United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres briefs journalists on his upcoming trip to the Central African Republic, at the UN headquarters in New York, Oct. 18, 2017. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will travel to the Central African Republic (CAR) next week to visit the peacekeepers there as a gesture to solute the blue helmets around the world. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)
by William M. Reilly
UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday he was going to visit the violence-wracked Central African Republic (CAR) where 12 blue helmets have been killed this year.
"I will travel to the CAR early next week to spend UN Day with a peacekeeping operation in order to pay tribute to peacekeepers across the world," he told reporters at UN Headquarters.
Twelve peacekeepers and as many humanitarian workers were killed this year in the CAR, Guterres said while globally 67 peacekeepers have died in the line of duty in 2017.
"Peacekeeping operations are among the international community's most effective tools for meeting the challenges of global peace and security. Peacekeepers show tremendous courage in volatile environments, and great dedication in helping countries rise from the depths of armed conflict," he said.
Guterres' visit to the CAR carries two seemingly contradictory gestures: to solute the blue helmets for their contributions to peace, and in the meanwhile, "to give impetus to the new United Nations approach to addressing and preventing sexual exploitation and abuse (by peacekeepers)."
Reports of sexual exploitation and abuse have been rocking UN peacekeeping forces, leading to a newly designed zero-tolerance policy and repatriation of individuals and even units charged with such crimes against civilians, notably in the CAR.
"We know that the good work and the tremendous sacrifice of peacekeepers around the world has been tarnished by the appalling acts of some UN personnel who have harmed the people they were meant to serve," the UN chief said. "I am pained that some peacekeepers are alleged to have committed egregious acts of sexual exploitation and abuse against the people of the CAR."
Guterres said that Jane Connors, recently appointed rights advocate for victims of sexual exploitation and abuse, would accompany him on the trip.
"We are determined to ensure that the voices of victims are heard -- I will myself be ready to meet with victims and their families -- in and beyond the Central African Republic," he said. "Victims must be at the center of our response if we want our zero-tolerance policy to be successful."
He was referring to a new global compact launched on the sidelines of this year's General Debate of the UN General Assembly with the aim to engage world leaders, nongovernmental organizations and the civil society in tackling the "black mark" on the record of UN peacekeeping.
Guterres said Wednesday that the new initiative has gained support. A total of 72 countries have signed up to this compact, 19 are seriously considering to do so, and 57 heads of state have joined a "circle of leadership" on the issue of sexual exploitation and abuse, he said.
"It will take time and a lot has to be done. But we are totally committed to this policy (of zero tolerance) and to achieve results."
Guterres expressed concern over the situation in the CAR. "The situation remains very troubling," the UN chief said. "My visit also aims to draw attention to a fragile situation that is often far from the media spotlight. Across the country, communal tensions are growing. Violence is spreading. And the humanitarian situation is deteriorating."
Since the beginning of this year, the number of internally displaced persons has almost doubled in the CAR, reaching 600,000, and the number of refugees in neighboring countries has surpassed half a million, he noted.
About one out of four people in the Central African Republic have been forced from their homes since the beginning of the crisis. Despite rising needs for humanitarian assistance, aid workers are being targeted and access restricted, he said. This year alone, 12 humanitarians have been killed in the Central African Republic, making it one of the world's most dangerous places for aid workers to serve, he said.
At the same time, UN appeals for emergency aid are only 30 percent funded, he warned.
Guterres said he had asked the Security Council to increase the ceiling of troops in the CAR and to boost their capacity, mobility and ability to address the very dramatic challenges they face.
The world organization, under pressure from the United States, its biggest contributor, has been ending some peacekeeping operations and Guterres said he was convinced that there will be a very positive understanding of all the members of the Security Council, including the United States, in relation to the troops surge in the CAR.
"My upcoming visit will be an opportunity to engage with the government and others in order to ease suffering, halt the current backsliding, and strengthen international support for peace," Guterres said.
During his visit, the UN head will spend the United Nations Day, which falls on Oct. 24, with peacekeepers in the CAR.
The CAR has been in civil war since 2012, which is being fought along religious and ethnic lines.
