An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir June 2018 www.dfmagazine.ie 20 | A Witness to Momentous Transformations in By MAJ gEN MIChAEl BEARy, UNIFIl hEAD OF MISSION AND FORCE COMMANDER I n May 2016 I was appointed by the UN Secretary general as head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in lebanon (UNIFIl). Established in 1978, following the first Israeli invasion of lebanon, the UNIFIl mission has conducted peacekeep- ing operations within its area of operations (AO) in South lebanon for the past 40 years. It continues to strive to implement its mandate under UN Security Council Resolu- tion 1701. The primary role of the Head of Mission and Force Com- mander is to provide the leadership and strategic guidance to the civilian and military professionals that constitute UNIFIL, which in its current form is a complex multinational peacekeeping operation. The role is also one of represen- tation and advocacy on behalf of the mission with local, regional, national and international leaders in the political, diplomatic and military spheres. This was my fourth time to serve with UNIFIL, with my first deployment as a platoon commander in 1982. My previous service also included tours of duty as a company commander and as a staff officer in UNIFIL HQ. In marked contrast to my early experiences, the change I experienced in South Lebanon this time was palpable: men and women running new businesses that dot the streets of Tyre, with the hope of becoming financially stable; young children playing in the schoolyards of Tibnine dreaming of a bright future; men and women going to work every day in Bint Jbeil to support their families; and the elderly residents of Naqoura enjoying evening chai with their neighbours. The normalisation of activities that we see in the communi- ties in South Lebanon would have been unthinkable four decades ago. President John F Kennedy once said: "Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures." This is exactly what's happening in South Lebanon: old bar- riers are being replaced by new structures. I am fortunate to be a witness to the fruits of four decades of hard work – with UNIFIL playing a key role, working together with the government and the people of Lebanon, and with regional and international partners. The region has experienced an unprecedented level of calm and stability over the past 11 years; the last two years, in particular, have been amongst the quietest on record. UNIFIL's high tempo peacekeeping operations are directed at maintaining the cessation of hostilities, while allow- ing space for political and diplomatic efforts to reach a permanent solution. In doing so, a lot of efforts have been made – includ- ing through UNIFIL's robust liaison and coordination mechanisms – to make sure that small incidents do not spark an escalation into a wider conflict, the so called 'accidental war'. I am immensely proud of the contribution of the thousands of women and men from the 41 troop contribut- ing countries who provide peacekeepers to UNIFIL. Of course, as an Irish force commander I am particularly conscious of the contribution of our own Defence Forces, and of our nation's proud record of involvement in peace- keeping. Irish personnel have served with UNIFIL in South Lebanon since its establishment in 1978. Thanks to their ser- vice and sacrifice, we now have the beginnings of a strong foundation for peace for successive generations. The increasing presence of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) in the UNIFIL AO has also been a stabilizing factor. The LAF deployed into the AO in 2006, following the cessation of hostilities, and for the first time in more than three de- cades as UNIFIL's strategic partner, the LAF has been gradu- ally taking on some of the tasks traditionally carried out by UNIFIL peacekeepers. This has reassured the residents of the south about their future, and, increasingly, the residents of the south view the LAF as the legitimate provider of se- curity. For UNIFIL, capacity building of the LAF remains the most credible way forward. Investing in the LAF means investing in the future security of Lebanon, as we endeavour to ensure that the sovereign army of the state retains a monopoly on the use of force

• Cover