75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
Liimets attended the UN Security Council debate on technology and peacekeeping and discussed Afghanistan with the foreign minister of India
August 29, New York
Yesterday 18 August, Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets attended a high-level open debate of the UN Security Council on technology and peacekeeping. Minister Liimets also had a bilateral meeting with India’s Minister of External Affairs, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who chaired the debate.
On India’s initiative, the Council adopted a resolution on the protection of peacekeepers and a presidency statement focused on the role of technology in UN peacekeeping operations. “The integration of new technologies into peacekeeping missions can enhance mandate implementation, including the protection of civilians,” Foreign Minister Liimets said. “Estonia believes that special focus should be given to gender-responsive technologies that are driven by the practical needs of end users, and environmentally responsible solutions, including renewable energy.”
Technology is evolving quickly, so we need to ensure the safety of missions operating in these constantly changing and often dangerous conditions. “Peacekeeping has often been referred to as the flagship of the United Nations enterprise. The Security Council must spare no effort to drive innovation that enables this flagship to continue to evolve with the changing realities,” the foreign minister said.
Ahead of the Security Council meeting, Foreign Minister Liimets had a bilateral meeting with India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. Their discussion focused mainly on the concerning situation in Afghanistan, and the international community’s options for supporting Afghans and preserving the progress that has been made in the past two decades. “India’s presence in Afghanistan has been great in terms of historical communities, numerous projects, as well as the staff of embassies of many other countries,” Liimets said. “Just like the West, they have contributed substantially to developing the healthcare system of Afghanistan, made great investments in the infrastructure there, and supported education for girls. The continuation of these projects, just like the development assistance of the European Union, is currently in doubt and depends on the next developments in the governance of Afghanistan.“
“We also had a serious discussion on the international community’s options for dialogue with the Taliban and guiding the future developments in Afghanistan. On the one hand, the Taliban has changed considerably in 20 years, however, a continuation of substantive negotiations with them requires a clear wish to maintain the country’s progress, for example in upholding human rights, as well as real action to include women, children and minorities in public life,” Liimets said.
The ministers also talked about the cooperation of Estonia and India at the Security Council, events on the border of Lithuania and Belarus, and the pandemic and vaccine availability. Foreign Minister Liimets extended Subrahmanyam Jaishankari an invitation to visit Estonia.
The foreign minister’s speech at the Security Council in full: https://un.mfa.ee/statement-by-the-foreign-minister-of-the-republic-of-estonia-he-ms-eva-maria-liimets-at-un-security-council-open-debate-technology-and-peacekeeping/
