Sri Lanka Hosts UN Peacekeeping Roundtable on the Future ofGlobal Peace Operations

The Ministry of Defence, Sri Lanka, in collaboration with the United Nations, convened a High-level Roundtable Discussion on "The Next Generation of Peacekeeping Operations and Sri Lanka's Potential Contributions", at the Defence Ministry on 09^th October (2025). The event, held in a hybrid format, brought together distinguished representatives from the UN Department of Peace Operations (DPO), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and senior officials from Sri Lanka's defence and law enforcement sectors.

The roundtable comes at a critical juncture as the global landscape for peace operations continues to evolve amidst new security threats and the growing impact of technology, climate change, and disinformation. It provided a timely platform to explore how peacekeeping must adapt to these complex realities.

Delivering the welcome remarks, Hon. Major General Aruna Jayasekara (Retd), Deputy Minister of Defence, reaffirmed Sri Lanka's enduring commitment to global peace and its readiness to take on greater responsibilities in support of UN peacekeeping. Mr. Marc-André Franche, UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, highlighted the country's longstanding contribution to peacekeeping since 1957, challenges that are currently being addressed, and Sri Lanka's growing potential to contribute specialized capabilities to future missions.

The keynote address was delivered by Mr. David Haeri, Director of the Policy, Evaluation and Training Division of the UN DPO, who outlined global trends shaping the next generation of peace operations, emphasizing the need for innovation, accountability, and stronger partnerships between the UN and troop-contributing countries.

Three thematic sessions were held, with Session I examining the modalities of multinational co-deployments, led by Mr. Ivo Werneck of the UN DPO, with discussions on operational benefits, prerequisites, and lessons from past missions.

Session II, chaired by Inspector-General of Police Mr. Priyantha Weerasooriya and Mr. Ata Yenigun of the UN Police Division, focused on enhancing Sri Lanka's police contributions to peacekeeping, including plans to deploy Formed Police Units (FPUs), SWAT teams, and individual officers, with an emphasis on increasing women's participation.

Session III addressed human rights and accountability in peacekeeping, with insights from Ms. Francesca Marotta, Chief of Methodology, Learning, Policy and Practice at the OHCHR, on UN human rights due diligence policies and best practices for national screening mechanisms.

The event served as a platform for Sri Lanka to reaffirm its position as a trusted and capable partner of the United Nations and its commitment to establishing an effective national screening mechanism, while also highlighting its specialized expertise in engineering, force protection, and technical cooperation - areas increasingly vital to modern peacekeeping.