OREANDA-NEWS. August 10, 2010. An open UN Security Council meeting on UN peacekeeping was held on August 6 at Russia’s initiative. Many of the Force Commanders of the UN’s missions took part.

The discussion, first organized in such a format, reaffirmed the importance of in-depth military assessment of the steps taken within the framework of UN peacekeeping, and focused on the analysis of the “sore spots” in UN peacekeeping activities and on a quest for concrete ways to improve them.

The problem of insufficient resources for peacekeeping operations was accentuated, especially as it tends to aggravate due to the expanding scope of their tasks, including humanitarian assistance and protection of civilians. Meeting participants expressed a common understanding of the need for adequate training of peacekeeping troops on the basis of uniform standards and coordinated national programs.

The exchange of views confirmed the practical benefits of wider feedback between leaders of peacekeeping missions and members of the UN Security Council and the growing relevance of Russia’s proposal to revitalize the Military Staff Committee, a subsidiary body of the Council envisioned by the Charter of the United Nations.