ISLAMABAD:Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister (DPM/FM) Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Wednesday issued a strong call for revitalized global cooperation and modernization of United Nations peacekeeping efforts through technology, accountability and multilateral unity.
Addressing delegates from over 30 nations, UN officials, and military leadership during the closing session of a high-level preparatory meeting co-hosted by Pakistan and the Republic of Korea, the deputy prime minister emphasized the urgent need to adapt peacekeeping missions to present day’s rapidly evolving security landscape.
“UN peacekeeping remains one of the most visible and cost-effective instruments for maintaining international peace and security,” he said, adding, “but this noble endeavor comes at a profound human cost.”
Dar paid tribute to the 4,423 peacekeepers who have lost their lives in service—including 181 from Pakistan including a female peacekeeper—and warned that peacekeeping missions were increasingly under threat from disinformation, non-state armed groups, and the misuse of emerging technologies.
Over two days of discussions in Islamabad, participants explored how advanced technologies—such as UAVs, counter-IED systems, and early-warning tools—could improve mission effectiveness and safety. “Only credible deterrence will protect our peacekeepers,” Dar asserted, calling for stronger mechanisms of accountability against attacks on UN personnel.