Opening remarks by Mr. Kiyohiro ARAKI,
Senior Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs,
at the "Seminar on Safety of UN Peacekeepers and Associated
Personnel Working in Conflict Zones"

March 15, 2001,
at the TAKANAWA Prince Hotel, Tokyo

Ladies and gentlemen,
Distinguished participants,

It is a great pleasure and honor to speak at the outset of this important seminar on the safety of UN peacekeepers and associated personnel working in conflict zones.

I would like first of all to extend a warm welcome to all the distinguished participants, many of whom have traveled great distances to attend this seminar on the safety of UN peacekeepers and associated personnel, an issue of common concern. I also wish to express my deep appreciation to the National Defence College of Sweden as well as to the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Security Coordinator for their cooperation, without which this seminar would not have been possible.

According to UN statistics, since 1948 a total of 1,677 peacekeepers have lost their lives while carrying out their duties. These personnel came from various countries around the world, including Japan. In 1993, a young Japanese UN volunteer and a civilian policeman lost their lives in Cambodia while serving with UNTAC. And in 1998, a prominent young scholar was killed in Tadzhikistan while on duty with UNMOT.

Still fresh in our memory are the heinous attacks last year on UN personnel in Sierra Leone, where approximately 500 peacekeepers were detained and several murdered by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebel group, and in East and West Timor, where two UNTAET peacekeepers and three UNHCR personnel were brutally killed in hostile actions.

The security situation in Sierra Leone and in East Timor appears to have improved somewhat since then, thanks to the tireless efforts of the UN, other international organizations and various governments. However the safety and security of peacekeepers and associated personnel continues to require constant attention. Indeed, the safety of personnel is a precondition for the success of any peacekeeping operation, and so every possible measure must be taken to enhance the safety of personnel in the field. Japan, for its part, has been making great efforts toward this end.

In 1995, Japan became the second state party to the 1994 Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel, the first convention intended to ensure the security of UN personnel and others. We would encourage those countries which have not yet been parties to the Convention, particularly those receiving UN operations in their territories, to do so as soon as possible. I would also like to voice Japan's support for the development of a protocol to that Convention that would extend legal protection to all UN staff engaged in humanitarian operations.

Permit me also to say a word about the Trust Fund for Security of United Nations Personnel, which was established in 1998. My Government, having contributed one million US dollars to the Fund, is gratified to learn that the Security Coordinator has conducted a comprehensive security training programme in such sensitive areas as Afghanistan and Sierra Leone. At the same time, we hope that training efforts will be stepped up, and would urge more members of the international community to support the Trust Fund.

It is against this background that Japan decided to organize this seminar, focusing on both the institutional and human aspects of security in peacekeeping operations. I strongly hope that our discussions here will produce useful ideas and suggestions as to how the safety of UN peacekeepers and associated personnel can be effectively enhanced. I am confident that this seminar can enrich the discussions at other fora.

This seminar is but one in a series initiated by the Swedish National Defence College under the heading "Challenges of Peacekeeping and Peace Support: into the 21st Century". I hope that our discussions here today and tomorrow will be a meaningful contribution to the entire series, which is scheduled to conclude later this year.

In closing, I would like once again to thank those participants joining us from various countries and international organizations. With your active participation, I have no doubt that this two-day discussion will be thought-provoking, insightful and productive.

Thank you very much.