‘Big contributors to peacekeeping missions should have greater say’

Enumerating the dangers posed by such dichotomy, Modi noted that mandates sometimes make peacekeepers party to conflicts, putting at risk their lives and the success of their missions. He was addressing the Leaders’ Summit on Peacekeeping hosted by US President Barack Obama  in New York. “The problems arise to a large extent because troop contributing countries do not have a role in the decision-making process,” he said, adding, “they do not have adequate representation in senior management and as Force Commanders.”

The Prime Minister also made a case for a concerted fight against terrorism in his one-to-one meeting with President Obama. “The Prime Minister said that terrorism is a global phenomenon which impacts every country. No country is immune from the threat of terrorism,” Vikas Swarup, spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs told reporters after the two leaders met at the UN headquarters.

“We ourselves have been battling it for the last four decades. The time has come for the international community to speak in one voice on the issue of terrorism to resolve the long-pending International Convention on Terrorism which has been held up because of the differences on the definition of terrorism,” Swarup quoted Modi, who met Obama for the fifth time in over a year, as saying.

Later speaking at the Leaders’ Summit, Modi said, “Today’s peacekeepers are called upon not only to maintain peace and <g data-gr-id="71">security,</g> but also to address a range of challenges.”The gathering included UN <g data-gr-id="68">Secretary General</g> Ban Ki-moon, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and leaders from other countries.

Underlining the difficult circumstances under which troops have to do their duty, Modi said peacekeepers today are called upon not only to maintain peace and <g data-gr-id="74">security,</g> but also address a range of “complex challenges”. He said India remained committed to the peacekeeping efforts and announced contribution of one additional battalion of Indian troops comprising 850 soldiers, three police units with a higher representation of women peacekeepers. See pg11