Peacekeeping operations: Sri Lanka continues to demand justice from UN

The United Nations, whose sprawling bureaucracy is largely known to move at the pace of a paralytic snail, came under fire last week when Sri Lanka accused the Secretariat of being lethargically unresponsive to some of the key issues -- over the forced scaling down of its peacekeeping troops -- outlined in a letter sent to the UN nearly a month ago.

Addressing the UN’s Administrative and Budgetary Committee, Sri Lankan delegate Sithara Khan said: “My delegation is bringing these issues to light having been unfairly subjected to a procedure of a dubious nature by the Secretariat with the Department of Peace Operations (DPO).”

She pointed out that the DPO, in its process of unilaterally deciding punitive action, violated a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a sovereign country, while challenging the decision of a Head of State.

“Further, it is also extremely regrettable that the Secretariat to date has failed to formally reply the written communications addressed on the relevant aspects of the matter for over a month. It is basic and important to have formal communications in order to avert confusion and misunderstanding on information provided verbally. We must ensure that such a misplaced process should not be allowed to be systematised, in order for professional ethics of the organisation to be secured,” she declared.

“Further, despite being a regular contributor to the UN Peacekeeping Operations budget since 1960, Sri Lanka wishes to seek clarity on the possibility of a Member State scaling down the related financial contribution commensurate to the curtailment of its deployment, that too which has been initiated by the Secretariat in violation of the related MoU.”

Referring to the UN’s current financial crisis, which has threatened to bring the Organisation to a near standstill because of non-payment of dues by more than 60 member states, Ms Khan said that Sri Lanka for its part has discharged its financial obligations in paying its assessments to date, despite many domestic priorities.

Currently Sri Lanka has a total of 651 troops in peacekeeping missions overseas as against the top three troop contributors: Ethiopia 7,052 troops, Bangladesh 6,411 and India 6,173.

In September, the UN suspended future Sri Lankan troop deployments on peacekeeping operations after the President appointed Lt Gen Shavendra Silva as the Army Commander.

The UN expressed its concern to the Sri Lankan Government over the appointment, “despite well-documented, credible allegations of his involvement in serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law,” UN spokesman Farhan Haq said in New York at the time.

The UN DPO therefore decided to suspend future Sri Lankan army deployments except where suspension would expose UN operations to serious operational risk.