UN peacekeeping chief praises China's support

UNITED NATIONS, May 27 (Xinhua) -- UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix on Thursday praised China's support for the UN peacekeeping operations.

"China is one of our main supporters, really both in terms of the financial contributions, also in terms of the contributions in the field with more than 2,000 peacekeepers," the UN peacekeeping chief told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York.

China is one of the member states "that also provides us with the voluntary funding," which, he said, is "extremely important" because it is "enabling us to carry out the number of reforms and new work trends that are indispensable to peacekeeping reforms."

Lacroix said that they expect continuous support from China, and also "a cooperation that can help us adapt our peacekeeping missions to the evolving challenges."

Lacroix underscored the importance of partnership with countries such as China and other countries with similar capabilities providing safety, security and medical support.

Financial support from member states is "obviously critical," Lacroix said. The UN is aware that members' financial stability is under pressure as a result of the current situation, he said, however, the UN has to deliver on mandates and "we have to do so in a way that where the protection of our peacekeepers is insured, to the extent possible."

That is the reason why the UN is implementing "the strategy for the digital transformation of peacekeeping," Lacroix explained, adding that the UN should apply the benefits of new technology to achieve more efficiency.

This year, the UN will mark International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, which falls on May 29 annually, under the theme "People. Peace. Progress. The Power of Partnerships."

Through this theme, Lacroix said, the UN hopes to send a message to member states: be consistent, which means the member states are encouraged to support the UN peacekeeping operations "with adequate resources."