Martin Nesirky:
Good afternoon, welcome to the briefing. I am joined by Under‑Secretary‑General Hervé Ladsous, who is of course the Under‑Secretary‑General for Peacekeeping Operations. He is here for his end‑of‑year press conference. I know he will have some introductory remarks, and we will have time for questions, probably for about half an hour. So without further ado, please, Mr. Ladsous.
Hervé Ladsous:
Thank you Martin, and good morning to all of you. Yes indeed, I thought it was timely to give you a few impressions about the way the year has gone. I’ll go straight into one of our perennial subjects, which has been marked by very significant progress. That is the situation of the DRC, where I was last week for several days.
I think there have been major developments with the military victory of the Congolese army, supported by MONUSCO, against M23. And you would have seen that the political agreement has now materialized; the process known as the Kampala talks is all done now. I think one has to express gratitude to all those facilitators who helped make it happen.
So we have made very significant military gains, and now we have several priorities.
First is dealing with the other armed groups. M23 was very important, structured and powerful, but now we are going after other spoilers: the FDLR as a priority, and ADF Nalu a little later. The means are there — the Intervention Brigade is now fully operational within MONUSCO. And you may have seen that I launched last week in Goma the first flight of the first UAVs, unarmed, for surveillance purposes only. I think they are going to be a very important tool.
The second priority is to deal with new situations that are emerging as fighters withdraw or lay down their arms. Recently in North Kivu alone, 2,300 ex‑combatants have ceased fighting, and we must go through the DDR process in support of the Congolese government.
The third important priority is ensuring a vacuum does not re‑emerge. The State of the DRC must be present — with police, administration, and the army where needed — in newly liberated areas where civilians are now under our protection. This is what we call “islands of stability,” which we hope to expand gradually to achieve pacification of the eastern provinces.
A word about Mali: compared to exactly one year ago, significant progress has been made. The second round of legislative elections is the day after tomorrow, following presidential elections that were widely viewed as free and transparent. With the return of legitimate authorities, Mali must now accelerate efforts to organize inclusive dialogue with armed groups and communities in the north to address root causes of conflict.
We remain vigilant on security. There have been several attacks in recent months — against the Malian army, against us, against the French of Operation Serval. The jihadist threat remains, and we must ensure civilians are not threatened or harmed. This requires strong partnership between the Government of Mali, the African Union, ECOWAS and the UN. We are pushing to complete deployment of MINUSMA troops and police.
On the Sudans: it has been a difficult year in the Republic of Sudan with increased armed attacks and about 400,000 new IDPs in Darfur. We have been attacked as well — 14 peacekeepers killed this year, which is totally unacceptable, and we consistently call for accountability. We continue working on the Doha process to expand signatories, as it remains the only viable framework in the country.
In South Sudan, we faced challenges protecting civilians, especially in Jonglei. Lack of infrastructure and insufficient mobility are constraints, but we are working actively and redeploying UNMISS forces for better coverage.
And in Abyei, unfortunately, no progress has been made on establishing the administration. We continue to expect Sudan and South Sudan to reach agreement so we can better carry out our mandate.
Two additional areas:
Syria — UNDOF’s 1,250 personnel on the Golan Heights operate under very difficult circumstances. Attacks occur almost daily. We must avoid destabilizing this region further.
Central African Republic — under Resolution 2127, re‑hatting regional forces as MISCA will occur on 19 December. The Secretary‑General must report within 90 days on possible UN peacekeeping options.
Overall, this has been a very active year. We continue improving the quality of UN peacekeeping: better training, better monitoring, new technology (such as UAVs), and doing more with fewer resources due to global fiscal constraints. The cost per head of peacekeeping personnel has decreased by 16% over five years due to more efficient management. We are also right‑sizing several missions — Haiti, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia and Darfur — in line with lifecycle progress.
Let me express sorrow that 90 colleagues died this year, 29 through deliberate attacks. This is a shame, and we offer condolences to their loved ones. Safety and security remain central concerns.
Thank you for your attention.