Statement by Chargée d’Affaires Khrystyna Hayovyshyn

at the Security Council High-Level Open Debate 

“Advancing Adaptability in UN Peace Operations – Responding to new Realities”

(24 March 2025)

Madam President, 

Delegation of Ukraine is grateful to Denmark’s presidency for organizing this important high-level debate, as well as the briefers for their insightful remarks.

Ukraine has aligned with the Statement of the Delegation of the European Union on behalf of its Member States.

For over 75 years, UN peace operations have played an essential role in maintaining international peace and security. However, as global security challenges evolve, so too must peace operations.

The Pact for the Future, adopted in September last year, underscores the urgent need for adaptable, responsive, and effective UN peace operations.

Ukraine fully supports the call for peace operations to be guided by people-centered, context-specific political strategies. It is imperative that peacekeeping mandates are realistic, flexible, and sequenced, reflecting the primacy of political solutions and the necessity of civilian protection. As highlighted in Security Council resolution 2594, transitions must be understood as strategic processes that begin well before the end of a mission and focus on sustaining peace.

Recent events, such as the escalation of hostilities in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and Abyei, including the attacks against MONUSCO’s personnel and detention of UNISFA personnel by the Rapid Support Forces’, accordingly, demonstrate the critical need for improved agility and rapid response mechanisms.

We cannot but recall the importance of the adoption of UN Security Council resolution 2719, which authorized support for African Union-led peace support operations from UN assessed contributions.

Madam President, 

Before Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine was a steadfast contributor to UN peacekeeping, actively participating in 26 peacekeeping operations worldwide. Ukrainian military personnel served with distinction in missions across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, including in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea, Lebanon, Cyprus, and Kosovo. Our servicemen and women provided crucial support for stability, humanitarian assistance, and conflict resolution in some of the most challenging operational environments.

While our national defense forces are currently engaged in defending our country from the Russian aggressor, Ukraine remains committed to the principles and future of UN peace operations. We are also considering a phased return of our qualified personnel - such as staff officers and observers - to UN missions once conditions allow.

While supporting collaboration between the UN and important regional arrangements, Ukraine reaffirms that any cooperation between the UN and the Collective Security Treaty Organization is unacceptable. Peacekeeping efforts must remain free from the influence of aggressor states to preserve the credibility and effectiveness of UN peace operations.

Madam President, 

Finally, we encourage the Secretary-General to champion innovative, modular, and integrated approaches to peacekeeping—rooted in diplomacy, guided by political solutions, and equipped to meet contemporary security threats. The Security Council must ensure that UN peace operations continue evolving to meet new realities while upholding the fundamental principles of international law and the UN Charter.

Ukraine stands ready to contribute to these discussions and to the broader efforts to strengthen UN peace operations in an era of unprecedented challenges.

Thank you.