6th March, 2020
Nigeria has been re-elected to chair the UN Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, known to be “UN most strategic committee” on the record 48th time.
According to a statement on Friday by Amb. Samson Itegboje, the Charge d’Affaires and Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the UN, Nigeria re-emerged the committee’s Chair by election.
Itegboje, the Nigerian representative was elected Chair of the committee said to be C-34 by acclamation at the UN Headquarters in New York at the opening of the 2020 Session.
“Nigeria has chaired the special committee on peacekeeping operations from 1972 till date and was always re-elected to continue to lead the most critical committee of the UN.
“The committee is the only UN committee mandated to review comprehensively the whole question of United Nations Peacekeeping operations in all its aspects.
“It also makes recommendations on enhancing UN peacekeeping operations across the world about pressing issues facing more than 100,000 military, police and civilian personnel from 125 countries presently serving in 14 operations.
“Nigeria is among the world’s 15th largest troops contributor to UN Peacekeeping operations and the eighth in Africa, according to a data from the UN Peacekeeping Department.
“The data showed Nigeria contributed 2,170 peacekeeping personnel in 2016, made up of 403 policemen, 46 military experts and 1, 721 troops, out of which 232 were females,” he said.
He explained that the figure included the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Central African Republic and Lebanon, among others countries.
He said Canada was also re-elected as Vice-Chair, while Argentina, Poland Japan and Egypt were elected as Bureau members.
Itegboje thanked the members for the confidence being reposed on him and Nigeria, while promising to ensure that the Committee would deliver on its mandate.