UNITED NATIONS, May 7 (Xinhua) -- First deputy permanent representative of Russia to the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy on Tuesday said that all specific peacekeeping initiatives must be developed on the basis of consensus and mutual respect.
Speaking at the Security Council open debate on "Investing in Peace: Delivering Quality Training and Capacity Building to Improve Safety and Security and Performance of UN Peacekeepers", the Russian envoy stressed that the issue of training for complex mandates in dangerous conditions cannot be resolved by the United Nations alone, and responsibility also falls upon member states.
Modern realities and needs must determine what kind of peacekeepers are required, taking the needs of troop-contributing countries into account, he added.
Polyanskiy emphasized that the effectiveness and security of missions are not dependent merely on training, but also on how the Council formulates its peacekeeping mandate.
Tasks must be commensurate with capacity, he added, cautioning that the right to use force, among other things, increases the danger to blue helmets, whereas their task is to reduce risk, not increase it.
He also underlined that the Russian Federation cannot support the linking of human rights issues with the protection of civilians since human rights cannot be monitored through the use of force.