WFMC’s annual Canada and UN Peacekeeping Fact Sheet documents the growing international demand for peacekeepers. According to military expert and WFMC president Walter Dorn, “The government’s rhetoric is encouraging. But the Canadian figures show a level of contribution to peace operations that is virtually unchanged from previous years.”
The United Nations has determined the need for a more coherent, system-wide approach – combining diplomacy, conflict prevention, peace operations and post-conflict peacebuilding. “Sustainable Peace” is the overarching rubric for this more integrated framework for UN operations. According to peacekeeping analyst Peter Langille, “This makes a great deal of sense. The question remains, however, whether governments will invest in strengthening the UN’s capacity to deliver. We’ve been hearing for so long about the potential for renewed mediation capacities, conflict prevention, civilian protection, and other needed reforms. Canada could once again be a leader in this area.”
Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on National Peacekeepers’ Day
Editorial: Peacekeeping is no picnic (Ottawa Citizen, August 5, 2016)
Nature of peacekeeping no longer fits demands of conflict zones: Sajjan (Globe and Mail, August 10, 2016)
Don’t use peacekeeping to win a UN Security Council seat by retired major-general Lewis MacKenzie) (Globe and Mail, August 10, 2016)
- A response to MacKenzie from Roland Paris: Canada and Peacekeeping: Two Misconceptions
What you can do
As World Federalists we support greater contributions by Canada to UN peacekeeping. Many of these articles have been critical of Canada’s anticipated return to UN peacekeeping, or have missed key reasons why UN peacekeeping needs Canada’s support.
We need to join the debate, either through letters to editor, article contributions or simply by posting supportive comments through online networks and social media.
Key points to highlight include:
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