In progress at UNHQ

PKO/69

SEMINAR ON ROLE OF POLICE IN PEACEKEEPING HELD AT HEADQUARTERS, 20 - 21 MARCH

25 March 1998


Press Release
PKO/69


SEMINAR ON ROLE OF POLICE IN PEACEKEEPING HELD AT HEADQUARTERS, 20 - 21 MARCH

19980325 NEW YORK, 25 March (DPKO) -- "Police is not just an appendix to peacekeeping operations, but rather an increasingly crucial tool for peace- building and institution-building", Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Bernard Miyet said last week at the first seminar ever organized by the United Nations on the role of police in peacekeeping.

Convened by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, with the cooperation of the Swedish Government, from 20 to 21 March, the seminar brought together more than 100 participants from 50 police-contributing countries, including diplomats and police experts, as well as representatives from regional organizations and non-governmental organizations.

They considered both the expanding roles of police in peacekeeping operations, and ways to enhance United Nations capacity in this area. They emphasized that a holistic approach was vital, and that law and order were crucial to fostering international investment, and thus to long-term peace and sustainable development.

Discussions also covered the questions of division of labour, including ways to strengthen cooperation with development components of the United Nations system. The enhancement of national training programmes to prepare police for peacekeeping activity was highlighted, together with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations' role as a "clearinghouse" for information regarding training initiatives within Member States.

Within peacekeeping operations, by monitoring and training local law- enforcement officers, police can offer crucial assistance in institution- building. Their contribution has become particularly important in recent years, as peacekeeping operations are deployed increasingly often in the context of civil conflicts, which can have a devastating impact on both the capacity and the credibility of local authorities.

Today, over 3,000 police from 54 Member States are serving in eight peacekeeping operations around the world. In recent years, the international community has launched operations that are based around police components, rather than military peacekeepers, such as the United Nations Civilian Police Mission in Haiti (MIPONUH).

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For information media. Not an official record.