India has reaffirmed its sturdy dedication to holding perpetrators accountable for crimes towards United Nations peacekeepers, describing accountability as a “strategic necessity” for the success of worldwide peacekeeping efforts.
Talking at a high-level assembly of the Group of Pals (GoF) for selling accountability for crimes towards peacekeepers on the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Tuesday, India’s Everlasting Consultant to the UN, Ambassador P. Harish, emphasised that the dearth of accountability for such crimes severely undermines worldwide peace efforts by emboldening assailants.
“United Nations peacekeepers face large obstacles whereas working in more and more harmful areas. However for probably the most half, these crimes proceed to go unpunished. This lack of accountability severely undermines worldwide peace efforts by giving assailants extra confidence,” he mentioned.
Emphasising the necessity for accountability, he affirmed, “Subsequently, accountability is a strategic necessity. Along with being required by legislation, making certain accountability for crimes towards UN personnel is important to the integrity and efficacy of worldwide peacekeeping efforts.”
“Peacekeepers’ security is immediately improved by justice, permitting them to hold out their important missions. It’s our frequent responsibility to fulfil this obligation,” he added
The Excessive Stage Assembly of the Group of Pals for Accountability of Crimes towards Peacekeepers, co-chaired by India and different main nations, reaffirmed the steadfast dedication of the GoF to making sure justice for individuals who bravely serve beneath the UN flag.
“It additionally underscored the vital crucial to fight impunity for assaults towards peacekeepers, emphasising that accountability just isn’t merely a matter of justice for people however a foundation for the effectiveness, credibility, and way forward for UN Peace Operations worldwide,” Everlasting Mission of India to the United Nations, New York mentioned in a press release.
“In a robust demonstration of concerted worldwide will, senior representatives from round 40 Member States, senior UN officers and specialists, together with from subject missions, deliberated on enhanced methods, operational frameworks, and fostering better worldwide cooperation to deliver perpetrators of crimes towards peacekeepers to justice,” it added.
The discussions highlighted the escalating threats confronted by peacekeepers in more and more unstable environments and the plain hyperlink between impunity and the continued concentrating on of those front-line protectors.
Additional, the assertion famous that the Group’s deliberations “centred on understanding these intricate linkages, recognising {that a} holistic method is required, involving not solely punitive measures but in addition preventative methods, alongside unwavering political will from all stakeholders.”
The GoF for Accountability of Crimes towards Peacekeepers was formally launched in December 2022 throughout India’s Presidency of the UN Safety Council, constructing upon the landmark Safety Council Decision 2589 (2021), a decision that particularly referred to as for facilitating accountability for crimes dedicated towards peacekeepers and requested updates from the Secretary-Basic on progress.
The GoF is devoted to advancing authorized frameworks, selling investigations, and supporting measures to make sure accountability for crimes dedicated towards United Nations peacekeepers. Its mission is to discourage future assaults and supply justice to peacekeepers and their households.
As a Co-Chair of the GoF, India continues to display management and dedication to the reason for peacekeeping and accountability. With a historical past spanning over seven many years, India is the most important cumulative troop-contributing nation to the United Nations, having deployed greater than 300,000 peacekeepers to this point.
The Everlasting Mission of India to the UN highlighted that “Indian peacekeepers have served with distinction and braveness in just about each main UN mission, enduring important sacrifices, with 182 Indian peacekeepers having made the supreme sacrifice within the line of responsibility.”
(With ANI Inputs)