Statement by Mr. TERADA Tatsuro, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations, at the General Debate of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (C34)

Mr. Chairman,
 
          I would like to express my appreciation for your leadership in convening this general debate. My delegation stands ready to cooperate with you in our role as Vice-Chair of this Special Committee.
 
          In the upcoming discussions in the C34, Japan would like to highlight two issues: (1) “medical care”, and (2) “partnerships for training and capacity-building”.
 
Medical Care
          Japan welcomes the efforts of the Secretariat to improve medical care, particularly through training and capacity-building. For example, the UN Buddy First Aid course launched in 2018 helps all peacekeeping personnel acquire essential first aid skills.
          In addition, we welcome the successful completion of the first pilot training of the UN Field Medical Assistance course in Uganda under the Triangular Partnership Project. Through this pilot training, 29 peacekeepers from UNMISS and MONUSCO acquired necessary skills to provide prehospital medical care, which is critical to increasing the survivability of casualties.
          Japan hopes that the Secretariat will continue its effort on medical training courses such as the Buddy First Aid course, the Field Medical Assistant course, and the Advanced Trauma Life Support training, to ensure that peacekeepers can acquire necessary lifesaving skills. We encourage Member States to send qualified trainees to these courses and provide financial assistance.
 
Partnership
          As a second point, I would like to highlight two approaches to facilitating partnerships for the better delivery of peacekeeping training: triangular partnerships and the light coordination mechanism.
          The UN Triangular Partnership Project has trained more than 400 uniformed engineers from African and Asia Pacific TCCs and about 6,000 uniformed signal personnel to date.
          Japan hopes that the Secretariat will further utilize triangular partnerships, and encourages Member States to participate in the Triangular Partnership Project by sending trainers or trainees and by providing financial and equipment contributions.
 
          While triangular partnerships emphasize the role of the Secretariat as a training designer, the light coordination mechanism enhances the effectiveness of training and capacity-building in a bilateral context.
          We welcome the operationalization of this mechanism and hope that it will be utilized to better match the training needs of T and PCCs with the specific expertise of Member States who are willing to provide support.
 
Closing
          Before closing my remarks, I would like to emphasize that the success of this year’s C34 negotiation is critical for our efforts toward peacekeeping reform and the C34 itself.
          Japan welcomes the achievement in the intersessional discussions, especially on the structure of the report. We are glad to see general agreement by C34 Member States on the new structure, which was synergized with the A4P Declaration of Shared Commitments. The implementation of peacekeeping reform through A4P is imperative for both the Secretariat and Member States. The new structure will facilitate our efforts to achieve improvements on the ground through the A4P initiative.
          It is every Member State’s responsibility to make its utmost effort to demonstrate the solidarity of the C34. I hope the C34 will be able to show unity and produce a consensus outcome. As a Bureau member and Regional Coordinator, Japan will make every effort to achieve this goal in collaboration with other Member States.
 
          I thank you, Mr. Chairman.