UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) – UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon should consider appointing a new Deputy Secretary General responsible for peace and security, the UN High Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations proposed, stressing the need for political guidance in UN peace operations.
"Lasting peace is achieved through political solutions and not through military and technical engagements alone. Political solutions must guide all UN peace operations," the panel said in a statement on Tuesday, urging Ban Ki-moon to "develop options for restructuring the Secretariat's peace and security entities, including the establishment of a position of an additional Deputy Secretary General responsible for peace and security."
The panel also suggested that the UN Secretary General establish a single account to finance all peace operations in the future.
Ban Ki-moon promised to study the recommendations and transmit them to the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council earlier on Tuesday.
The UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations is currently leading 16 peacekeeping operations, nine of which are in Africa.
