UNSC adopts Presidential Statement and Resolution on Peacekeeping

On 18th August, 2021, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), under India’s presidency, unanimously adopted a Presidential Statement on 'Peacekeeping and Technology' and a resolution on 'Accountability of crimes against UN Peacekeepers.'

UN Peacekeeping

  • It involves deploying troops and police from around the world, integrating them with civilian peacekeepers to address a range of mandates set by the UNSC and the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
  • Principles of Peacekeeping: There are three basic, inter-related and mutually reinforcing principles that characterise UN peacekeeping operations. These are: consent of the parties, impartiality, and non-use of force except in self-defence and defence of the mandate.
  • Finances: The financial resources of UN Peacekeeping operations are the collective responsibility of UN Member States.

India in UN Peacekeeping

  • India is a major contributing nation to UN peacekeeping activities.
  • More than 200,000 Indian military and police personnel have served UN Peacekeeping missions established around the world since 1948.
  • 174 Indian peacekeepers have lost their lives in the line of duty.

The Presidential Statement

  • It is the first such statement to be adopted that focuses exclusively on utilizing technology to assist peacekeepers.
  • It encourages the use of modern technology for improving the performance, safety and security of peacekeepers who are operating in increasingly complex and risky environments.
  • India-UN Memorandum of Understanding: 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 to 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 Resolution

  • Through the resolution, the Security Council called upon Member States hosting or having hosted United Nations peacekeeping operations to take all appropriate measures in accordance with their national law and international law to bring to justice perpetrators responsible for killing and committing acts of violence against the UN Peacekeeping personnel.
  • The resolution was co-sponsored by all the UNSC members and a total of over 80 UN Member States.

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