Rajji from Rabat: Call to Restructure International Peacekeeping Amid More Complex Conflicts and Declining Effectiveness of UN Mechanisms

Foreign Minister and Minister of Emigrants Youssef Rajji affirmed that Lebanon, under the leadership of the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister, has taken what he described as a courageous decision to engage in direct negotiations with Israel, with the aim of reaching a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire and securing a full withdrawal from Lebanese territory, in a way that strengthens state sovereignty over all its land and consolidates the establishment of a state free of any illegitimate military presence or foreign occupation.

Rajji made the remarks during his participation in the second ministerial conference on peacekeeping in the Francophone sphere, held in Rabat, where he stressed the need to reactivate international peacekeeping mechanisms and preserve their role amid what he described as growing complexities facing these missions worldwide.

He noted that the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations is now facing structural challenges, most notably the paralysis affecting the work of the UN Security Council, in addition to funding crises, the rise of unconventional wars, and declining trust among some host countries due to double standards in the international system.

The minister also addressed the role played by international forces in southern Lebanon, praising their sacrifices, especially those who lost their lives while carrying out their duties within the area of operations, on the eve of the end of these forces' mission in the south, as he indicated.

Rajji outlined three main priorities for reshaping the future of peacekeeping operations: strengthening regional capacities wherever possible, adopting realistic mandates that can be implemented on the ground instead of theoretical goals, and making serious investments in conflict prevention before situations escalate and turn into open crises.

He concluded by stressing that peace is neither automatic nor permanent, but rather a process that must be continuously built and safeguarded, requiring responsible collective effort to sustain and entrench it.