Ministers of Foreign Affairs and National Defence to attend UN peacekeeping conference

March 27, 2019 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of National Defence, will participate in the United Nations Peacekeeping Ministerial (UNPKM) conference in New York, New York, on March 28 and 29, 2019.

Building on previous summits and ministerials, including the most recent UN Peacekeeping Defence Ministerial hosted by Canada in Vancouver, British Columbia, in November 2017, this next UNPKM will be a key opportunity for Canada to discuss UN peacekeeping with its partners. The Ministers will focus on the meaningful participation of uniformed women in peace operations, the implementation of the Vancouver Principles on Peacekeeping and the Prevention of the Recruitment and Use of Child Soldiers, and Canadian support to UN efforts in Haiti, Mali, South Sudan and Yemen.

Quick facts

• Canada hosted the 2017 UN Peacekeeping Defence Ministerial from November 14 to 15, 2017, in Vancouver, British Columbia.
• In Vancouver, the Government of Canada made a series of smart pledges, including a number of military, police and civilian capabilities to support UN peacekeeping, and Canada is delivering on those commitments.
• In Vancouver, Canada launched the Elsie Initiative for Women in Peace Operations and the Vancouver Principles on Peacekeeping and the Prevention of the Recruitment and Use of Child Soldiers.
• As part of the Elsie Initiative, Canada is partnering with the Ghana Armed Forces and the Zambia Police Service to deliver bilateral technical assistance and training, and collaborated with the UN to establish the Elsie Initiative Fund for Uniformed Women in Peace Operations, which will support the deployment of more trained and qualified women as military and police peacekeepers.
• Since the launch of the Vancouver Principles in 2017, 75 countries have endorsed these principles. Canada has also led a collaborative process to develop implementation guidance to assist member states in operationalizing the Vancouver Principles.

Associated links

• United Nations Peacekeeping Ministerial Conference (English only)
• The 2017 UN Peacekeeping Defence Ministerial concludes in Vancouver with 46 new pledges for UN peacekeeping operations
• Elsie Initiative for Women in Peace Operations
• Vancouver Principles on Peacekeeping and the Prevention of the Recruitment and Use of Child Soldiers
• Canada’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security