UNITED NATIONS: Japan and Mexico will contribute troops to UN peacekeeping, a top UN official said on Friday following a top-level meeting aimed at shoring up blue-helmet missions worldwide.
Sweden announced plans to send 250 troops to join the UN force in Mali and China said it would send a 700-strong infantry battalion to South Sudan among other pledges at the meeting chaired by US Vice President Joe Biden.
UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous said the decision by Japan and Mexico was “a first” and that other offers of training and equipment were made to support the missions.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told the meeting that Tokyo would be “upgrading its domestic laws and regulations in the field of security” to play a more active role in UN peacekeeping. AFP
