AS DELIVERED

One of the themes of the U.S. Security Council presidency is transparency. This focus on outreach, inclusion, and speaking the hard truths was also the approach we brought to the development of this resolution.

If we were ambitious in our goals for this resolution, it is because defenseless people in some of the most dangerous places on earth are counting on us. This is hard work. It demands high standards. We can’t be afraid to ask for and expect the very best of our peacekeepers.

So this resolution mandates a timely and transparent reporting process for performance failures.

It creates real accountability measures for when these failures occur.

And it applies objective criteria – data, not politics – to match the right police and troops with the right peacekeeping roles.

Our team rejected business-as-usual for this resolution. We focused on engaging major troop-and police-contributing countries who are not on the Security Council, but who are at the forefront of UN peacekeeping.

To our non-Council friends who helped shape this draft, this is your resolution too. Your experiences, your ideas – even your criticisms – are reflected throughout this text.

We are proud of this transparent and inclusive approach not for its own sake, but because it produced a strong final text.

The Secretary-General has challenged all of us to step up and strengthen peacekeeping. Today, the Security Council responded to the call.

The United States is grateful for the Council’s leadership. The actions we take today will make the United Nations a better, more effective instrument of peace and security. And it will make us a more trusted caretaker of the people we are pledged to protect.

Thank you.

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