UN Security Council Adopts Resolution on Accountability for Attacks on Peacekeepers

JAKARTA - The UN Security Council on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution aimed at strengthening accountability for crimes committed against UN peacekeepers, underlining the need to investigate and prosecute attacks targeting personnel serving in peace operations.

The resolution, jointly drafted by Pakistan and Denmark, received the support of all 15 members of the Council and was co-sponsored by more than 100 UN member states.

According to the UN, as many as 1,095 peacekeepers have been killed in hostile acts since 1948, including 359 since 2013, while several thousand others have been injured.

Ahead of the vote, Pakistan's U.N. envoy, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, said the Security Council must go beyond merely expressing concern.

"This draft resolution seeks to move the council beyond statements condemning these attacks. Council statements are important, condolences are needed, but that is not enough," he said, quoted by Anadolu (24/6).

Adopted as UN Resolution 2823, this resolution condemns all attacks on UN peacekeepers and pays tribute to those who have died in the line of duty.

The resolution emphasizes that attacks on peacekeepers can constitute a war crime and highlights accountability as a key tool to prevent future violence and improve the safety and security of UN missions.

The text also calls on relevant stakeholders to cooperate with the UN in pursuing accountability and reaffirms the responsibility of the host country to investigate the crime and bring the perpetrators to justice in accordance with national and international law.

Ahmad noted that the resolution introduced practical steps to strengthen existing accountability mechanisms, including annual reporting by the UN secretary-general on investigations and prosecutions related to the killing and violence against peacekeepers.

After the vote, Denmark's U.N. Ambassador Christina Markus Lassen welcomed the adoption of the resolution and thanked Council members for their engagement during negotiations.

"The unanimous support for this resolution sends a strong and important message to the more than 50,000 personnel currently serving in peacekeeping missions," he explained.

Lassen added that Denmark was happy to work with Pakistan on this initiative as part of their cooperation on peacekeeping issues within the Security Council.