United Nations Police Need More Specialized Resources to Meet Complex Challenges, Ensure Peacekeeping Success, Briefers Tell Security Council
Success ‘Impossible’ without Host Country Consent, Police Adviser Says
The Security Council turned its attention today to the police components of United Nations peacekeeping missions, with briefers emphasizing the need for more specialized resources to tackle myriad challenges — including organized crime and sexual and gender-based violence — as formed police units play their part in helping to build sustainable peace in places struggling to emerge from conflict.
Faisal Shahkar, United Nations Police Adviser, said that the work of United Nations police hinges on the relationship that peacekeeping missions have with host Governments and institutions. “Let me stress: successful police capacity-building and development efforts are undermined, and in fact, impossible when host State consent is lacking or withdrawn,” he said. He identified a critical need for police officers with expertise in organized crime, environmental crime, terrorism, forensics, crime analysis, community-oriented policing, sexual and gender-based violence, gender mainstreaming and improvised explosive devices. Francophone and mixed-gender units for deployment are also required, along with tools for monitoring and analysing social media, he added.
Christophe Bizimungu, Police Commissioner, United Nations Multidimensional Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), said that, despite the achievements of MINUSCA’s police component, including training the Internal Security Forces and helping it to expand its presence across the country, much remains to be done. Going forward, it will continue to increase its footprint to implement the Mission's mandate, notably to protect civilians, strengthen the rule of law and restore State authority, he said.
Christine Fossen, Police Commissioner, United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), emphasized the critical role that women UN police officers play in building trust as a founding for improving relationships between local groups and national law enforcement. Interventions to protect civilians must also take into consideration the gender dimensions of new and emerging threats, such as climate change, she said, noting that in one part of South Sudan, incessant rainfall and flooding and reduced livelihood opportunities for women have coincided with a spike in reports of sexual and gender-based violence.
Karin Landgren, Executive Director, Security Council Report, said that most UN peace operations — both peacekeeping and special political missions — work in environments affected by organized crime, which can play significant spoiler roles in peace processes. “It seems vanishingly rare for United Nations police to remain on the ground once troops have left — but is it logical that they should depart at the same moment as other uniformed personnel?”, she asked.
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, said that there is an increasingly apparent gap between the mandates given by the Council to peacekeeping missions and what those missions can deliver in practice. Amid heightened geopolitical tensions and increasing violent conflicts around the world, peacekeeping operations can only achieve intermediate goals. “We must work collectively to ensure that the United Nations police is properly prepared, equipped and resourced” to address challenges, he added. “There is only so much that UN peacekeeping operations can achieve alone.”
In the ensuring debate, China’s representative, whose country is Council President for November, said that United Nations police must explore new ways to support the mandates of peacekeeping missions. They should establish stable partnerships with host States, take feedback from local communities seriously and support efforts to build law enforcement and judicial capacities in host countries. In addition, UN missions must provide equal opportunities for women in training, recruitment and promotion, and make appropriate arrangements in terms of logistics and security for female police officers, he said.
Mozambique’s representative expressed deep concern over such challenges as organized crime, cybersecurity, transnational organized crime and radicalization, and appealed for greater collaboration among police agencies, intelligence services and other relevant international organizations.
Switzerland’s representative, emphasizing the importance of communicating in local languages, encouraged police-contributing Member States to ensure that their personnel are well-trained so that information obtained on the ground can be translated into effective planning, especially for protection operations.
Japan’s representative said that strengthening a host State’s rule-of-law capacity is crucial for both short-term post-conflict stability and long-term peacebuilding. Host Governments must therefore demonstrate a steadfast commitment to bring about change within their institutions, he added.
Brazil’s delegate said that United Nations police can be fundamental in promoting the women, peace and security agenda. “Female officers play a distinctive role in building trust and confidence with communities,” he said, adding that more women should be assigned to command and leadership positions.
https://press.un.org/en/2023/sc15491.doc.htm
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