Under India's Presidency, UNSC adopts resolution on bringing to justice crimes committed against UN peacekeepers

The UN Security Council, currently being presided over by India, on Wednesday unanimously adopted for the first time a resolution on ensuring accountability for crimes committed against UN peacekeepers besides calling on member states hosting peacekeeping operations to bring to justice perpetrators responsible for killing and committing acts of violence against the Blue Helmets.

United Nations:The UN Security Council, currently being presided over by India, on Wednesday unanimously adopted for the first time a resolution on ensuring accountability for crimes committed against UN peacekeepers besides calling on member states hosting peacekeeping operations to bring to justice perpetrators responsible for killing and committing acts of violence against the Blue Helmets.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar chaired an open-debate under India's presidency of the Security Council on UN peacekeeping operations with the theme of 'Protecting the protectors: technology and peacekeeping', the second signature event held as India presides over the powerful 15-member UN body for the month of August. At the meeting, two significant outcome documents were unanimously adopted and overwhelmingly supported - a Presidential Statement on 'Peacekeeping and Technology' and a Resolution on 'Accountability of crimes against UN Peacekeepers.'

Under the Indian Presidency, the Security Council unanimously adopted for the first time the resolution that calls for ensuring accountability for crimes committed against UN peacekeepers. In line with India's focus on peacekeeping, the Presidential Statement (PRST) in the UNSC was the first to be adopted that focused exclusively on utilising technology to assist peacekeepers.

The PRST encourages the use of modern technology for improving the performance, safety and security of peacekeepers who are operating in increasingly complex and risky environments. Through the resolution, the Security Council "calls upon the Member States hosting or having hosted United Nations peacekeeping operations to take all appropriate measures in accordance with their national law and international law as applicable to bring to justice perpetrators of the killing of, and all acts of violence against United Nations personnel, including, but not limited to, their detention and abduction."

This was the first such Security Council resolution that calls for prevention, investigation and prosecution to bring the perpetrators to justice. India initiated the first resolution in the UNSC this year, which was co-sponsored by all UNSC members and a total of over 80 UN Member States, signifying the support of the international community to the issue of peacekeeping, which India has highlighted as one of the priority areas during its current Presidency of the Council. The resolution urges all parties to armed conflict to fully respect their obligations under international law.

It calls on host states to work with peacekeeping missions to enhance the safety and security of mission personnel and to take all necessary measures to investigate such acts and arrest and prosecute perpetrators of such acts in line with their national law, consistent with applicable international obligations, including under international humanitarian law, and international human rights law and in accordance with the relevant status-of-forces or status-of-mission agreement, as appropriate." It also calls upon member states hosting or having hosted UN peacekeeping operations to promote accountability for the killing of, and all acts of violence against UN personnel serving in peacekeeping operations.

The resolution encourages the Member States, including troop and police-contributing countries whose personnel have been the victims of the killing of and all acts of violence against UN personnel, to actively engage and share information with the Secretary-General, consistent with their national law, as and where necessary to assist the Member States hosting or having hosted peacekeeping operations, in bringing to justice the perpetrators of such acts.

Through the Presidential Statement, the UNSC, noting that peacekeepers are deployed in deteriorating and complex political and security environments, and face asymmetrical and complex threats including from terrorism, "stresses the need to leverage the technological tools available to support greater situational awareness of peacekeeping missions. During the signature event, India in coordination with the UN also rolled out a unique technology platform aimed at enhancing the security and safety of peacekeepers.

The UNITE AWARE platform helps increase situational awareness and provides terrain-related information to peacekeepers. India partnered with the UN and contributed USD 1.64 million in the roll-out of the UNITE Aware platform. Jaishankar, addressing reporters at the Security Council stakeout after the open debate, said that UNITE Aware is a situational awareness software programme that will utilise modern surveillance technology for real time threat assessments to peacekeepers and help them obviously enhance their security.

This will access live video and satellite imagery and in very volatile circumstances also deliver early warnings to peacekeepers. He said this platform will initially be deployed in four Peacekeeping Missions: MINUSMA (Mali), UNMISS (South Sudan), UNFICYP (Cyprus) and AMISOM (Somalia). Through the UNITE Aware platform, the entire peacekeeping operation can be visualised, coordinated and monitored on a real-time basis, it will record data on critical incidents and events, follow daily operational activities, access live video and satellite imagery and provide early warning in volatile environments.

As part of India's initiative towards training and capacity building of peacekeepers in the sphere of technology, an MoU was signed between India and the UN in support of the -'Partnership for Technology in Peacekeeping' initiative and to UN C4ISR UN Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Academy for Peace Operations (UNCAP) based in Entebbe, Uganda.

The MoU was exchanged between India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti and Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support Atul Khare during a solemn ceremony at the UN Peacekeepers Memorial. Jaishankar laid a wreath at the memorial and joined by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres paid homage to the UN peacekeepers who have lost their lives over the years in the line of duty.

Speaking at the ceremony, Guterres said more than one million men and women have served under the blue flag of the United Nations since 1948. "More than 4,000 peacekeepers have lost their lives in the line of duty. Among them are 174 Indian peacekeepers, the highest number of all the troop-contributing countries. We are forever grateful for their service. Their remarkable work, and ultimate sacrifice, will never be forgotten, he said.

In his address to the open debate in his national capacity, Jaishankar said: "It is this Council that sends peacekeepers across continents to keep the peace and implement the mandate that it decides. It is therefore the duty of this very august body to also ensure that we provide them with the means to implement that mandate. "We have shown today, both in the rollout of the UNITE Aware Platform as well as the actionable elements of training incorporated in the MoU, that India believes in walking the talk when it comes to the safety and security of UN peacekeepers.

"We hope that in our discussions today, we get an equally strong reaffirmation of the UN's intent as well, Jaishankar added. Wednesday's debate was the second signature event held under India's presidency in August. The first signature event under India's UNSC presidency was held on August 9 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the High-level Open Debate on Enhancing Maritime Security - A Case for International Cooperation'. The third event on August 19 will be a high-level briefing on 'Threats to International Peace and Security caused by Terrorist Acts'.

PTI