UN should go beyond 'short term fixes': India

India has said that the UN should go beyond "short term fixes" and address long-term socio-economic development of countries emerging from conflict.
Participating in a session on peacebuilding here yesterday, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Asoke Mukerji said that the willingness of the international community to provide adequate resources is a necessary condition for successful peacebuilding efforts in post-conflict countries.
He said that it is imperative for the peacebuilding efforts to align themselves with national priorities and ensure that all plans and programmes are implemented under national leadership and through national institutions.
"The UN needs to go beyond short term fixes and address long term socio-economic development of the host country. Poverty and lack of opportunity pose some of the most formidable barriers to sustainable peace," Mukerji said.

He said peacebuilding, anchored firmly in the overall peace process, can deliver results if the international community makes available predictable and appropriate level of resources over extended periods.
He also said that it is necessary to rebuild institutions and infrastructure in nations torn by civil war for peace to be consolidated and to avoid a relapse into conflict.

"A certain amount of external guidance is implicit in peacebuilding, but it should not be at the cost of local ownership and agenda. It is the primary responsibility of national governments of countries emerging from conflict to identify priorities and strategies for peace building in order to ensure national ownership," he said.

Stressing that establishment and maintenance of public order is important, Mukerji said a security vacuum after a peace agreement is dangerous as it would immediately lead to criminal activity.
"The focus should be on what is do-able. Given scarcity of resources, the priority should be on ensuring impartiality in recruitment, vetting of new recruits and training, instead of seeking to make cultural change a central aspect of police reform," he added.
Mukerji underscored the need for rule of law as consolidation of peace cannot be achieved unless the population is confident that their grievances would redressed in a just manner.

"Peace building needs to integrate indigenous and informal justice mechanisms into judicial reforms, instead of viewing them as being incompatible with western liberal values," he said.