Ambassador Jinga reiterates at UN Security Council Romania's contribution in peacekeeping operations

Romania's Ambassador to the United Nations Ion Jinga emphasised our country's contribution to the peacekeeping operations and to ensuring the civilians' protection in the armed conflicts, when taking the floor on Tuesday at the UN Security Council on the occasion of the "Civilians protection in armed conflicts" public debate, a release by Romania's Permanent Mission to the UN sent to AGERPRES informs. 

The public debate was organised by the Polish Presidency of the Council, in the presence of Polish diplomacy chief Jacek Czaputowicz. 

Recalling the international community's efforts regarding the protection of civilians in armed conflicts, considering that the year 2019 will mark 20 years since the adoption of the first UN Security Council Resolution on civilians protection (Resolution 1265/1999), the Romanian diplomat expressed concern regarding the aggravation of certain phenomena, such as the multiplication of attacks on schools and hospitals, the limitation of the civilian population's access to humanitarian aid in conflict areas, the urbanisation of conflicts and the worsening of the asymmetrical threats, including the attack of the UN peacekeeping staff missions and the increasing difficulty to distinguish the combatants from the innocent civilians. 

Ambassador Ion Jinga highlighted Romania's contribution to the peacekeeping operations and to ensuring the protection of civilians in the armed conflicts. 

"Romania contributes with troops to the UN peacekeeping operations starting with 1991. Over 12,500 Romanian service persons, police staff and protection personnel have participated in 20 UN missions so far. We are currently present in two-thirds of the UN field missions and will continue to be there. Before sending them to the peacekeeping missions, the Romanian contingents partake in a thorough training programme where the civilians' protection and the human rights observance are paramount topics," Jinga said, according to the release. 

Romania's Permanent Representative to the UN stressed the major importance of preventing conflicts through international cooperation, of observing the humanitarian international law and the human rights, suggesting three main action directions of the int'l community. 

"Firstly, the prevention of the armed conflicts must remain at the core of the international cooperation, and so as to ensure the protection of civilians, we must start from identifying and solving the causes of the conflicts. The political dialogue, reconciliation, the internal and regional security consolidation, the economic relaunch and the social development are as many ways to set up a durable peace climate. Secondly, when the prevention activity fails and we are confronted with the reality of the conflict, ensuring the observance of the international humanitarian law and the human rights has a crucial importance, being the only guarantee that even if at war, human dignity is protected and the conflicting sides will be able to coexist again, once the hostilities end. Thirdly, Romania is strongly advocating the proposal of the UN Secretary General on developing certain national policies to protect civilians in conflicts," the Romanian diplomat added.