Abuja: Nigeria has assumed the leadership of the United Nations Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (C-34), reinforcing the country’s longstanding role in shaping global peacekeeping policy and operations. Amb. Jimoh Ibrahim, Nigeria’s UN Permanent Representative, assumed the chairmanship following the handover by his predecessor, Canadian Ambassador to the UN, David Lametti.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Ibrahim immediately outlined priorities aimed at making UN peacekeeping more practical, accountable, and responsive to realities on the ground. He emphasized Nigeria’s intent to bridge the gap between policies negotiated at UN Headquarters and the realities confronting peacekeepers, host communities, and civilians in conflict zones. “We just took over the UN Peacekeeping Committee from Canada. Nigeria is fully back,” Jimoh said, highlighting the importance of closing the gap between policy formulation and operational implementation as a principal priority under the chairmanship.
This leader
ship role adds to Nigeria’s expanding responsibilities within the UN system. Ibrahim also chairs the General Assembly’s Fifth Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Committee. He stated that Nigeria would utilize its responsibilities to advance accountability, effective multilateralism, and stronger connections between resources, policies, and measurable outcomes.
Ibrahim announced plans for collaboration with Canada, other members of the C-34 Bureau, troop- and police-contributing countries, financial contributors, the UN Secretariat, and host countries in preparation for the committee’s 2027 substantive session. He emphasized that Nigeria’s leadership would focus on effective peacekeeping, the protection of civilians, field-informed policy, financial responsibility, respect for the UN Charter, and greater accountability across the peacekeeping partnership.
The Peacekeeping Committee includes a broad range of stakeholders, such as troop- and police-contributing countries, major financial contributors, m
embers of the Security Council, and states hosting peacekeeping operations. Ibrahim advocated for stronger participation by senior military leadership in committee discussions, particularly during its February-to-March 2027 session, calling for Chiefs of Army Staff and equivalent senior military authorities to engage more directly with C-34 deliberations.
Ibrahim also prioritized the protection of civilians within Nigeria’s peacekeeping agenda, asserting that peacekeeping and counter-terrorism responses must respect the fundamental rights and safety of civilians in conflict environments. “Counter-terrorism operations must respect the right of civilians to exist and their right to protection,” he said, emphasizing that protecting civilians and defeating terrorism should not be treated as competing objectives.
Canada’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, David Lametti, expressed support for constructive engagement under the new chairmanship, particularly on issues relating to peacekeeping financin
g and field engagement. Lametti welcomed robust discussions around payment and financial responsibility and expressed support for greater interaction between committee delegates and peacekeeping operations in the field. He pledged Canada’s support for visits that would enable members to obtain firsthand understanding of operational challenges confronting missions, peacekeepers, and host communities.