MINISTER for Defence, National Security and Foreign Affairs Inia Seruiratu is expected to reaffirm Fiji’s ongoing commitment to the United Nations Peacekeeping.
He will also be having meetings with the United Nations(UN) officials and Fiji’s partners in order to strengthen Fiji’s peacekeeping capabilities and capacity, where Fiji’s UN Peacekeepers are deployed.
Mr Seruiratu is in New York to attend the United Nations Ministerial Peacekeeping Conference that commenced today.
He will also be delivering a keynote address in a peacekeeping event co-hosted by Fiji, Ireland and the International Peace Institute tomorrow.
According to a Government statement, the key objectives of the 2019 UN Peacekeeping Ministerial conference were for member States to continue to generate specialised, high-performing capabilities for UN peacekeeping to meet evolving needs and address new challenges.
It also provides the opportunity for member States to strengthen compliance in line with training and performance standards set by the UN and leverage political momentum and network to assist the UN in its reform efforts, further galvanising member State support for implementation of Action for Peace (A4P) commitments.
Fiji has more than 600 uniformed personnel, consisting of military, Police and Corrections Services workforce who are deployed in UN Missions in South Sudan, Darfur, Lebanon, Syria, Israel and Iraq.
Mr Seruiratu is accompanied by the Deputy Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, Brigadier Mohammed Aziz, Fiji’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dr Satyendra Prasad and Fiji’s Military and Police Adviser to the UN Mission Colonel Sapenafa Motufaga.
The meeting will end on March 29.
