REPORT OF INDEPENDENT PANEL ON SAFETY, SECURITY PRESENTED TO SECRETARY-GENERAL

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The Independent Panel on Safety and Security of United Nations Personnel and Premises Worldwide, headed by Lakhdar Brahimi, has presented its report entitled“Towards a culture of security and accountability”to the Secretary-General on 9 June 2008.

The members of the Panel include:  Colonel Paolo Coletta of the Italian Carabinieri, Brigadier General Elsayed Ibrahim Elsayed Mohamed ElHabbal of the Egyptian National Security Service, Anil Kumar Gupta of the Indian Police Service (retired), Ambassador Ümit Pamir of the Turkish Diplomatic Service (retired), Major Thomas Boy Sibande of the South African National Defence Force (retired), and Margareta Wahlström of Sweden, former Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs (also Secretary of the Panel).  They were assisted by a small Secretariat.

The Panel focused attention on the “strategic issues vital to delivery and enhancement of the security of United Nations personnel and premises and the changing threats and risks faced by it”.  In the course of its work, it visited over 20 headquarters and field duty stations meeting representatives of Member States, heads of departments in the Secretariat, executive heads of agencies, funds and programmes, and staff members, both national and international.

The Panel expressed the view that, while total security is unlikely to be achieved anywhere by any organization, security conditions for the United Nations can and must be constantly improved.  The tragedy in Baghdad in August 2003 had led to Member States, the Secretary-General, as also agencies, funds and programmes, addressing many shortcomings and gaps.  Much work was done including the establishment in 2005 of the Department of Safety and Security that helped the UN security management system cope effectively with very challenging global and local threats.

However, the 11 December 2007 attack in Algiers put the new security arrangements to a severe test and, according to the Panel, the system as a whole and individuals, in the duty station and at Headquarters, was “found wanting”.  The Panel did “not consider it could or should identify individual accountabilities”.  Its report, however, finds “ample evidence that several staff members up and down the hierarchy may have failed to respond adequately to the Algiers attack, both before and after the tragedy”.  For this reason, it suggested an independent accountability procedure to review the responsibilities of the key individuals and offices concerned and to provide the basis for action, if any, to be taken against them.  The Panel felt such a procedure would help restore confidence and morale among the staff.

The Panel examined the security management system at the headquarters, at country level as well as at the system-wide level and made detailed recommendations in each case.  Calling for a system-wide review of security strategy, performance and resources on a regular basis within the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination, it also proposed the periodic convening of a senior management group to provide policy guidance and review country-specific situations.  This would ensure a managerial culture of responsibility and pro-activity on security that would enable delivery of programmes.

Considering the role of Member States, the Panel recommended that the Secretary-General should converse more regularly with Member States at senior levels to promote better understanding of security matters.  This includes getting Member States to sign and ratify the 1994 Convention and the 2006 Optional Protocol as symbols of their determination to work closely in this crucial area of the Organization’s work.  To secure greater “buy in” by Member States, the Panel suggested the formation of a working group of senior UN officials, led by the Head of the Department of Safety and Security, and interested Member States, to work out a “best practice mechanism” for practical guidance.

The need for adequate and sustainable financing of programmes for safety and security in relation to the United Nations personnel and premises was also emphasized and Member States were called upon to review and propose the best option available for the conversion of the Department of Safety and Security budget to the United Nations regular budget.  It was also stressed that donor countries should be engaged with in order to establish a good practice principle of “no programme without security” in which security is streamlined as an integral part of programming. 

Emphasizing that the well being of staff and their dependents deserved attention as a security related area, the Panel felt United Nations personnel, in general, were not adequately informed about their rights and obligations.  This lack of information contributed to a perception of lack of equity in working conditions between different categories of staff, particularly between nationals and internationals.

On the wider question of the public image of the Organization, the Panel sees restoring the credibility of the United Nations as a commitment due from all parts of the system, beginning with Member States, at their deliberations in the General Assembly, Security Council and other organs, but also in other fora and in their own countries.  It declares that the people of the world, which the United Nations serves, expect to hear statements from the United Nations that are consistent with the Organization’s principles.  Statements, mainly by the General Assembly and the Security Council, as also emanating from the Secretary-General, are always carefully scrutinized.  They must meet these expectations and demonstrate that the United Nations is impartial, fair and principled.  Member States need also to be aware of the impact of decisions taken in intergovernmental bodies on the image of impartiality and neutrality of the United Nations and on the security of United Nations staff and property around the world.

The Secretary-General has expressed his gratitude to the Chairman and members of the Panel for their scrupulous and thorough work.  With respect to the Panel’s suggestion on the setting up of separate procedures to inquire into the responsibilities of key individuals and offices concerned with the Algiers attack, the Secretary-General has accepted Mr. Brahimi’s suggestion that a group headed by Ralph Zacklin urgently examine this question of individual accountability and report its results to him within a period of six weeks.  He is firmly committed to ensuring full accountability on the part of senior managers as well as those at responsible levels of decision-making.

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For information media • not an official record