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capacity-building and development efforts are undermined, and in fact, impossible when host State consent is lacking or withdrawn,” he said.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.
UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS
Briefings
JEAN-PIERRE LACROIX, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, said that States, Security Council, host countries, military, police and financial contributors must be proactive in enhancing and adapting peacekeeping in the face of challenges to multilateralism and peacekeeping. Declining respect for the rule of law, corruption and a shrinking civic space, among other challenges, call for unique and specific policing responses. “We must work collectively to ensure that the United Nations police is properly prepared, equipped and resourced to address them,” he said, noting that the gap between peacekeeping mandates and what missions can deliver in practice is increasingly apparent. Significant strides have been made in advancing commitments under the Action for Peacekeeping initiative, but “there is only so much that UN peacekeeping operations can achieve alone” amid increasing violent conflicts and heightened geopolitical tensions, including in the Council.
Missions can only achieve the intermediate goals of peacekeeping, including preserving ceasefires, protecting civilians, mediating local conflicts and strengthening institutions whenever possible, he continued. Without the unified political support of Member States, particularly in the Council, UN peacekeeping “can only serve to mitigate rather than resolve conflicts”. Expectations must be managed, alongside recognition that intermediate goals are important ends in themselves.
The first priority of the Action for Peacekeeping Plus initiative is coherence behind political strategies, which acknowledges that UN entities bring varied resources and leverage to support and influence a country’s political trajectory, he explained. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, United Nations police has supported electoral processes by training the Congolese National Police on public order management to support the safety of elections.
The second priority focuses on strengthening synergies through greater strategic and operational integration across mission components. United Nations police continues to utilize the Comprehensive Planning and Performance Assessment System, including the development of police-related impact indicators to improve accountability for performance. To support peacekeepers’ security, a third priority, United Nations police has conducted performance assessments and evaluation team visits to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) this year, he said, adding that it is working with police-contributing countries to address any shortfalls. United Nations police is working to foster a gender-responsive working environment, for example in Democratic Republic of Congo, where multiple projects have been implemented for the benefit of women peacekeepers. He added that United Nations police contributes to strategic communications by proactively countering misinformation, disinformation and hate speech, including via training.
The women, peace and security agenda is infused in all aspects of Action for Peacekeeping Plus, with United Nations police focused on strengthening engagement with civil society and women’s rights organizations, which it has done in Democratic Republic of the Congo, he said. In South Sudan, gender-responsive patrols are informed by an analysis of threat levels to women, based on information from community and intelligence sources. United Nations police has achieved its gender parity targets for 2025 in most personnel categories, with women comprising almost one in five United Nations police officers, including 32 per cent of police officers and 16 per cent police unit members. Through Action for Peacekeeping Plus, “we are better though not sufficiently placed to address today’s challenges to peace and security”, he said.
CHRISTOPHE BIZIMUNGU, Police Commissioner, United Nations Multidimensional Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic, said the achievements of the MINUSCA police component in building the capacity of the Central African Republic’s police and gendarmerie are myriad and invaluable. United Nations police has contributed to the selection of new recruits to guarantee a transparent and inclusive recruitment process, as envisaged in the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation. It also assisted in the training of these recruits and provided logistical support to those training efforts. Since 2019, 3,476 new people were recruited and trained with United Nations police support. Since 2018, United Nations police has provided 371 specialized training courses, primarily on how to deal with gender-based violence or hate speech. Many of these were “train-the-trainer courses”, so that members of the country’s Internal Security Forces trained by United Nations police could, in turn, train their colleagues, he said.
United Nations police also provides training to members of the Internal Security Forces during joint patrols, he continued, reporting that 7,663 joint patrols were conducted in 2022. United Nations police has also provided considerable infrastructure and equipment support. Since 2018, MINUSCA has worked, through its police component, to build or renovate 68 police stations and gendarmerie offices. It has also facilitated air transport for the deployment of Internal Security Forces agents within the country, with more than 1,300 of them benefitting from such transport in 2022 alone. In terms of institutional support, United Nations police has helped to draft key texts crucial to a professional police force and gendarmerie. These include the draft Decree on the Organization and Functioning of the General Inspectorate of the National Gendarmerie, he said.
In 2018, the Internal Security Forces were almost entirely absent in Central African Republic and unable to provide basic services to the population, he explained. Today, thanks to the joint efforts of the Central African Government and MINUSCA through its police component, the Internal Security Forces are present and operational both in Bangui and across vast swaths of the country, leading to a real improvement in public order and crime control. The many training courses provided with the support of MINUSCA's human rights division, as well as the collocation of United Nations police and Internal Security Forces in almost all police stations and gendarmerie offices, are promoting respect for human rights within the Internal Security Forces. Noting as an example the collocation work of the United Nations police with the Central Office for the Suppression of Crime, which in the past was characterized by flagrant human rights violations, he said: “Today, the [Central Office] has been completely transformed into a service more respectful of human rights.”
Turning to the impact of the United Nations police co-located with the special criminal court, which advises and supports national judicial police officers in investigations, he said that United Nations police, through that collaboration, is contributing significantly to the fight against impunity for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Noting that police authorities and national gendarmerie continue to publicly express their satisfaction with the impact of the support of United Nations police, he said that, today, they are better able to provide police services to the Central African population. However, much remains to be done. MINUSCA's police component will continue to increase its footprint in the Central African Republic 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, said that threats, such as gender discrimination, adverse climate events, climate related conflict and food insecurity disproportionately affect women and girls. Interventions to protect civilians must therefore continue to take into consideration the gender dimensions of new and emerging threats. As an example, she highlighted the situation in Bentiu, South Sudan, where, four years, of incessant rainfall and flooding and reduced livelihood opportunities for women have coincided with a spike in reports of sexual and gender-based violence. In the third quarter of this year, the UNMISS human rights division documented at least 50 incidents of sexual violence, up 150 per cent from the second quarter. It is clear that new, innovative and enhanced interventions related to gender-responsive policing are required, she aid.
She identified three key areas of action. First, support must be given for women's representation and participation in all decision-making. This participation has to be meaningful and include woman from all communities and groups. Second, and of equal importance, is the requirement to unify the security architecture through unified forces, including the South Sudan Police Service. Further, a conducive environment to foster sustainable peace requires the full, equal and meaningful participation of women, youth and marginalized groups in all aspects of governance. Trust-building as a foundation for improved relationships between these groups and law enforcement is a vital first step, she said, adding that women officers will continue to play a critical role in this endeavor. Third, with a renewed mandate underlining the Mission’s responsibility to protect civilians across South Sudan, an expanded geographical footprint accompanied by proactive, robust, robust deployment remains vital.
Since her briefing last year, the specialized police team has continued the close cooperation with trainers to deliver training to the South Sudan Police with a special protection unit on sexual and gender-based violence, she said. The “train the trainers” programme is already yielding results through cascading training and skills within the police service. The specialized police team is also evolving these efforts through customized training of UNMISS individual police officers across all field offices, taking into consideration the specific context and nuances of South Sudan’s 10 states and 3 administrative areas. These trained individual police officers will then further impact local training, thereby significantly expanding the outreach and scope of sexual and gender-based violence investigations. Such gains will enable the specialized police team to redirect resources towards enhanced monitoring, advising and mentoring the local police while also maintaining close cooperation with the UNMISS military component. As such, police are able to reach women across the country, together with the increased monitoring and investigation of sexual and gender-based violence. She went on to say that UNMISS is committed to doing more with less as it explores new interventions and approaches. Giving one example, she noted that the Mission recently welcomed the deployment of additional Arabic-speaking women police officers who, since their deployment, have allowed it to have a deeper reach within communities.
FAISAL SHAHKAR, United Nations Police Adviser, drew attention to the challenges faced by United Nations police, including its work being affected by varying relationships and trust levels between host State institutions and missions. “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 highlighted the need to meet equipment needs to deal with changing operational realities, such as the increased threat from improvised explosive devices, specifically in Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of Congo. Increased support from police-contributing countries would be welcome, including through the timely deployment of capacities without caveats and with the endorsement of the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) of adequate resources for tasks.
He noted the accomplishments of United Nations police in improving people’s lives, for example in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the police component of MONUSCO supports capacity-building efforts of the Congolese National Police to protect civilians and provide training; in Mali, where United Nations police supports the Malian Security Forces in their gradual redeployment to the central and northern regions; and in Central African Republic, where United Nations police deployed 14 police officers to extend its footprint and allow it to adjust its layout in coordination with MINUSCA peacekeeping force. United Nations police advocates for the representation of women in police reform and in turn enhancing their decision-making capacities, he said.
The Standing Police Capacity has reaffirmed the increased relevance of United Nations policing to help prevent conflict and respond to emerging policing requirements for peace operations, he continued. The United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on Policing has made progress in enhancing policy coherence and dialogue. Meanwhile, United Nations police are strengthening trilateral collaboration including through the biennial United Nations Chiefs of Police Summit and cooperation between the Security Council, police-contributing countries and the Secretariat on policing matters.
There is a critical need for individual police officers with expertise in countering organized crime, including environmental crime and terrorism, forensics, crime analysis, community-oriented policing, sexual and gender-based violence, gender mainstreaming and improvised explosive device risk-awareness and mitigation, he said. Francophone and mixed-gender formed units are also required for deployment, including rapid reaction, canine and riverine elements, and police teams specializing in community-oriented policing, environmental crimes, public order management, border policing and forensics. To further the digital transformation of peacekeeping, he requested social media monitoring and analysis tools for use as early warning mechanisms, aerostat and live high-resolution video feed capabilities, and personnel who are proficient in data analytics and management, cybercrime investigations and cybersecurity, he said.
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. “Criminal groups can play significant spoiler roles in peace processes. Illicit activities — particularly trafficking in narcotics, gold, timber and other natural resources, armaments, human beings, financial flows and more — fuel armed groups and drive instability.” The Security Council has referred to organized crime in several contexts, including the challenge it poses to State authority, and its resolutions have especially linked criminal activities with non-State armed groups. Non-State actors may also compete with the State, and even co-opt it, as they acquire political influence, she said, adding that organized crime can become embedded in State institutions. She detailed the UN’s range of policing responses to organized crime, such as in Timor-Leste and Kosovo, where United Nations police have had executive policing mandates in which they assumed responsibility for law enforcement.
Although the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti is not a United Nations police mission, its task of supporting the Haiti National Police to address gang violence will benefit from the UN’s experiences and lessons learned in this regard, she said. She noted the Council’s adoption of resolution 2653 (2022), establishing a sanctions regime on Haiti aimed at persons engaging in or supporting criminal activities and violence involving armed groups and criminal networks, and underscored the valuable work of Panels of Experts in shining light on the murky topic of organized crime. Policing responses to organized crime may also prove important in transitions, she said, noting that United Nations police contributes to host countries’ post-conflict transitions. She pointed to the role of United Nations police in facilitating the drawdown of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) and transition to the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), providing interim policing, police-planning capacities and knowledge transfer.
“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. The departure of UN peacekeepers, often when national institutions remain fragile, is a high-risk moment for the independence of the judiciary and for the security sector. The role of UN policing during transitions probably merits a greater focus. Moreover, when conflict continues, it is necessary to understand the political economy of the war — who benefits from it, and how — and to establish strategies to address this particular driver of conflict. “Questions for the Council here could be this: Where enforcement, or peacekeeping, action is conducted by a regional organization or a coalition, authorized by the UN, what is the role of UN policing, and who will be responsible politically for taking up the sensitive issue of organized crime?”
The Council could also consider the extent to which UN country teams are truly able to take on the spectre of organized crime as a threat to sustainable peace, she said. “United Nations police make up barely 12 per cent of UN uniformed personnel, but play critical roles in the justice chain — in the protection of civilians — and in interfacing with communities.” The Council’s anticipated reflection on the future of UN peace operations could be an opportunity for the Secretariat to present on, and for Member States to consider in depth, organized crime and the role of the United Nations police with other actors in supporting stabilization and longer-term peace, she said.
Statements
ZHANG JUN (China), Council President for November, speaking in his national capacity, said that there is a critical need for United Nations police to serve the core mandate of promoting political settlements while also exploring new ways to support missions’ overall mandates. They should establish stable partnerships with host States and take feedback from local communities seriously. United Nations police should play to their unique advantages in strategic communications and enhance local communities’ understanding of, and trust in, United Nations missions through, among other things, community-oriented policing activities. He also emphasized the need to support host-country capacity building, which should be integrated into missions’ planning and performance assessments. Further, United Nations police are duty-bound to support the building of law enforcement and judicial capacities in host countries. He also emphasized the importance of providing more targeted protection for peacekeepers, noting that some individual police officers have limited equipment despite facing significant security risks. With regard to gender balance, he said that 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. In addition, it is necessary to respond to the challenges posed by emerging technology, he added.
JOHN OSEI BONSU (Ghana) said that, since Ghana first deployed police personnel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the 1960s, it has continued to hold firm to international policing norms, as demonstrated through its pre- and post-deployment practices. “With 469 police officers, comprised from police units and individual police officers at various UN-mandated missions, we recognize the importance of constructive deliberations to build consensus on measures to boost preventive diplomacy,” he said, emphasizing the need for a key role for UN policing within peace operations. Calling for a stronger national ownership for preventive measures, he said that even as peace operations may impose tailor-made solutions to address the drivers of instability in host States, a strong push should always be made to implement bottom-up approaches. He encouraged the deployment of innovative and technological solutions to address the challenges of peacekeeping and underscored the importance of adequate financing and resourcing of all mandated UN peacekeeping operations.
ADRIAN DOMINIK HAURI (Switzerland) emphasized the importance of developing local police capabilities, especially for maintaining public order during critical periods. During transitions and military reductions, the Security Council should consider temporarily boosting police components to support host States in assuming police and judicial responsibilities. This strengthening of non-military entities should be coordinated with ongoing United Nations efforts after a mission has been withdrawn. Highlighting the critical role of effective communication in local languages, he encouraged police-contributing countries to ensure that their personnel are well-trained so that information obtained on the ground is translated into effective planning, especially for protection operations. Integration of various mission components, notably at the level of joint operations and analysis centres, should be accompanied by a clear delineation of the functions of each component. He went on to call for the systematic implementation of the Comprehensive Planning and Performance Assessment System to measure the performance of a mission as a whole.
NORBERTO MORETTI (Brazil) said that police components are well-positioned to engage with local communities and to act as partners during transitional periods, in addition to assisting official forces. United Nations police can be fundamental in promoting the women, peace and security agenda, he added, emphasizing the positive impact of deploying female police officers. “Female officers play a distinctive role in building trust and confidence with communities, contributing to a more efficient implementation of missions’ mandates,” he said, adding that more women should be assigned to command and leadership positions. Emphasizing the need for adequate training, he said that, in September, Brazil hosted the UN-certified instructor development course for three training programmes. Investment in strategic communications can dispel misinformation and disinformation and curb threats arising therefrom, he said, pointing to the importance of open communication channels with local communities, national authorities and relevant stakeholders.
EDWIGE KOUMBY MISSAMBO (Gabon) said that United Nations police forces must be able to adapt to increasingly complex and evolving operational environments and security challenges. She called for the development of strategic communication to establish constructive dialogue with host countries, therefore creating a climate of trust for the fulfilment of peacekeeping mandates. Effective operations will be impossible without the support of local populations, she noted. Efforts to improve United Nations police performance should also include the promotion of gender parity, she added, emphasizing the ability of women police officers to communicate and build trust with local women and girls to ensure that their real needs and perspectives are considered. Victims of sexual violence are more inclined to confide in female police officers, she added.
NICOLAS DE RIVIÈRE (France) said that United Nations police must set an example of respect for human rights and gender mainstreaming and be able to contribute to reducing the root causes of conflict. Voicing support for the growing strength of United Nations police, which must be adapted to mandate goals, he said that police components must acquire all the necessary competencies to address new threats, including those related to digital technology. Initiatives under development to strengthen predeployment selection and training must be encouraged, monitored closely and closely involve Member States. United Nations police must show that the Organization is responding to all mandate requirements he said, noting the efforts of France to that end by allocating nearly €800,000 since 2021 and €400,000 again this year for the development of the Light Coordination Mechanism. United Nations police must be a model for respect for cultural diversity and multilingualism and must continue to tirelessly promote women in its ranks, he added. He encouraged the Secretariat to analyse the transformation of United Nations police, noting that the last report on the activities of United Nations police dates back to December 2018.
JAMES KARIUKI (United Kingdom) said that United Nations police are uniquely placed to contribute to meeting the aims of “A New Agenda for Peace”, as well as to prevent the recurrence of conflict and to sustain peace. He welcomed closer integration of police components into United Nations peacekeeping, in line with an emphasis on strategic and operational integration. Missions are stronger and safer when police are treated as an integral component so that they contribute their community intelligence and apply their unique set of skills. Further, he highlighted how important the women, peace and security agenda is for successful policing. Ensuring that police forces reflect the communities they serve is not only the right thing to do, as it also leads to better mission performance and can have positive impacts for the role of women in host State security institutions. The United Kingdom continues to support initiatives to increase the participation of women in peacekeeping, including the senior women talent pipeline, he added.
YAMANAKA OSAMU (Japan) said that strengthening the host State’s rule of law capacities and institutions is not only crucial for ensuring short-term post-conflict stability, but also for facilitating long-term peacebuilding. Law enforcement agencies in conflict-affected or post-conflict States must frequently operate in conditions marked by prolonged turmoil, limited capacity and constrained resources. These circumstances can create difficulties for these agencies to maintain public trust and confidence. Host Governments must take proactive ownership and demonstrate a steadfast commitment to bring about change within their institutions. Capacity-building is best accomplished by personnel who possess the necessary qualifications and competence, he said, adding that the growing influence of misinformation and disinformation in peacekeeping settings is concerning. Japan encourages missions to develop integrated strategic communications to disseminate accurate information regarding their activities with a focus on progress achieved through United Nations police's capacity-building efforts.
HERNÁN PÉREZ LOOSE (Ecuador) called transnational organized crime one of the most significant challenges facing international peace and security. Such crime is corruptive and murderous, penetrates the State and society and undermines democratic stability — and it is rapidly gaining ground. In many parts of the world, drug and arms trafficking, human trafficking, forced migration and illegal mining are growing and States need sustained, robust and effective mechanisms to confront these challenges. In this context, United Nations police’s role will become increasingly important. He recognized the role of police in UNMISS, especially in camps for internally displaced people and often fulfilled by female police officers, contributing to improving physical security and building trust. He asked the briefers what the Council can do to improve the working conditions of the UNMISS police component and whether MINUSCA’S police component has been able to contribute to strengthening local capacities regarding prison overcrowding and police capabilities.
ALBANA DAUTLLARI (Albania) noting that effectively addressing violence, especially against non-State armed groups, requires a comprehensive politically centred approach, warned against relying solely on security measures. The key to a future where diplomacy prevails over discord lies in international cooperation, trust-building and addressing root causes, she said. Recalling the Secretary-General’s “A New Agenda for Peace”, she emphasized that Member States must move beyond rhetoric and commit politically and financially to prevention efforts. Underscoring a need for a holistic approach to policing to address the nexus of terrorism, violent extremism and transnational organized crime, she urged United Nations police to strengthen cooperation with regional and subregional organizations, focusing on training and experience-sharing. United Nations police, when mandated, are crucial for advancing the rule of law and reforming the security sector in conflict zones, she said, pointing in this regard to the need to strengthen national institutions for effective violence prevention.
FRANCESCA MARIA GATT (Malta) noting that 10,000 police officers serve on the front lines in 16 United Nations peace operations globally, underscored their contribution to security and to compliance with international human rights standards. Outlining steps to promote effectiveness and address deficiencies of the United Nations police, she urged Member States to pursue meaningful performance assessments and to properly equip and prepare the police. Echoing the Secretary-General’s call for networked multilateralism, she stressed it would enable an effective and universal approach to peace and security, as well as an extended use of the peacekeeping tools. The United Nations police has achieved its gender parity targets for 2025, she said, calling on Member States to fully implement the women, peace and security agenda, boost the presence of women in United Nations peacekeeping and ensure their sustained and meaningful participation.
DOMINGOS ESTÊVĀO FERNANDES (Mozambique) said the United Nations police mandate includes an array of critical tasks including supporting the re-establishment of law, protecting civilians and UN staff and facilities and assisting with capacity-building. He emphasized that UN policing has already achieved its gender parity targets for 2025. It is self-evident, he said, that more women in peace operations translate into more effective peace missions. While acknowledging important steps undertaken by the United Nations to strengthen peace and security, he expressed deep concern over challenges including organized crime, cybersecurity, transnational organized crime and radicalization. Addressing these challenges depends on an enhanced intelligence-sharing function, as well as specialized training on intelligence-gathering, investigation techniques and digital forensics, as well as enhanced border-control measures. In this context, Mozambique believes that it is important to continue enhancing collaboration and information-sharing among police agencies, intelligence services and other relevant international organizations.
SHAHD JAMAL YOUSUF IBRAHIM MATAR (United Arab Emirates) said the application of United Nations police performance standards remains critical to ensure that they are not only fulfilling their mission, but are perceived as doing so by their host communities. In September, the United Arab Emirates hosted for the second time a United Nations police performance workshop in Abu Dhabi and brought together the leadership of police components in peace operations and special political missions to exchange views on performance and accountability questions. United Nations police can benefit from regional partnerships. The work of the UN Interagency Task Force on Policing is an important opportunity to assess the effectiveness of UN police efforts to identify gaps in support, as well as synergies among UN, regional and subregional policing mechanisms. UN peacekeepers must be good stewards of the environments where they serve. To that end, her country has been spearheading efforts to support the UN Secretariat’s transition to more renewable energy use in its peacekeeping operations.
VASSILY A. NEBENZIA (Russian Federation) cautioned against situations where missions are replacing local police in the long term. In doing so, he emphasized the importance of supporting post-conflict reform of law-enforcement institutions and improving the national potential of host States. Spotlighting the key role of women police officers, he said that States should not prioritize achieving any percentage-based indicators, but rather focus on effective mandate implementation. He also stressed the need for geographic representation when deploying women to UN missions in command positions. Since 2000, the All-Russian Peacekeeping Training Centre of the Russian Federation’s Ministry of Internal Affairs in Domodedovo has trained hundreds of foreign police peacekeepers on UN-certified courses, including commanders, from more than 50 countries. “Russia has a unique experience in the professional training of UN peacekeepers that it is willing to share,” he said, adding that Russian Federation police officers — of which one third are women — are currently serving in five UN missions.
JOHN KELLEY (United States) said that his country remains committed to supporting UN policing and helping it to meet the challenges ahead. It is essential for United Nations police to have the correct training, he said, noting that, over the past four years, the United States has invested in police training programmes. The time has come to empower police to fully leverage these investments and make job specific training mandatory. The inclusion of women in all areas of policing must be accelerated, he said, explaining that accelerating the women, peace and security agenda in the policing context is essential for achieving peacekeeping mission objectives. Policing also has an important role in responding to the complex and multifaceted challenges threatening international peace and security, he continued. As climate change induces destabilization and conflict across fragile contexts, new needs have emerged for the security sector. The United States encourages the United Nations to look at future needs and opportunities in the area of policing, he said.
Mr. LACROIX, responding to delegates’ questions and remarks, thanked them for raising such issues as capacity-building, the role of women in UN policing, adapting to new technology, and safety and security. He emphasized the evolving nature of conflict and the need to better respond to conflict’s major drivers, such as the impact of climate change, transnational criminal activities and global terrorism. These drivers of conflict require a police-type response and therefore the role of police will increase to respond to these challenges. Developing a more networked multilateralism requires being better equipped to respond to those drivers, which in turn means an enhanced role for United Nations police, coordination with agencies and entitles beyond the UN system and a greater ability to create and implement projects at regional, national and global levels, he said.
Mr. BIZIMUNGU, taking the floor a second time to respond to Ecuador’s representative, said MINUSCA police contribute to criminal investigations by providing specialized courses to the Central African Republic’s Internal Security Forces. It also strengthens police and gender capacity through collocation, working with Internal Security Forces in their police stations and gendarmerie offices and providing advice on investigations and other areas of police work. Regarding the problem of overcrowding in detention centres, he said the work of MINUSCA police in collocation helps to ensure the release of those illegally detained and that investigations are conducted professionally and respect human rights.
Ms. FOSSEN, responding to Ecuador’s representative, said that it is important to strengthen the role of police to achieve a sustainable peace. She gave the example of policing in camps for internally displaced persons in South Sudan where the protection of civilians is achieved through gender-responsive policing. Further support is needed from the Council for the deployment of qualified women who will walk the extra mile to engage with local communities, internally displaced persons and vulnerable women and to create space for them. Turning to capacity building, she said that UNMISS is working very closely with the host Government to make sure that there are sustainable development programmes which can develop local policing, human rights, the rule of law and the full chain of justice. It is insufficient to create good police officers in South Sudan if there are no prosecutors or courts or detention facilities. Work is required on the entire chain of command and the operation is doing so as best it can under the current strong leadership, she said.
Mr. SHAHKAR, noting that organized crime has global connotations, said that United Nations police is focusing on a coherent response through the intelligence task force and cooperation of regional police set-ups. On the early engagement of United Nations police in trouble areas to help avert conflict, he said that United Nations police has received some requests from regional coordinators and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with support provided through deployments. On capacity-building, he said that the main issue is budgetary. Capacity-building requires political will and money — and policing is an expensive business — and Council support is needed in this regard. Turning to the sustainability of UN policing efforts when missions end, he said that thought is being given into seeking Council and Member State support on ways to leave some police capacity in place once a peacekeeping or political mission ends.