He also emphasized the importance of rationalizing and prioritizing mandates of peacekeeping missions.

He assured that Pakistan would always be supportive of efforts to improve peacekeeping performance. Pakistan was first country to endorse the declaration, something that had been specifically appreciated and acknowledged by the Secretary General.

The A4P initiative aims at addressing strategic and operational challenges faced by contemporary peacekeeping.

A Declaration of Shared Commitments was formally adopted at the event by member states. In the Declaration, all  stakeholders of UN peacekeeping; UN Secretariat, Security Council, General Assembly, troop and police contributing countries (TCCs) ,host states, financial contributors, and regional organizations committed to acknowledge and fulfill their respective roles for the success of peacekeeping missions.=DNA

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