Unaccountability for crimes against UN troops hampers peace efforts: India

India has underscored the urgent need for accountability in crimes against UN peacekeepers, asserting that impunity emboldens perpetrators and undermines global peace efforts.

"United Nations peacekeepers face tremendous obstacles while working in increasingly dangerous areas. But for the most part, these crimes continue to go unpunished, India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador P Harish, said on Tuesday.

This lack of accountability severely undermines international peace efforts by giving assailants more confidence, he said.

Harish was addressing a high-level meeting of the Group of Friends (GoF) to Promote Accountability for Crimes Against Peacekeepers. The GoF for Accountability of Crimes against Peacekeepers is co-chaired by India and other leading nations.

Accountability is a strategic necessity... Ensuring responsibility for crimes against UN personnel is essential to the integrity and efficacy of international peacekeeping efforts, he said.

Peacekeepers' safety is directly improved by justice, allowing them to carry out their vital missions, and it is "our common duty to fulfil this obligation", Harish said.

The meeting reaffirmed the steadfast dedication of the GoF to ensuring justice for those who bravely serve under the UN flag.

It also underscored the critical imperative to combat impunity for attacks against peacekeepers, emphasising that accountability is not merely a matter of justice for individuals but a basis for the effectiveness, credibility, and future of UN Peace Operations worldwide.

The Indian mission in a press release said that senior representatives from around 40 member states, senior UN officials, and experts, including those from field missions, deliberated on enhanced strategies, operational frameworks, and fostering greater international cooperation to bring perpetrators of crimes against peacekeepers to justice, in a powerful demonstration of concerted international will.

The discussions highlighted the escalating threats faced by peacekeepers in increasingly volatile environments and the undeniable link between impunity and the continued targeting of these front-line protectors.

The group's deliberations centred on understanding these intricate linkages, recognising that a holistic approach is required involving not only punitive measures but also preventative strategies, alongside unwavering political will from all stakeholders, the statement said.

The Group of Friends for Accountability of Crimes against Peacekeepers was formally launched in December 2022 during India's Presidency of the UN Security Council, building upon the landmark Security Council Resolution 2589 (2021) that specifically called for facilitating accountability for crimes committed against peacekeepers and requested updates from the Secretary-General on progress.

The GoF is dedicated to advancing legal frameworks, promoting investigations, and supporting measures to ensure accountability for crimes committed against United Nations peacekeepers. Its mission is to deter future attacks and provide justice to peacekeepers and their families.

The release said that as a co-chair of the GoF, India continues to demonstrate leadership and commitment to the cause of peacekeeping and accountability.

India is the largest cumulative troop-contributing country to the United Nations, having deployed more than 300,000 peacekeepers to date, with 182 Indian peacekeepers having made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty.