UN Peacekeeping Mission High on Agenda as Ban Ki-moon Begins Indonesia Tour

Erwida Maulia

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to arrive in Jakarta on Monday for a three-day Indonesian tour, which includes visiting the country’s UN peacekeeping center and participating in an international defense dialogue.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono extended an invitation to Ban to visit Indonesia. Ban will be accompanied by his wife, Ban Soon-taek, and a number of senior officials from the UN secretariat, according to a press statement from the Presidential Palace in Jakarta.

Ban is scheduled to engage in a bilateral meeting with Yudhoyono at the Bogor State Palace on Tuesday, after which they will visit the International Peace and Security Center (IPSC) in Sentul, Bogor.

The IPSC, which just recently opened, claims to be Southeast Asia’s largest training facility for US peacekeeping forces.

Ban is scheduled to deliver a speech titled “UN Peacekeeping: Challenges and Opportunities for Indonesia, the Region and Beyond” during his visit to the training center.

“The UN secretary-general is expected in his visit to IPSC to directly share information regarding the latest developments in UN peacekeeping operations,” Indonesian presidential spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said in the statement.

“The visit is also expected to give him an opportunity to witness with his own eyes the Indonesian government’s preparedness in pushing for improvement in the quality of Indonesian peacekeepers. This is important to create our vision of 4,000 Indonesian peacekeepers in UN peacekeeping operations.”

According to April 2011 data from the UN, Indonesia ranked 16th on the list of countries sending peacekeeping troops to the UN, with a total of 1,801 personnel, most of whom were stationed in Lebanon.

On Wednesday, Ban is set to attend the Second Jakarta International Defense Dialogue, which will be officiated by President Yudhoyono.

Ban will deliver a speech titled: “The UN and Global Security: Collaboration and Partnership.”
 
“The UN secretary-general’s visit is also expected to further improve the partnership between Indonesia and the UN in various sectors, including ensuring Indonesia’s success in meeting the targets of the Millennium Development Goals,” Faizasyah said.

The Indonesian visit will mark the start of Ban’s Asian tour. He will also visit Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea, where he will attend the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit on March 26-27.