Uruguay celebrates 25 years of uninterrupted presence in the Congo
The objective of the countries that make up the United Nations (UN) to maintain peace is a State policy that is rooted in Uruguay, said the Minister of National Defense, Armando Castaingdebat, in a meeting with the UN and the Foreign Ministry. . The leader reported that 55,000 troops have been deployed in 23 international missions, including personnel from the National Army, Navy and Air Force.
Castaingdebat and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Omar Paganini, participated in the opening of the United Nations Ministerial Meeting on Peacekeeping, which ends today, Wednesday the 11th, and takes place at the Military Institute of Higher Studies, in Montevideo. The aforementioned authorities were accompanied by military authorities, members of the UN and diplomatic representatives.
The purpose of the event, co-organized by Uruguay, Japan and the United Kingdom, with support from Canada, is to promote debate among representatives of various countries about the future of the UN peacekeeping mechanism and its adaptation to new challenges.
Paganini considered that the present is a “transcendent moment for international peace and security, in a context of high volatility, instability and tension on the international stage, which affects the foundations of the multilateral system and the international law that we have built collectively. for almost 80 years.”
He added that, “in this scenario, we need not less but more peacekeeping,” through UN mechanisms. “Adjustments will surely have to be made to make it more efficient and, in some cases, effective. We do not believe that it is time to dispense with or weaken this tool,” he said. “The United Nations peacekeeping system as an instrument of prevention, conflict stabilization and peacebuilding continues to be more valid than ever,” he reaffirmed.
He also recognized the “commendable evolution and adaptive capacity of missions to maintain peace in the face of the explosion of interstate conflicts.” And he continued: “In the face of the most difficult crises, the system has been able to adapt and respond, without abandoning its cardinal principles: consent, impartiality and the use of force in legitimate defense,” which has given it credibility and legitimacy.
PROFESSIONAL QUALITY OF PEACE MISSIONS
Castaingdebat maintained that the objective of the countries that make up the UN to maintain peace is a State policy that is rooted in Uruguay and to which it feels committed.
In addition, he made a historical review of our country’s participation in the United Nations System, whose history dates back to 1952, the year in which Uruguay sent two observers to India and Pakistan. He recalled that, to date, 55,000 troops have been deployed in 23 missions, including personnel from the National Army, Navy and Air Force.
He stated that, currently, Uruguay is the only country on the continent with an infantry battalion on a peace mission. He added that 2024 will mark 25 years of uninterrupted presence in the Congo, a country in which it acts as a reserve force for the protection of civilians.
The minister said he was proud of the professional quality of the personnel deployed and the effort they make to ensure that the vulnerable population in areas of armed conflict where they operate feels protected and cared for.
