Professor Henrietta Mensah-Bonsu of Ghana Joins UN Peace Operations Panel
25th Nov 2014 Professor Henrietta Mensah-Bonsu, who is the Director of the Legon Centre for International Affairs and Diplomacy in Ghana, has been appointed by The United nation’s secretary General, Ban Ki-moon as a member of a fourteen member high level independent panel on United Nations Peace operations. The Panel will work in partnership with the main UN departments concerned, and with member states and the United Nation system. Other members of the panel are from Canada, Brazil, Bangladesh, France, India, Norway, Russia, Australia, with others from Tunisia, United Kingdom, United States and China.
In a statement by the Secretary General in New York, the panel was put together to deeply asses the emerging needs of the future, amidst other duties relating to peace operations, including the changing nature of conflict, evolving mandates, peace building challenges, managerial and administrative arrangements, human rights and protection of civilians, planning, partnerships and other important topics.
The panel is Chaired by Nobel laureate and Journalist, Mr. Jose Ramos-Horta and is made up of other highly regarded professionals in diverse fields
Citing the main reasons for the needed review of the report, the UN Secretary General, said “Today’s peace keepers are increasingly called upon to “confront politically complex and challenging conflicts, often in volatile security environments where operations are directly targeted confronted” hence, the need to look again at the 15 year old Brahimi report.
He added, “We must take stock of evolving expectations and consider how the Organization can most effectively advance peace, assist countries caught in conflict and ensure that our peacekeeping operations and special political missions remain strong and effective in a changing global context”. Still on the matter, Ban stressed that the world was changing and UN peace operations must change with it if they were to remain an indispensable and effective tool in promoting international peace and security.