Check against delivery
Thank you Chair for convening this important meeting.
We are concerned with the safety and security of our deployed personnel. At the same time we are conscious of the fact that a large percentage of MINUSMA’s troops for this very reason are engaged in force protection tasks rather than performing mandated tasks.
We are also concerned about what seems to be a rather persistent gap in critical capacities. On the personnel side there is arguably a link between the need for robust force protection and the lack of personnel to work the mandate. We need to work better together to find solutions to all current gaps.
We strongly support the work of the Force Generation Service and we will continue to do so. It is our view that the Strategic Force Generation Cell has been instrumental in improving force generation in general and in the progress made so far.
We do however think there is merit in a more open dialogue with current and potential Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) on how to best and most efficiently fill the gaps. A continued focus on strategic but also dynamic force generation is clearly essential.
The UN should also actively explore complimentary force generation mechanisms. We firmly believe that priority should be given to creating more partnerships between TCCs to find burden-sharing solutions.
We would like to highlight the rotational concept that Norway, Portugal, Denmark, Belgium and Sweden have established on C-130 to the mission as an example of such a partnership. These partnerships offer stability and predictability both for the TCCs and for the UN. It is our view that similar solutions should be sought for other capacities as well.
Last but not last - strengthening the safety and security of our personnel is arguably the most important measure to take in order to convince Member States to contribute more troops. We would like ask the UN what measures are currently implemented to improve the safety of our personnel.
To finish off let me reiterate our continued support to the efforts of the Force Generation Service and to our fellow TCCs.
Thank you.