United Nations Peacekeeping Operations - Security Council, 10180th meeting

Good morning.
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I call to order the 10,180th meeting of the Security Council The provisional agenda for this meeting is.
United Nations peacekeeping operations.
The agenda is adopted.
In accordance with rule 37 of the councils Provisional Rules of Procedure.
I invite the representatives of Albania, Germany, Algeria, Andorra and Taiwan.
Barbuda.
Armenia.
Australia.
Austria.
Azerbaijan.
Bahamas, Bangladesh Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cape Verde, Cambodia, Canada, Chad, Chile, Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Djibouti, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, the United Arab Emirates, Eritrea, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, the Federated States of Micronesia, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, the Philippines Finland.
Gabon, Georgia, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland Iceland, the Marshall Islands, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Northern Macedonia, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Morocco, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Norway, New Zealand, Oman, Palau, Peru.
Poland, Portugal, Qatar, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Syrian Arab Republic, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of Moldova, the Dominican Republic the United Republic of Tanzania Romania, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Samoa, San Marino, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tajikistan, East Timor, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen and Zimbabwe.
To participate in this meeting, it is so decided.
The Council is ready to proceed.
We'll go to review item two on the agenda.
Members of the Council have before it document S2026/4 hundred 88, which includes the text of a draft resolution introduced by Albania, Germany, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cape Verde, Cambodia, Canada, Chad, Czechia, Chile, China, Cyprus, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Denmark, Djibouti, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, the United Arab Emirates, Eritrea, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, the Federated States of Micronesia, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, the Philippines, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland Iceland, the Marshall Islands, Italy, Jamaica, Japan.
Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Latvia.
Lebanon, Liberia, Libya.
Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Northern Macedonia, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Morocco, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Norway, New Zealand, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Syrian Arab Republic, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of Moldova, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Dominican Republic, the United Republic of Tanzania, Romania, Saint Kitts in Saint Kitts and Nevis, Samoa, San Marino, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vietnam.
Yemen and Zimbabwe.
The council.
Is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it.
I shall now give the floor to members of the council that wish to make a statement before the vote.
I give the floor to the representative of Pakistan.
You have the floor, sir.
Thank you, Madam President.
Together with Denmark, Pakistan has the honor to introduce the draft resolution before the Council on Accountability for crimes against United Nations peacekeepers.
I wish to thank Denmark for our close partnership on this vital initiative.
Initially with the Republic of Korea as a trio in 2025, Pakistan and Denmark have continued to work together as the Security Council's peace operations duo in 2026 to keep the council's focus on peacekeeping, which is one of the most important instruments for the maintenance of international peace and security.
Madam president, the United Nations peacekeeping represents the collective commitment of the UN membership to international peace and security, and over decades, member states from across all regions have contributed personnel capabilities and resources to peacekeeping operations.
Nearly 4500 UN peacekeepers representing the international community have lost their lives in the line of duty.
This includes 133 Pakistani peacekeepers.
We pay highest tribute to the ultimate sacrifice made by all of them for Denmark and Pakistan, as indeed for the record number of member states co-sponsoring and supporting this initiative.
And you read out the list, Madam President.
The issue of accountability for crimes against peacekeepers carries utmost importance.
Pakistan is one of the largest and longest serving troop contributing countries to UN peacekeeping.
More than 270,000 Pakistani peacekeepers have served under the UN flag over the decades.
We therefore appreciate the human cost of peacekeeping and know that safety and security of peacekeepers can be enhanced through strengthened accountability.
Pakistan has also consistently contributed to the development of peacekeeping policy at the UN.
In 2013, Pakistan led the adoption of Landmark Resolution 2086 on multidimensional peacekeeping, which was the first comprehensive resolution of this council focused on peacekeeping.
The draft before the council today carries on that tradition, and it also builds directly on resolutions 25, 18 and 2589, sponsored by China and India, respectively, which strengthened the council's engagement on the safety and security of peacekeepers and accountability for crimes committed against them.
Madam president, across several missions, attacks against UN peacekeepers have increased in number and sophistication.
Peacekeepers are being targeted often with little accountability.
This draft resolution seeks to move the council beyond statements condemning these attacks.
Council's pronouncements are important.
Condolences are necessary, but they are not enough.
When peacekeepers are killed or injured as a result of attacks, while performing mandates authorised by this council, then the council must remain seized of what happens next, whether facts are established, whether investigations are being pursued, whether perpetrators have been identified and whether justice is done.
Impunity for such crimes cannot be allowed to fester.
There must be accountability.
The draft resolution before the council contains practical measures to address gaps in existing accountability framework.
It requests the Secretary-General to report to the Council on an annual basis on the status of investigations and prosecutions in cases involving killing of, and acts of violence against UN personnel serving in peacekeeping operations.
It also requests the Secretary General to provide options within 120 days on the way forward, to strengthen the accountability framework for crimes against peacekeepers.
This will help the Council assess as to what is working, where gaps remain and what further action may be required.
Among other important steps, the draft resolution will also lead to designation of a Senior Focal point in the Secretariat to improve coordination, follow up engagement with host states and troop contributing countries, and effective use of existing mechanisms to enhance accountability.
Most importantly, this resolution is a strong expression of the council's political will to stand by peacekeepers.
It mandates and deploys.
It sends a clear message our men and women who serve under the UN flag will have the council's full backing.
Attacks against them will not be met with silence or impunity.
Madam president, Denmark and Pakistan thanked the council members for their constructive engagement on the text.
We listened carefully to the views expressed during the negotiations process and have sought to produce a balanced, focused and implementable text.
We are also highly, deeply grateful to the wider UN membership, including the troop and police contributing countries from across the globe for extending their invaluable support.
The draft resolution has been co-sponsored by over 150 member states, a record number reflecting the interest of the broader membership in the subject and the weight it brings to ensuring accountability for crimes against peacekeepers.
And President Pakistan and Denmark look forward to unanimous adoption of the draft resolution.
I thank you.
I thank the delegate of Pakistan for the statement.
I shall now give the floor.
We shall now proceed to a vote.
Those in favour of the draft resolution in the document S2026/488, please raise your hand.
The result of the voting is as follows.
The draft resolution received 15 votes in favour.
The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2823 of 2026.
I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements after the vote.
I give the floor to the representative of Denmark.
Thank you, Madam President.
Madam president, Denmark was pleased to co-lead negotiations in a very constructive partnership with Pakistan on today's resolution.
As part of our continued and sustained cooperation through the Peace Operations Duo.
At the outset, I would like to express our sincere appreciation to all council members for their constructive engagement, flexibility and commitments throughout the negotiation process, which has led to the adoption this morning of resolution 2823.
The unanimous support for this resolution sends a strong and important message to the over 5000 personnel currently serving in peacekeeping missions across the globe, from Lebanon over Cyprus to South Sudan and the Central African Republic.
It sends a message of solidarity that this council, this body which sets their mandate, stands firmly behind them to the troop and police contributing countries, many of whom have co-sponsored today's resolution, who deploy their most precious resource in support of peace.
It sends a message of reassurance that the event of any crime against their peacekeepers, this council and the United Nations systems is ready, willing and able to step in and to the perpetrators of any crimes, wherever and whoever they are.
It sends a firm message that the international community is watching, that crimes will not go unpunished, that accountability and justice will be pursued and will be upheld.
Madam president, United Nations peacekeeping represents the promise of the charter in action.
It is the affirmation that peace is a global good, and that it is fundamentally a collective commitment and a shared endeavour.
We are therefore particularly grateful to the more than 150 member states from all regions, representing the majority of this entire organisation that joined us as co-sponsors of this critical resolution.
Your support demonstrates the broad commitment of the international community to strengthen the safety and security of those who serve under the United Nations flag, often in the most difficult and dangerous circumstances.
But it is more than symbolic.
This resolution is practical and implementable.
It seeks to fuel accountability gaps, support investigations and prosecutions, and improve coordination across the United Nations systems.
Colleagues, the adoption of today's resolution should not be understood as an end point, rather as the beginning of a renewed phase of commitment and a foundation for continued action.
By requesting further options from the Secretary General, the council has recognised that strengthening accountability and protecting peacekeepers requires sustained attention and continuous improvement.
We look forward to receiving those proposals, to considering them and to working together to translate them into meaningful progress.
In closing Madam President, let me pay tribute to the brave women and men serving under the blue flag For more than seven decades, they have been maintaining peace and security, protection, civilians and supporting political processes around the world.
Nearly 4500 of them have paid the ultimate price.
Today's resolutions honours their sacrifice.
Denmark and Pakistan look forward to continued cooperation with all member states and relevant stakeholders in implementing this resolution and translating its commitments into concrete action.
I thank you.
I thank the representative, the Ambassador of Denmark, for her statement, and I now give the floor to the representative of China.
You have the floor, sir.
President, United Nations peacekeeping operations are an important means for maintaining international peace and security.
As a strong supporter of peacekeeping, a major troop contributing country, and co-chair of the Group of Friends on Safety and Security of UN peacekeepers, China attaches great importance to the safety and security of peacekeeping personnel.
We welcome the unanimous adoption a while ago of this Council resolution 2823, and commend the Penholders, Denmark and Pakistan for their efforts in promoting this resolution.
This demonstrates the solidarity united unity in action by the Council and the universal support of the international community in the current complex and convoluted international security context.
Peacekeeping personnel face severe threats, both traditional and non-traditional as exemplified, inter alia, in multiple recent attacks, resulting in casualties among peacekeepers.
Given the unsatisfying progress in investigation and accountability, it is therefore both necessary and urgent for the Security Council to take further action.
Any deliberate attack against peacekeeping personnel constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law and relevant Security Council resolutions.
China supports the adoption of this resolution and its effective implementation, so as to send a clear message to the international community that the safety and security of peacekeepers is inviolable, and that the perpetrators shall be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
China paid highest tribute to all the UN personnel in the service of Pkos, and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the global peace cause.
China actively participates in UN peacekeeping operations as the second largest financial contributor to UN peacekeeping and the largest troop contributing country among the permanent members of City Council.
To date, China has deployed more than 50,000 peacekeepers in total, participating in 29 UN peacekeeping missions authorized by the City Council established an 8000 strong standby peacekeeping force and taken the lead in forming the world's first formed standby police unit for peacekeeping.
More than 20 Chinese peacekeepers have made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of peace, including one female peacekeeping police officer.
China stands ready to continue close cooperation with the Secretariat, host countries and other tasks and pieces.
To implement this resolution, take concrete actions to cement a line of defense for the safety of the Blue Helmets and make greater contributions to the maintenance of international peace and security.
I thank you president.
I thank the representative of China for the statement, and I now give the floor.
To the representative of Liberia.
Thank you.
Thank you, Madam President.
Liberia thanks Denmark and Pakistan for their leadership on this resolution, which we proudly co-sponsored and voted for from Ecomog.
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Peacekeepers enabled Liberia's transition from conflict to democracy.
Liberians remember with profound gratitude and deep regret, the 200 personnel who lost their lives on our soil to safeguard our lives.
While we cannot restore those lost lives, Liberia joins this resolution to ensure the safety of all active peacekeepers is protected and respected.
Shielding these guidance through strict accountability is indispensable, as attacks against them violate international humanitarian law, and rightly so, constitute war crimes.
In closing, Madam President, peacekeepers once secured the Liberian nation.
It is now our honored duty to secure theirs.
This council must continue to match the service and sacrifice of peacekeepers with absolute and deserved accountability.
I thank you for your kind attention.
I thank the representative of Liberia for the statement, and I now give the floor to the representative of Panama.
Thank you very much, Madam President.
Panama voted in favor of the resolution that we have just adopted because it considers that the safety of UN personnel that is deployed in peacekeeping operations constitutes an indispensable element for the effective application of the mandates of this council.
The men and women that serve under the UN flag often work in complex and highly volatile contexts.
They face risks to their security on a constant basis.
Recent incidents registered in operations such as uniform and unisfa are a reminder that attacks against peacekeeping personnel continue to be a real threat for those that, on a daily basis, work for international peace and stability.
Panama considers that attacks against UN staff should not be unpunished.
Accountability constitutes a critical element for justice for victims and families, and it is also a critical prevention tool when the perpetrators of these acts do not face consequences.
The safety of missions is weakened and their capacity to implement mandates entrusted by this council is undermined.
We also recognize that the threats faced by peacekeeping operations have evolved considerably in recent years.
The use of IEDs, unmanned aerial systems and other emerging technologies demands that we constantly adapt missions, safety and protection capacities.
Therefore, we value that the resolution reflects current operational realities and promotes a more effective response to these challenges.
Finally, our country considers that it is positive that the adopted text has a balanced and practical approach, strengthening cooperation mechanisms as well as mechanisms for accountability and investigation.
At the same time, it recognizes the critical role of host states and the need to work within existing structures of the UN system.
Panama thanks Denmark and Pakistan for their leadership throughout this process, and we reaffirm our commitment with efforts to enhance the safety of peacekeeping personnel and to fight impunity for attacks against them.
I thank you.
I thank the representative of Panama for the statement, and I now give the floor to the representative of the Russian Federation.
Madam president, we thank the co-authors for the initiative.
They showed when they brought to the Security Council's agenda the issue of accountability for crimes against peacekeepers.
Peacekeeping remains one of the key instruments in the UN arsenal when it comes to conflict resolution.
The blue helmets are discharging their noble duty in very difficult and dangerous conditions.
They risk their lives on a daily basis.
We pay tribute to the memory of all peacekeepers who lost their lives.
Unfortunately recently, the issue of ensuring the safety and security of the Blue Helmets is becoming increasingly relevant because attacks against them are increasingly frequent.
At the same time, information about successful investigations and punishment of perpetrators is something that we hardly hear about.
In March of 2022, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, together with the colleagues from Serbia and Pakistan, a senior military observer, Russian officer Aleksey Miura, perished as a result of shelling from a helicopter.
The perpetrators of this crime were never brought to justice.
Madam president, we did support this resolution for following reasons.
First of all this resolution will send a very clear signal by the international community that the fact that there is a UN peacekeeping presence has to be taken by all parties to the conflict very seriously.
And the safety and security of the blue Helmets is inviolable, and violations in this area will be followed by an inevitable punishment.
Secondly, the resolution confirms the right of the host country to have assistance provided to them when it comes to building their own capacity for conducting effective investigations of crimes against peacekeepers.
After all, it is the host country which bears primary responsibility for the security and safety of the Blue Helmets on its territory.
It is our view that the decision to appoint a senior focal point on accountability for crimes against blue helmets, as well as a yearly report by the Secretary General about the investigations of such crimes, will ensure that there is sustainable attention given to this issue at a proper level and will help obtain long awaited justice for the peacekeepers who lost their lives.
I thank you for your attention.
I thank the delegate of the Russian Federation for her statement, and I now give the floor to the representative of the United.
United Kingdom.
Thank you.
President.
The United Kingdom welcomes the unanimous adoption of this resolution, and we thank Denmark and Pakistan for their efforts.
This resolution makes clear that accountability for attacks against United Nations personnel serving in peacekeeping operations is essential.
This year has seen unacceptable attacks on blue helmets.
Our deepest sympathies are with the families of those killed and injured.
We stress the importance of ensuring that investigations into recent incidents progress, and we commend the courage and professionalism of personnel serving in UN peacekeeping operations.
Finally, president, the United Kingdom is committed to ensuring that UN peacekeeping remains an effective tool in support of international peace and security, and we look forward to receiving the Secretary General's report on the future of all forms of peace operations.
I thank you.
I thank the delegate of the United Kingdom for her statement, and I now give the floor to Bahrain.
You have the floor.
Thank you very much, Madam President, and the beginning of my statement.
I would like to thank the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, as well as the Kingdom of Denmark, as drafters, for the efforts deployed to prepare the resolution that we have adopted today on accountability for crimes against peacekeepers.
Madam president, we have voted in favour of the draft resolution because we are firmly convinced that it is necessary to exert concerted efforts internationally to protect the staff of Pkos that play a key role to enhance international peace and security.
I would like to avail myself of this opportunity to pay tribute to all staff working in peacekeeping operations, and this includes our blue Helmets.
I would like to sincerely express my condolences to the families of all those that lost their lives in the exercise of their functions.
This resolution completes resolution 25, 18 and 2589 and reaffirm the key role played by the Security Council not just to adopt mandates, but also in the follow up of their implementation, as well as the protection of all staff in different stages of the aforementioned implementation.
To conclude, the Kingdom of Bahrain will continue supporting all international efforts in order to enhance the protection of PKO staff to uphold peace, security, stability and regional peace.
Thank you, Madam President.
I thank the delegation of Bahrain for the statement.
There are no further names inscribed on the list of speakers.
The meeting is adjourned.