India stresses on need for having clear-cut mandates for SPMs

UNITED NATIONS: India has stressed on the importance for having clear-cut mandates for special political missions of the UN, saying that there should be for more consultation with member states to minimise disconnect between the mandates and the political reality.

"We would like to stress the importance of having clear-cut mandates for SPMs. We have seen blurring of mandate and also disconnect between the mandate and the political situation of a particular region where SPMs are proposed to be sent," First Secretary in the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations Abhishek Singh said.

"We would expect more consultation with member states for policy formulation related to SPMs so that chances of disconnect of the mandate of SPMs with the political reality is minimized," Singh said at UN General Assembly's Fourth Committee meeting on Comprehensive Review of Special Political Missions (SPMs) here yesterday.

He emphasised the need for SPMs to operate within the framework of their mandate, saying that if there is need for expanding or amending the mandate, due process should be followed.

He underlined the importance of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all States where these SPMs are operating, saying that the principles of impartiality, consent of parties, national ownership and national responsibility should be kept in mind during the implementation stage of SPMs.

Singh expressed hope that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's High-level Panel on the Comprehensive Review for Peacekeeping Operations would involve serious and substantial consultations with Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs).

He also called for free flow of communication between the Security Council, General Assembly and the Secretariat regarding the SPMs that are not routine in nature, but involve Member States in a substantial manner.

"We have noticed that the policy formulation for SPMs is a rather opaque process which lacks transparency. We would urge the Fourth Committee to look into this issue so as to have a more participatory process involving the member states and not letting it be a sole preserve of the Security Council and the Secretariat," he said.

Singh said the Department of Political Affairs, which is primarily responsible for the SPMs, should organize more interactive briefings for the member states by the heads of the SPMs, which would provide an opportunity for Member States to raise queries and offer suggestions on the functioning of SPMs.

Singh also pointed to the need for establishing a separate new account for SPMs, urging that the demands of the special missions be financed through the same criteria, methodology and accountability used for UN Peacekeeping operations.