Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted that “the demand for peacekeeping has never been greater,” as leaders of more than 50 countries gathered today for a summit on United Nations peacekeeping operations. The summit provided an opportunity for the leaders to pledge new commitments and strengthen existing capabilities.
President Barack Obama convened the summit. He concluded his remarks with the observation:
I want to thank all of you for your partnership and the commitments that your nations are making here. We will hear some extraordinary commitments from a number of nations. And we are very proud that the international community has responded to this call in such a significant way. Rest assured that, in this critical work, the United States will be a strong partner to all of you.