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Security Council – Meeting in Arria Formula on “Protecting the Peacekeeper: Suppressing the Deployment of Improvised Explosive Devices against Peace Operations”

Statement by the Deputy Permanent Representative and Charge’ d’Affaires a.i. of Italy to the United Nations, Ambassador Stefano Stefanile, at the Security Council meeting in Arria formula on “Protecting the Peacekeeper: Suppressing the Deployment of Improvised Explosive Devices against Peace Operations.”—

 

Thank you Mister Chair, and will certainly try to abide by your directions.

So, let me say first off that we fully share the concern for the growing use and impact of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). Being among the main Troop Contributing Countries, the safety and security of the Blue Helmets is of utmost concern to us and as a consequence we are fully engaged in providing our peacekeepers with adequate training and equipment, knowing that this is indeed paramount to reducing casualties among their ranks and to guaranteeing the high-level of effectiveness, efficiency and performance, which we require of them. It is in this spirit that over the past years, our military training centers have provided specialized training and capacity building to over ten thousand military and police officers from 118 Countries, and 17 international organizations. In this context a special role has been played by the Centre of Excellence for the Stability Police Units (CoESPU) in Vicenza which has a consolidated partnership with the DPKO.

Besides targeting training, which is certainly a must, to effectively counter the threat of IEDs, we need to also to promote the establishment or the strengthening of appropriate regulatory frameworks at national and international levels, particularly with regards to the production and transfer of commercially produced precursor materials. We also need to ensure the safe management of military munition stockpiles and the destruction of surplus munitions and ERWs. At the same time, we must raise awareness among retailers about the risks of precursor abuse and step-up inter-agency cooperation, particularly on intelligence gathering.

Let me recall that domestically we have established a Joint National C-IED Center of Excellence (COE) in order to: harmonize all C-IED related initiatives in order to provide a unique and joint training center within the Italian Defense; to contribute to C-IED related concept and doctrine developments at all levels; and finally to provide technical advice to higher commands and general staff. In recent years, the Center has also developed a wide portfolio of targeted cooperation projects with some partner Countries: I would mention here Afghanistan, Colombia, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, and Vietnam.

At the international level, we are also a party to all instruments and conventions that relate to IEDs , which I will omit to mention for sake of brevity.

From the humanitarian aid perspective, Italy considers mine action a top priority. We have funded initiatives of the main international entities that are active in this field.

So, in a nutshell Mr. President, we are fully engaged on this very important issue and we will continue to support the full implementation and universalization of all existing international instruments and to provide assistance to strengthen global capacities in this field.

Thank you.