1 October 2015: The UN General Assembly (UNGA) discussed lessons from the experiences of the past 70 years in the area of peace and security and took stock of present challenges, during a high-level thematic debate on ‘Maintenance of International Peace and Security.’ The event also served as part of the commemoration of UN’s 70th anniversary.

The debate took place from 1-2 October 2015, in New York, US, and was opened by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Ban said increasing challenges to international peace and security include new threats, including climate change, cyber-crime and pandemics, and highlighted that, at the same time, long-standing disputes have escalated, armed hostilities are more protracted, violence has erupted in places long considered stable, and non-state extremist and terrorist groups are expanding their reach. Ban noted that a historic record 128,000 individuals are deployed by UN peacekeeping operations and special political missions. He underlined that conflict prevention and the UN Peacebuilding Fund are “chronically under-resourced,” and called on the international community to show stronger support. Ban said the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has strong links to peace and security, including through Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16. The Secretary-General announced that, in the coming months, he will present the UNGA with a plan for strengthening the UN’s efforts to prevent violent extremism.

UNGA President Mogens Lykketoft cautioned that, even though preventing conflict is “the epitome of success and by far the best investment in maintaining peace and security,” investment in conflict prevention is dwarfed by investments in armaments and weapons. On the UN’s efforts, he stressed the need for greater coherence and coordination across the UN’s three pillars – peace, development and human rights – and called for translating the nexus “into action on the ground,” in light of threats to peace and security from extremist groups and other emerging issues. Lykketoft also said he attached particular importance to: protecting women, children and other victims of conflict; addressing the matter of children in armed conflict; preventing large-scale human rights abuses and atrocities before it is too late; and responding to the current refugee crisis.

Lykketoft highlighted the upcoming UNGA debate, on 12 October 2015, to discuss the implementation report of the high-level independent panel on peace operations. He also noted that he will hold a high-level thematic debate of the UNGA, from 10-11 May 2016, on advancing synergies between three ongoing reviews of peacekeeping, peacebuilding architecture, and women, peace and security (specifically, the global study on UN Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security).

Several speakers highlighted the 2030 Agenda’s recognition of the linkages between development and peace and security, welcoming the inclusion of SDG 16. The debate also recognized the impact of conflict on women and girls. Participants also emphasized the importance of conflict prevention, calling for increasing focus on prevention in future efforts. They also drew attention to past and current crises, including the failures in Cambodia and Kosovo and challenges in the Middle East and Syria. Others stressed the failure to globally collectively burden share on an appropriate and proportional basis when refugee crisis arise in any part of the world, urging improved future responses. [UN Press Release] [UN Secretary General Remarks] [UNGA President Remarks] [EU Statement] [US Statement]