Gyeonggi Nambu News interviewed UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix on the 7th, who visited Korea to attend the 2021 Seoul UN Peacekeeping Ministerial (hereinafter referred to as the UN Ministerial).
Under-Secretary-General Jean-Pierre Lacroix watched the special exhibition “United for Peace, Together for a Better Future” exhibited at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza Museum and Design Lab. The exhibition was held in time for the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial to introduce the UN’s peacekeeping activities and Korea’s contributions and efforts.
At 10:00 a.m., Under-Secretary-General LaCroix entered the exhibition hall with two other Under-Secretary-Generals and attendants, including the United Nations Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance (DMSPC) and the United Nations Department of Operation Support (DOS), and toured four halls in turn: ▲UN Peacekeeping Operations (PKO) Hall ▲ UN Smart Camp Hall, ▲ the Korean Peninsula Peace Hall, and ▲ the PKO Equipment Exhibition Hall. The Smart Camp Hall, in which the Republic of Korea proposed seven areas and 14 tasks with the promotion of the United Nations, exhibited the future of UN peacekeeping activities implemented with realistic hands-on technology.
At 11:10 a.m., I met Under-Secretary-General LaCroix at an interview on the first floor after the group photoshoot.
Hello, this is Gyeonggi Nambu News. It is nice to meet you.
Korea has gone through a lot of pain from the war in 1950. Even now, the world is still in conflict over ideology, religion, and philosophy. I think the cause is the lack of communication. What do you think is the fundamental cause of the conflict?

Jean-Pierre Lacroix, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations (DPO)>
“Good morning, it’s true. We see it quite quickly that the world and the international community are more divided today, more tensions. I’m overseeing UN peacekeeping operations. And I see that most of the peacekeeping operations today have deteriorated political insecurity environment. Now, I believe that this should lead us to support, more than ever, multilateralism and united nations. I think this meeting here on UN peacekeeping, one of the most important activities of the UN, is also very important in that regard.”
I watched the technology exhibition today. After all, it is people who implement technology. So, in resolving conflicts and strengthening peacekeeping activities, what does the UN focus on?
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations (DPO)>
“There are two things that are important to resolve conflict or at least help progress toward resolving conflict. One is to understand exactly what the causes of the conflict are. This is really critical because if those causes are not well understood, then the UN or the actors working for peace will not likely achieve a good solution. The Second important factor is unity and resolve among those who are working for peace. And that’s why we keep calling for stronger unity of the Member State of the United Nations. Now, since I am in the Republic of Korea, I believe that it’s fitting to express our gratitude to the Republic of Korea for their support to the UN, particularly their support for UN peacekeeping and how they organize this meeting. We don’t believe that peacekeeping itself can resolve conflict alone. But we believe that peacekeeping is an important tool to help resolve conflict.”
For the interview, I would like to thank Jean-Pierre Lacroix, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations.


Many countries around the world are experiencing civil wars, including Ethiopia. However, there was news that a private organization gave extensive mind lectures to resolve conflicts between government officials and ethnic groups in the midst of these. It is also said and that the Gracias Choir, the world’s best choir, held a Peace Concert during the civil war due to the Kenyan presidential election.
As the Under-Secretary-General said in the interview, it is clear that peacekeeping is an important tool in resolving conflict. If cooperation between the state and the private sector is added, easing global conflicts will not be a distant future.
The 2021 Seoul UN Peacekeeping Ministerial was initially scheduled to be attended by foreign and defense ministers, representatives of international organizations, and academic figures from 155 countries. However, all programs became virtual and were broadcast live due to the spread of the omicron variant.
Ministers and the United Nations gathered together online and proposed strengthening technological and medical capabilities to continue peacekeeping activities everyone longed for and promised to work together.
* 영어번역: 국제부 정세미 기자