Veleposlanik Ranko Vilovic, privremeni otpravnik poslova Stalne misije RH pri Ujedinjenim narodima, održao je govor na raspravi Vijeca sigurnosti UN-a u svezi poboljšanja medijacije i relevantnih aktivnosti.
Mr. President,
Allow me to begin by thanking Under-Secretary-General Pascoe for introducing the Secretary-General's report which focused our attention on one aspect of the Council's activity which, while frequently present in our discussions, has thus far received relatively little attention on its own merit.
Croatia believes this to be a topic which deserves the attention of the Security Council, to be approached in a coherent and coordinated manner. We are grateful for the Secretary-General's report which extensively examined the challenges faced by the UN and its partners in providing mediation services in both inter- and intra-state conflicts at all stages of the conflict cycle.
While we align ourselves with the statement of the European Union that will be delivered later, allow me to add some further remarks.
As the Report notes, the peaceful settlement of disputes should be seen as one facet of the sovereign responsibility of States. Mediation has rightly been recognized as an efficient and strikingly cost-effective tool that the Security Council has at its disposal in addressing threats to the maintenance of international peace and security. As it is often political issues that lie at the heart of a crisis, the importance of early engagement and preventive diplomacy, including mediation, is even more significant in this period where UN mandated peace-keeping operations have experienced unprecedented demand and strain.
We should not forget that Chapter VI of the UN Charter offers an array of other tools for the peaceful settlement of disputes, namely negotiation, enquiry, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement, resort to regional agencies or arrangements, or other peaceful means of parties' choice. Since every dispute is different, a differentiated, flexible and tailor-made approach is preferable. As a politically-oriented tool, mediation has a strategic place in conflict prevention and resolution. However, this does not diminish the value of other instruments, which should be used judiciously, sometimes in combination with one another, and in a manner which respects the wider normative standards of the UN and promotes the international rule of law.
The Report highlights a number of factors that determine the success of mediation: from deciding on the timing, selecting the right mediator and lead, the structure of the mediation and identifying all relevant interlocutors, to issues of gender balance, managing the spoilers and monitoring the implementation of the negotiated outcome. All these factors need to be taken into account and often cultivated on the system-wide level. Croatia supports the Secretary-General's recommendations aimed at capacity building and addressing the inadequacies that have been identified regarding the UN's ability to carry out mediation.
The establishment of the Mediation Support Unit within the DPA, in response to a growing demand for UN mediation services, should be the platform that we are building upon in developing capacity, both on the national, regional and the UN level, and professionalizing mediation support.
When addressing the role of the Security Council in this context, we should focus on enhancing coordination and the strategic leadership of the Security Council, particularly in situations which involve a multiplicity of actors and mediation issues. The Security Council has a unique leverage derived from its international legitimacy and moral authority, which should be used prudently. It is often critically placed to respond during that decisive and usually very short window of opportunity before a dispute escalates into conflict. It is well placed to address failures in implementation and the problem of spoilers.
That being said, we should acknowledge that, while centrally placed, the Council, nor the UN, does not have a monopoly on mediation. This is why coordination and complementarity of efforts are crucial, both on the system-wide level, as well as in the context of cooperation with regional and sub-regional organizations. Ultimately, the responsibility for peaceful settlement of disputes lies with the parties, which is why building national and local capacity is crucial and should be adequately reflected in the mandates defined by the Security Council.
Finally, at all times we should remain mindful of the fact that the very nature of mediation is such that it commands a degree of discretion and flexibility. A successful mediation process should be able to strike the right balance between public and quiet diplomacy.
Mr. President,
We believe that the text of the Presidential Statement we are about to adopt today aptly reflects the main messages of this debate and it has our support. We see the efforts to enhance mediation and its support activities as part and parcel of the wider effort to strengthen the UN's ability to play its role to the fullest extent in conflict prevention, peacemaking, peacekeeping and peacebuilding, in an integrated and coherent manner.
Thank you, Mr. President.
Priopćenja
