2017 UN Peacekeeping Defence Ministerial conference

 Day 1 of the Conference

 Day 2 of the Conference

Why this conference?

There are currently more peacekeepers on the ground than ever before. When properly mandated, resourced and supported, UN peacekeeping is one of the most effective tools available to respond to crises around the world. However, a recent series of reports have highlighted that UN peacekeeping must address a range of challenges to remain fit for purpose in responding to 21st century conflicts.

Annual high-level discussions have become an important part of the international community’s effort to support UN peacekeeping operations. Building on these efforts, Canada brought the UN and Member States together to engage in a wide-ranging discussion on UN peacekeeping.

Recognizing that integrating gender perspectives and empowering women are integral to improving the effectiveness of UN peacekeeping, these cross-cutting issues were integrated into all aspects of the event, including in discussions on the planning and performance of peacekeeping missions. Two other important issues were integrated throughout the conference: policing and operating in francophone environments.

Themes

Decisive discussions took place during the 2017 UN Peacekeeping Defence Ministerial conference. While ensuring that the integration of gender perspectives remains at the heart of the talks, discussions revolved around four themes:

Smart
pledges
Innovation in training and capacity building Protecting those
at risk
Early warning
and rapid deployment

Focus on peacekeeping

Canada hosted a focus event called Focus on Peacekeeping on November 14, 2017, in the Vancouver Convention Centre. Two discussions were featured:

  • Youth as Peacebuilders
    • Canadian and international youth discussed the positive role ‎young people can play in mitigating the effects of conflict in their societies.
  • The role of the private sector in conflict prevention
    • This discussion explored the importance of economic development in preventing conflict in fragile states and in sustainably rebuilding post-conflict states.

Imagery from the conference

Additional pictures are available on our Trello webpage‎.

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