The General Assembly,
Recalling its resolution 2006 (XIX) of 18 February 1965
and all other relevant resolutions,
Recalling, in particular, its resolutions 48/42 and 48/43
of 10 December 1993,
Welcoming the progress made by the Special Committee on
Peace-keeping Operations during its recent sessions,
Convinced that peace-keeping operations constitute a considerable
part of the efforts by the United Nations to maintain international
peace and security and to enhance the effectiveness of the United
Nations in this regard,
Recognizing that the peacemaking activities of the Secretary-General
and of organs of the United Nations, which are actions to bring
hostile parties to agreement essentially through peaceful means
such as those foreseen in Chapter VI of the Charter of the United
Nations, constitute an essential function of the United Nations
and are among the important means for the prevention, containment
and resolution of disputes, the continuance of which is likely
to endanger the maintenance of international peace and security,
Taking note of the statements of the President of the Security
Council of 3 May and 4 November 1994 and, in particular, welcoming
the improvements in respect of consultations with troop-contributing
countries reported therein,
Bearing in mind that the increase in activities in the
field of United Nations peace-keeping requires both increasing
and better managed human, financial and material resources for
the Organization,
Taking note also of the report of the Secretary-General
on the work of the Organization, having examined the report of
the Special Committee on Peace-keeping Operations, and taking
note further of the report of the Secretary-General and the statement
of the President of the Security Council of 27 July 1994 concerning
stand-by peace-keeping arrangements,
Noting the various proposals and ideas regarding United
Nations peace- keeping put forward during the general debate at
its forty-ninth session,
Noting also the existence of humanitarian activities in
support of certain United Nations peace-keeping operations and
the usefulness of bilateral arrangements between concerned Member
States for consultations on providing legal protection to the
personnel participating in such activities,
1. Welcomes the report of the Special Committee on Peace-keeping
Operations;
2. Emphasizes that respect for the principles of sovereignty,
territorial integrity and political independence of States and
non- intervention in matters that are essentially within the domestic
jurisdiction of any State is crucial to common efforts, including
peace-keeping operations, to promote international peace and security;
3. Stresses the need to address effectively the underlying
causes of conflict;
4. Also stresses that peace-keeping operations contribute
to, but are not a substitute for, political settlement of disputes
and should be preceded and accompanied, as appropriate, by the
use of all possible means for the peaceful settlement of disputes
in accordance with the provisions of the Charter of the United
Nations, and urges parties involved in long-standing operations
to find political solutions to outstanding disputes;
5. Expresses its belief that it is of paramount importance
that there be a clear and precise formulation of the mandate of
peace-keeping operations, based on a comprehensive analysis and
assessment of the situation on the ground by the Secretary-General
and the Security Council and incorporating objectives achievable
within a clear time-frame, which objectives should contribute
to a political solution and are clearly related to the availability
of the resources essential for their implementation;
6. Underlines the importance of considering, on a case-by-case
basis, the establishment of demilitarized zones and the use of
preventive deployment of troops, as indicated its resolution 47/120
B of 20 September 1993;
7. Stresses the importance, taking into account the principles
that have guided peace-keeping operations and the increasingly
complex nature of those operations, of the elaboration of a set
of principles and guidelines, and the need to consider on a case-by-case
basis the coordination between political, military, civilian and
humanitarian aspects, as well as the need for United Nations peace-keeping
operations to continue to fulfil their mandates impartially, and
requests the Secretary-General, in consultation with Member States,
to develop further common definitions of terms used in peace-
keeping and related activities;
8. Stresses that, while the Security Council bears primary
responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and
security, the Charter also provides for General Assembly functions
and powers in this regard and that, in addition to its responsibility
for financing peace-keeping operations, the Assembly could, inter
alia, recommend, in accordance with relevant articles of Chapter
IV of the Charter, principles and guidelines for the conduct of
peace-keeping operations, for their effective management and,
consistent with the Charter, for encouraging support of their
mandates;
9. Notes that the views of troop-contributing countries
are of critical importance, and calls for enhanced arrangements
for consultations and exchange of information with troop-contributing
countries regarding peace- keeping operations, including their
planning, management and coordination, throughout the duration
of those operations;
10. Welcomes the recent practice of members of the Security
Council, including its President, of attending meetings between
the Secretariat and troop-contributing countries, agrees with
the Secretary-General that this constitutes a step towards the
development of improved mechanisms for effective consultation,
and considers that such consultations are particularly important
when the Council is considering changes to or significant extensions
of the mandates of existing missions;
11. Also welcomes the statement of the President of the
Security Council of 4 November 1994 on consultations between members
of the Council, troop-contributing countries and the Secretariat;
12. Notes the important role played by countries of the
region concerned in supporting peace-keeping operations, welcomes
the recognition, in the statement of the President of the Security
Council of 4 November 1994, of the practice of informal communication
between the President of the Council or Council members and non-members,
and encourages the inclusion of countries of the region concerned,
on a case-by-case basis, in those communications when they relate
to decisions regarding a peace-keeping operation that may affect
them directly;
13. Recommends the regular transmission of situation reports
to troop- contributing countries, members of the Security Council
and, where possible, other Member States, on all peace-keeping
operations;
14. Requests the Secretary-General, once again, to provide
periodically to Member States analytic reports on the performance
of all peace-keeping operations;
15. Takes note of the progress report of the Secretary-General
on the start-up phase of the in-depth evaluation of peace-keeping,
and expresses its belief that a continuing process of in-depth
evaluation of various phases and aspects of peace-keeping operations
is important to the deliberations on improving the capacity of
the United Nations for peace-keeping;
16. Stresses the need for a unified and well-defined
United Nations command and control structure, incorporating a
clear delineation of functions between United Nations Headquarters
and the field, and notes that while operational matters should
essentially be the responsibility of the Force Commander, Headquarters
is responsible for overall control and political direction;
17. Confirms, as a leading principle, that a peace-keeping
operation should be under the operational control of the United
Nations in accordance with its mandate, taking into account the
intended tasks of the unit provided and according to the agreement
between the Secretary-General and the troop- contributing countries,
and that the appropriate channel for raising specific national
concerns regarding the course of actions pursued in an operation
is through Headquarters;
18. Also stresses the need for effective coordination between
the field headquarters and contingent commanders on issues affecting
the planning and management of a peace-keeping operation;
19. Urges that immediate steps be taken to strengthen current
arrangements in the United Nations for political direction, military
command and control and consultations, as well as to improve coordination,
when required, with the humanitarian and other civilian aspects
of peace-keeping operations, both at Headquarters and in the field;
20. Reaffirms that the financing of peace-keeping operations
is the collective responsibility of all Member States in accordance
with Article 17, paragraph 2, of the Charter, and reiterates its
call upon all Member States to pay their assessed contributions
in full and on time, commends those Members States which have
offered voluntary contributions in addition to their assessed
ones, and encourages other Member States, including those directly
concerned in a dispute that has resulted in deployment of a peace-keeping
operation, to do the same, including contributions in kind, in
accordance with their financial capacity and the Financial Regulations
and Rules of the United Nations;
21. Expresses deep concern about the adverse effect that
the deteriorating financial situation has on the reimbursement
of troop contributors, many of which are developing countries,
placing an additional burden on all troop-contributing countries
and putting at risk the continuing supply of troops to United
Nations peace-keeping operations and, consequently, the effective
implementation of the mandates;
22. Takes note of the important proposals on rationalization
of the budgetary process contained in section V of the report
of the Secretary- General on improving the capacity of the United
Nations for peace-keeping and the proposals in the report of the
Secretary-General on the effective planning, budgeting and administration
of peace-keeping operations;
23. Recommends that decisions on the allocation of additional
resources for peace-keeping operations should be taken without
prejudice to decisions on the allocation of future resources intended
for international cooperation for development;
24. Calls for a better mechanism of financial control,
including reinforcement of audit and inspection mechanisms, and
recalls its establishment of the Office of Internal Oversight
Services in resolution 48/218 B of 29 July 1994;
25. Stresses the need to delegate the appropriate degree
of financial and administrative authority to Force Commanders
or Special Representatives, while ensuring that measures relating
to responsibility and accountability are strengthened in order
to increase the capacity of missions to adjust to new situations
and specific requirements;
26. Requests the Secretary-General to continue his consultations
with Member States with a view to concluding, as soon as possible,
his current review of the rates of reimbursement for depreciation
of contingent-owned equipment deployed at the request of the United
Nations and to report thereon to the General Assembly;
27. Stresses the importance attached to the ongoing review
of current arrangements for compensation for death, injury or
illness attributable to peace-keeping service, intended to develop
equitable arrangements, takes note of the report of the Secretary-General
in this regard, and encourages appropriate forums to consider
this matter on an urgent basis;
28. Welcomes the work of the Stand-by Forces Unit of
the Planning Division of the Department of Peace-keeping Operations
of the Secretariat and notes that some Member States have made
commitments to the Secretary-General in this regard, looks forward
to the completion of the compilation of lists of units, forces,
capabilities or resources that Member States would in principle
be prepared to put at the disposal of the United Nations on a
case-by-case basis, subject to the agreement of the Government
concerned, and recommends that the list be periodically updated
and brought to the attention of Member States;
29. Recognizes the need to enhance the United Nations logistics
capability, considers that a first step is the operational support
manual for all areas of logistics support, and in this connection
looks forward to the completion and issue of all chapters of that
manual to troop contributors;
30. Considers that all the implications of creating limited
stockpiles of equipment should be examined in the appropriate
bodies of the United Nations;
31. Notes the growing weight of the civilian component
in peace- keeping operations, requests, in this respect, the Secretary-General
to develop a proposal for regularly updated data banks recording
the type and availability of resources that Member States could
provide, at the request of the United Nations, for civilian duties,
and encourages the Secretary-General to continue his efforts to
include civilian personnel, such as police, in the current stand-by
arrangements and planning;
32. Urges the Secretary-General to consider the endowment
of a memorial medal honouring civilian participants in order to
encourage their activities;
33. Encourages the Secretary-General to continue with
his plans to strengthen the Department of Peace-keeping Operations,
in order to ensure the best structure and capacity for successfully
managing such operations, bearing in mind the need to give due
regard to the principle of equitable geographical representation,
and notes the organizational approach of the Secretary-General
as set out in his report on improving the capacity of the United
Nations for peace-keeping;
34. Welcomes the creation of a Policy and Analysis Unit
and a Planning Division within the Department of Peace-keeping
Operations, and considers that those units should be further developed
to improve the capacity of the United Nations to manage peace-keeping;
35. Considers it important that Force Commanders and other
key personnel be associated with the planning of peace-keeping
operations from the outset and that they should, where feasible,
participate in preparatory technical missions to the field, which
should be designed with clear terms of reference, and also considers
that deployment of some of the members of technical missions to
the field at an early stage of an operation is useful;
36. Requests the Secretary-General to strengthen further
the civilian police function within the Department of Peace-keeping
Operations, with particular attention to planning, training, logistical
support and standardized doctrine and procedures, noting, in this
connection, the views expressed in his progress report on the
start-up phase of the in-depth evaluation of peace-keeping;
37. Requests the Secretariat immediately to make all necessary
arrangements for the updating and reissue of The Blue Helmets
in 1995;
38. Stresses the need for security of personnel to be
an integral part of the planning of any peace-keeping operation,
and stresses also that appropriate measures should be taken to
ensure their safety and security;
39. Welcomes the adoption by the Sixth Committee of the
Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel;
40. Recognizes that overall responsibility for the safety
and security of the members of a peace-keeping operation lies
with the Secretary-General, who also has to follow the development
of the situation, make timely adjustments in the safety and security
arrangements when the situation so requires and cooperate closely
with troop-contributing countries and the Security Council in
this regard, and urges the Secretary-General to initiate a dialogue
with Member States on possible additional safety measures that
can be taken in situations where current measures are deemed inadequate;
41. Requests the Secretary-General to keep troop-contributing
countries and the members of the Security Council informed as
appropriate on evacuation plans and arrangements;
42. Urges the Secretary-General to strengthen the Office
of the United Nations Security Coordinator, within existing resources,
in order to facilitate better coordination to ensure the security
of the personnel participating in peace-keeping operations;
43. Notes the importance of concluding arrangements
between the United Nations and troop contributing countries before
deployment occurs, and stresses that, as far as possible, those
arrangements should be along the lines of the model agreement
outlined in the report of the Secretary-General of 23 May 1991;
44. Stresses the need for the United Nations to adopt
a more proactive approach to public information policy for peace-keeping
operations, to keep local populations informed of the nature of
United Nations operations, with a view, inter alia, to facilitating
constructive communication between the parties to provide, where
possible, troop-contributing countries with materials on peace-keeping
operations that may assist them in their domestic public information
efforts and to provide the international media with objective
information so as to promote a more accurate understanding of
United Nations actions, and encourages the Committee on Information
to review ways to strengthen public information activities in
support of peace-keeping;
45. Requests the Secretary-General to improve support for
the planning and implementation of public affairs programmes in
peace-keeping missions, including their print and broadcast needs,
and, drawing upon the experience of the United Nations and national
expertise, to develop programmes and materials to train public
affairs officers;
46. Also requests the Secretary-General to train Headquarters
and mission staff in dealing with the media, in presenting the
case for a peace- keeping operation and commenting on it as it
progresses;
47. Recognizes that, while the training of personnel
for peace-keeping operations is essentially the responsibility
of Member States, the United Nations should establish basic guidelines
and performance standards and provide descriptive materials;
48. Welcomes the efforts of the Secretary-General to develop
manuals, including a curriculum module, and a programme of correspondence
instruction which will enable Member States to train personnel
provided for United Nations peace-keeping operations in a standardized
and cost-effective manner in accordance with agreed common standards,
skills, practices and procedures, and looks forward to those manuals
and other materials being made available to Member States;
49. Requests the Secretary-General to investigate the means
to strengthen the leadership cadre available for peace-keeping,
inter alia, by coordinating relevant training for potential Force
Commanders and other senior military and civilian personnel for
peace-keeping leadership and management duties;
50. Also requests the Secretary-General to establish, on
a trial basis, a peace-keeping training coordination programme;
such a programme, administered by the United Nations, could include
training-the-trainer workshops, specialized training in community
relations and conflict resolution, arrangements to organize and
rapidly dispatch training teams, at the request of Member States,
to assist in national training efforts, seminars in mission management
and short orientation courses at Headquarters or in the field
for staff officers before deployment to a new mission;
51. Encourages Member States that have peace-keeping training
programmes to share information and experience and, if requested,
to enable personnel from other Member States to participate in
the work of national staff colleges to help in the development
of training programmes and to receive personnel from other Member
States interested in such programmes;
52. Encourages the establishment of peace-keeping training
centres, on a national or regional basis as deemed appropriate,
for military and civilian personnel;
53. Recommends that the Training Unit, as the focal point
for peace- keeping training in the Department of Peace-keeping
Operations, act as a coordinating centre on peace-keeping training
matters between the United Nations and national and international
peace-keeping training centres to develop links with counterpart
bodies and to encourage the exchange of training materials with
and between Member States;
54. Encourages Member States to examine the feasibility
of developing, in their regions, small short-term training teams
from Member States experienced in peace-keeping to assist other
Member States;
55. Encourages the Secretary-General to examine the feasibility
of establishing a training advisory group providing a link to
national and regional peace-keeping training institutions to assist
the Department of Peace-keeping Operations in the periodic review
of training requirements;
56. Stresses the need, bearing in mind the provisions
of Chapter VIII of the Charter, to enhance the cooperation and
coordination between the United Nations and those regional arrangements
and organizations able to assist it in its peace-keeping activities
in accordance with their respective mandates, scope and composition,
and encourages the Secretary-General and Member States to consider
ways and means to assist those regional arrangements and organizations
in the activities described above;
57. Notes the recent initiative of the Secretary-General
to convene an informal meeting at Headquarters with representatives
of regional arrangements and organizations and with other intergovernmental
organizations;
58. Also notes the recent work of the Special Committee
on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening
of the Role of the Organization in elaborating the text of the
Declaration on the Enhancement of Cooperation between the United
Nations and Regional Arrangements or Agencies in the Maintenance
of International Peace and Security;
59. Recommends that, should any of the proposals contained
in the present resolution result in budgetary implications for
the biennium 1994- 1995, such additional costs should be accommodated
within the appropriation level approved by the General Assembly
for that biennium;
60. Decides that the Special Committee on Peace-keeping
Operations, in accordance with its mandate, should continue its
efforts for a comprehensive review of the whole question of peace-keeping
operations in all their aspects;
61. Requests the Special Committee on Peace-keeping Operations
to submit a report on its work to the General Assembly at its
fiftieth session;
62. Invites Member States to submit further observations
and suggestions on peace-keeping operations to the Secretary-General
by 1 March 1995, outlining practical proposals on specific items
in order to allow for more detailed consideration by the Special
Committee;
63. Requests the Secretary-General to prepare, within existing
resources, a compilation of the above-mentioned observations and
suggestions and to submit it to the Special Committee by 30 March
1995;
64. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its
fiftieth session the item entitled "Comprehensive review
of the whole question of peace-keeping operations in all their
aspects".
83rd plenary meeting
9 December 1994