While peacekeeping is an "essential tool" for preventing conflict and reducing the risk of relapse," political solutions are a prerequisite to sustainable peace", the United Nations peacekeeping chief told the Security Council on Monday. UN Secretary-General Ant?nio Guterres launched the Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) initiative 18 months ago, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, reminded the chamber, noting A4P calls on all participants to "collectively address peacekeeping challenges". Today, UN peacekeepers are successful in many countries, playing "a crucial preventative role" and protecting "millions of vulnerable people around the globe", he stated, yet challenges remain. Lacroix drew attention to the importance of putting political solutions "at the center of this agenda", noting that "in every country in which we are deployed and our mandates permit, our missions ‘are proactive in - and maintaining space for - political solutions to be pursued". He committed to enhancing peacekeeping and requested that the Council visit field missions and to evaluate progress in person.
