S/PV.3801 Security Council

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Council is meeting in accordance with the understanding reached in its prior consultations. Following consultations among members of the Security Council, I have been authorized to make the following statement on behalf of the Council: “The Security Council has established or authorized a growing number of peacekeeping operations which contain both civilian and military components. It takes particular note of the increasing role and special functions of civilian police in such operations. “The Security Council notes the efforts by the General Assembly and its Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations in carrying out their task to review all aspects of peacekeeping operations, including, inter alia, enhancing the capacity of the United Nations system to accommodate the growing demand for civilian police in peacekeeping operations. It furthermore commends the efforts of the Secretary- General in this regard. The Council encourages States to look for further means to enhance the ways in which civilian police components of peacekeeping operations are set up and supported. “The Security Council considers that in operations mandated by the Security Council or the General Assembly the civilian police perform indispensable functions in monitoring and training national police forces and can play a major role, through assistance to local police forces, in restoring civil order, supporting the rule of law and fostering civil reconciliation. It sees an increasingly important role for civilian police, among others, in contributing to the building of confidence and security between parties and among local populations, in order to prevent conflict, to contain conflict or to build peace in the aftermath of conflict. “The Security Council encourages States to make available to the United Nations at short notice “The Security Council underlines the importance of the recruitment of qualified civilian police from the widest possible geographic range to serve in United Nations operations. It also expresses the importance of the recruitment of female police officers for United Nations operations. “The Security Council encourages States individually or collectively to provide appropriate training of civilian police for international service. It encourages the Secretary-General to provide assistance and guidance to Member States in order to promote a standardized approach to the training and recruitment of civilian police. “The Security Council underlines the necessity for United Nations civilian police, in accordance with their mandates, to be trained as required, inter alia, to render assistance and support in the reorganization, training and monitoring of national police and to help defuse tension on the ground through negotiations. The Council furthermore considers it essential that United Nations civilian police contingents contain adequate legal expertise. “The Security Council underlines the need for close coordination between civilian police and the military and humanitarian and other civilian components of United Nations operations. It encourages efforts by Member States to organize joint training between civilian and military components designated for United Nations operations in order to improve coordination and security for personnel in the field. “The Security Council expresses its gratitude to those countries which have contributed civilian police to the peacekeeping operations of the United Nations.” This statement will be issued as a document of the Security Council under the symbol S/PRST/1997/38. The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on the agenda.