UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 29 (UPI) -- New U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon wants the Department of Peacekeeping Operations to be split into two divisions.
In a letter sent to U.N. General Assembly President Sheikha Haya al-Khalifa last week and obtained Monday by United Press International, Ban made the proposal.
"The present (U.N.) Secretariat structure of the organization was not designed to cope with the current burden of activities and it is imperative that urgent action be taken to strengthening my capacity to deliver the necessary support to all mandated peace operations," he said.
The worldwide U.N. peacekeeping force is estimated to be about 85,000 strong, U.N. officials said.
In his proposed realignment of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Ban calls for a Department of Peace Operations to "plan, direct, manage and provide political guidance to all field operations currently under DPKO.
"The new DPO will lead the integrated planning process to ensure that all components of mission planning -- policy, support, military, police and civilian elements -- work together to provide efficient and coherent support to the field as well as an identifiable and accountable interlocutor for member states, United Nations and non-U.N. partners," he said.
It would also be responsible for "the conduct and management of peacekeeping operations and policy issues.
"The Department of Field Support will be responsible for providing support to U.N. field operations, including personnel, finance, procurement, logistics, communications, information technology and other administrative and general management issues," the secretary-general said.
He also seeks to downgrade the Department of Disarmament Affairs into a separate office reporting directly to him.
Observers say such a move would save an undersecretary-general position to head up the second section of the realigned DPKO.
