S/PV.7317 Security Council

I acknowledge the presence in the Chamber of the representatives of those countries elected to serve as Security Council members for the period 2015-2016: Angola, Malaysia, New Zealand, Spain and Venezuela, who commence formally observing Council proceedings from today in preparation for their membership. Adoption of the agenda United Nations peacekeeping operations The role of policing in peacekeeping and post-conflict peacebuilding Letter dated 4 November 2014 from the Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General (S/2014/788)

I would like to warmly welcome the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, the United Nations Police Adviser, the Heads of police components and the other representatives. I am very pleased that the Council is convening this briefing from Heads of police components — the firstever dedicated Council meeting on policing issues. The number of police deployed in United Nations peacekeeping operations and special political missions has increased dramatically in recent times, and policingrelated tasks in mission mandates have become more complex. It is appropriate that the Council consider in a holistic way the increasingly important role that the United Nations work on policing plays in the restoration and maintenance of international peace and security. In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the following briefers to participate in this meeting: Mr. Hervé Ladsous, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations; Mr. Greg Hinds, Police Commissioner of the United Nations Mission in Liberia; Mr. Fred Yiga, Police Commissioner of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan; and Mr. Luis Miguel Carrilho, Police Commissioner of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. I give the floor to Mr. Ladsous:

At the outset, I should like to express our great gratitude to you, Madam President, for having taken the initiative to convene this first Security-Council debate devoted to all issues associated with United Nations policing. I also thank you for your initiative on draft resolution S/2014/828 — a first, I believe, in United Nations history — which is quite in line with all the efforts we at the Secretariat have deployed, especially in the recent period, to better integrate the development of United Nations police within what we call the strategic guidance framework. I think all of this will contribute trememdously to strengthening both the doctrine and the way we try to resolve the problems that come before us. As you have said, Madam, President, it is true that there has been unprecedented growth in United Nations policing in recent years — from a few thousand police at the begiing of the 2000s to exactly 12,352 deployed police today, from 91 Member States, throughout 13 peacekeeping operations and 4 special political missions. That exponential growth illustrates the challenges we face in the contemporary period. Changes in the nature of the security situation, including changes in the type of needs, along with an increasing number of threats that include traditional problems related to basic security as well as the fight against terrorism, transnational organized crime and corruption — all of this is part of the current reality experienced by our police. I wish to pay tribute to United Nations police for the courage and creativity they display in those often difficult circumstances. I always say that United Nations police are often the daily face, as it were, of a mission, whether peacekeeping or political. It is therefore very imporant that this first impression be convincing and make an impact. But allow me also to refer to a saying in the language I know best. It is often said in my country that fear of the policeman is the beginning of wisdom. I think that is quite true, and it illustrates the major role our police must play in all of our tasks — beginning overall with stabilization. However, those tasks are spread out across three areas. The first is to provide assistance to host countries in the areas of the rule of law via police services. In some cases, such as in the weakest countries and those with the least infrastructure, it is a matter of temporarily carrying out police duties, including law enforcement. And finally, their role is to support efforts at reform, restructuring and, sometimes, simply creating a national or other police service to be responsible for enforcing the law. Ultimately, all of that calls for increasingly sophisticated capacity. Above and beyond the traditional distinction between individual police and formed police units, we are daily seeing a growing need for specialized police, including in scientific and technological terms — and by that I am referring to twenty-first century technology, not that of 100 years ago or longer. Once again, this touches on ensuring domestic laws and combating organized crime. And all of that requires growing sophistication. Member States are providing us significant support in all those areas. From here at the Council, I should like to appeal for additional language capabilities. We are operating in places that necessarily require, at least for basic training, a mastery of the most prevalent language in the country. Specifically, I have in mind the Arabic language and French. However, we also always have a need for more women. That is because we have set ourselves the goal — one that may perhaps be too ambitions — of reaching the target of 20 per cent women police for this year. I humbly admit that we are far from meeting that goal, but I would add that this also reflects the situation as it exists in national police services. Although some may be quite ahead when it comes to gender issues, others are not quite that advanced. And clearly, we reflect what the Member States provide us. However, we are increasingly deploying allwomen police units. And that is because, as we must acknowledge, law-and-order problems often include a level of danger and impact that is more pronounced on women. Our experience with such units — in the Congo, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Haiti and in Liberia — leads us to be convinced of that fact. I should like once again to thank you for this initiative, Madam President, which I think all of us will find very useful. I also want to say that we will continue to work with United Nations police chiefs to constantly adjust to the needs, in terms of quantity and quality alike, given the contribution of United Nations police to our shared values of peace, security and respect for human rigths.

I thank Mr. Ladsous for his comprehensive briefing. I now give the floor to Mr. Hinds. Mr. Hinds: I would like to thank you, Madam President, for this opportunity for my colleagues and me to brief the Security Council on the role of United Nations police in peacekeeping operations and special political missions. I also look forward to the Council’s adoption of the first Security Council resolution on United Nations policing. As a Police Commissioner in the field, that will be a significant outcome, as it will provide us with the much-needed strategic and practical guidance that will help us to do our work more effectively. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude, on behalf of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), to the Council and to the police-contributing countries (PCCs) for the support that we have received during the Ebola crisis. The commitment and dedication of the PCC police officers has been and remains crucial to the maintenance of peace, stability and security in Liberia in these extremely challenging and unprecedented times. My briefing today will focus on the role of United Nations police in reforming, restructuring and rebuilding host-State policing institutions. Based on my experiences in Timor-Leste while working for the Australian Federal Police in close coordination with the United Nations Mission there, and in Liberia as head of the United Nations police component for UNMIL, I would like to discuss four key factors that I consider critical to effective police institution-building — clear and specific mandates for policing, standardized and cohesive approaches to institution-building, effective partnerships and, lastly, the skills and expertise that police components need to effectively build policing institutions. First, with regard to developing clear and specific mandates for policing, the ability of police components to successfully implement mandates related to police institution-building is dependent on being provided with operative language that is specific and realistic and that clearly acknowledges the political and technical nature of policing reform. Mandates that outline specific critical reform areas would be of considerable assistance in successful institution-building and mandate implementation. A number of missions have already benefitted from such mandates, including the Missions in Timor-Leste and Haiti. And that too is something that UNMIL’s police component is now focusing on in its impending mandate renewal next month. The establishment of governance and accountability mechanisms for the internal and external management of police is critical for institution-building. However, those issues are frequently absent from policing mandates, which can result in the neglect of reform of a more political nature, such as new policing legislation or the establishment of effective oversight mechanisms. In Liberia, 11 years since the end of the conflict and the establishment of UNMIL, the legislative framework for the police remains piecemeal. Moreover, a focus on the development of a clear legislative framework at a much earlier stage would have led to those organizational and institutional limitations being addressed and a much stronger foundation for subsequent reform being provided. For example, mandates that include a focus on implementing community-oriented policing strategies, which often address the issue of a population’s deepseated distrust of the police, would improve the more traditional security-focused mandates by adopting proven community-oriented processes and approaches in order to address law-and-order and security concerns. Secondly, there is a need for a standardized and cohesive approach to delivering capacity development at the start of a mission. Reform planning must be done in consultation with the host State and key stakeholders, with the necessary political buy-in to ensure national ownership, leadership and sustainability. It is essential that the responsible central ministry within the host State provide an overarching policy framework and identify priorities for the reform of policing. It is also important to formalize the separation of powers between the ministry and the police in order to ensure independent policing institutions. These are sensitive issues, and the value of having the heads of United Nations missions use their good offices to promote agreement on those issues at the political level with host Governments, communities and other stakeholders cannot be overstated. Strategic reform planning, including benchmarking, must occur throughout the life cycle of peacekeeping missions, and a transition and exit strategy must be developed for when those benchmarks are achieved. The approach taken by United Nations police should include a strategic but joint development plan, utilizing project management principles in achieving capacitybuilding, capability development and reform goals, as well as setting clear targets that are underpinned by a robust monitoring and evaluation framework to measure progress and success. The joint development frameworks used in UNMIL and in Timor-Leste are clear examples of a good approach. Reform in such areas as governance structures, legal and regulatory frameworks, civilian and Government oversight, ethical leadership and enabling services are all essential for ensuring sustainable, democratic policing services and must be included in any strategic police development plan. Building professional institutions requires United Nations police to help host-State counterparts create efficient human resource systems, transparent budgeting and public procurement processes and functioning logistics and fleet management structures, inter alia. In that respect, the Police Division’s Strategic Guidance Framework for International Police Peacekeeping will provide a sound model for building policing institutions and will allow for a more structured and standardized approach for United Nations police. Thirdly, with respect to effective partnerships, the sustainability of host-State police development efforts depends on continued support after the end of United Nations peacekeeping. Partnership building with United Nations country teams, coupled with bilateral, multilateral, regional and local partners, is critical from the outset of a mission to enabling close coordination and integration of priorities. The early engagement of partners at the start-up of a mission provides for a more collaborative and cooperative platform for development and reform, and strengthens transitional arrangements at the end of any United Nations mission. For instance, in Liberia, the United States of America has well-placed resources to continue building the capacity of specialized police resources, while Sweden has invested logistical and technical support in the development host-State police forensic capabilities. Additionally, the further inclusion of police in the United Nations delivering as one context should be considered through a police development coordination framework to ensure a holistic and cohesive approach to donor activities in relation to police reform and institution-building. The Global Focal Point for Police, Justice and Corrections has also been a useful initiative for coordinating rule-of-law partnerships, as it provides a mechanism for joint delivery and offers a single point for United Nations police, justice and corrections interventions. It has been used successfully in Liberia in relation to a number of projects designed to strengthen security-sector responses during the Ebola crisis. Lastly, with regard to the skills and expertise that police components need to effectively build police institutions, in many cases successful institution-building also calls for transforming organizational cultures. However, that is a significantly timeand resource-intensive process and takes years, even in well-developed organizations. At best, United Nations police will be able to work with host-State police colleagues to lay the foundations for a transformation process, such as establishing clear governance instruments, appropriate training and revised incentive structures. But even that requires targeted, highly specialized skill sets that go way beyond the generalist police profile that has constituted the bulk of PCC contributions to United Nations policing over the years. Experts are needed in such areas as finance, human resources and fleet and facility management, and also for strategic planning, legal and policy development and project management. The complexity of police-mandated tasks is growing, at a time when demands for delivery are increasing and accelerating and resources are becoming more constrained and scarce. The continuing mismatch between mandates and resources must prompt a candid discussion among missions, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and police-contributing countries as to the type of skill sets necessary for institution-building that can be made available to peacekeeping operations and how gaps can be filled with civilian police experts deployed within police components. I have seen the success of that model in Timor-Leste and in Liberia. When we have the right people with the right skills in the right roles, the results are decisively positive. The challenges in obtaining appropriate skill sets are well known, and considerable efforts have been made over recent years to develop innovative approaches to address them. However, we must recognize that challenges still remain. This is a key issue that could be considered further by the independent panel during their strategic review of peacekeeping operations and special political missions. I believe the Department of Peacekeeping Operations is delivering on its police institution-building mandate, but I also believe that we can collectively do more. Opportunities exist for Member States, the Security Council and the Secretariat to improve our readiness and our delivery. That can be achieved through careful and specific mandate development and implementation that is based on lessons learned and adapted to the evolving operating environments in which we find ourselves, delivered through standardized international approaches to institution-building, supported by the correct mix of skills and expertise and underpinned by committed and inclusive partnerships with all the relevant actors. With the Council’s ongoing support and influence, we can successfully contribute to sustainable peace through efficient and effective delivery on police-related mandates. I thank you again, Madam President, for affording me this opportunity to brief the Council on United Nations police institution-building.

I thank Mr. Hinds — a fine example of the Australian Federal Police on the international stage and the Police Commissioner of the United Nations Mission in Liberia — for his thoughtful briefing. I now give the floor to Mr. Yiga. Mr. Yiga: Thank you very much, Madam President, for this opportunity to address the Security Council on issues that touch on United Nations policing in the field. May I also thank the Council for supporting South Sudan since 15 December 2013, when hell broke loose and we began to experience what we are going through today. I hope that my statement will be able to bring out the issues that require the Council’s attention in order to sort out peacekeeping in today’s world. The performance of United Nations police has clearly emerged as a critical issue for the success of United Nations peacekeeping missions. Police officers are commonly seen in post-conflict settings, which are dominated by military actors and continuing abuses of civilian populations, as the bridge between transitional or new Governments and civilians, as the return to law, order and justice is a much desired peace dividend. The investment in the rebuilding of police institutions will always be critical to effecting and maintaining true public order, management and peace in conflict-torn and fragile nations. We must endeavour to strengthen that role in our peacekeeping operations and provide the United Nations with police officers who are capable within that arena. To achieve that, the following issues must be addressed. First, police-contributing countries must take a closer look at selection, guidance, training and skills selection before deployment to make sure that the needs of peacekeeping operations are met. Secondly, we must maintain host nation police and United Nations police relationships without compromising the United Nations principles of impartiality and while acting within the requirements of the due diligence policy with regard to human rights. Thirdly, partnerships with regional organizations must be enhanced in setting host nation police standards and developing mission strategies. Lastly, Member States need to ensure that police components are adequately equipped to do their work and that policing and police-related activities are firmly embedded in Security Council discussions, both thematic and country specific. Let me relate what is happening in South Sudan to justify the statement I have just made. In South Sudan, the following stand out as both immediate and longterm policing challenges that will require the Council’s attention. For the past 50 years, true policing has never been genuinely offered to the South Sudanese people. United Nations police are therefore taking on the mantle to ensure that for the first time good policing — true policing — is provided to the people of South Sudan. Policing had largely been done by combatants and former combatants, whose ethos and experience were often those of a soldier in battle. South Sudan is largely a pastoralist and nomadic society. The policing models require special skills, policies and equipment to enable United Nations police to do their work effectively. While the policies — for example, the Strategic Guidance Framework for International Police Peacekeeping — will help harmonize the policing practices that United Nations police personnel come with, the appropriate equipment will greatly facilitate their ability to face the daunting challenges of executing their work. For example, we are policing a rebel community under the conditions of a very high proliferation of arms, very high illiteracy, high poverty levels, disease and extreme levels of criminality: murder, rape, defilement and all the big categories of crime. United Nations police are in the middle of that kind of situation, and the Council’s support is going to be very crucial to make them perform this role. The events of 15 December last year ushered in a crisis that has left over 100,000 internally displaced persons stranded and taking shelter within Mission sites. United Nations police require special training and orientation, skills and equipment to cope with the challenges of policing those sites, as mandated by the Security Council. The contribution of peacekeeping operations to the building of policing institutions is limited in time. It must be premised on clear benchmarks — for example, improving basic law, order and security, which is a key peace dividend, and laying the foundations on which other partners will capitalize to continue with the process of police development, which will help define good exit strategies for peacekeeping operations. Let me conclude by restating the strategic objective of all peace processes, that is, bringing soldiers back to the barracks and police officers to the streets. That alone illustrates the need for the Council’s unreserved attention and support. In terms of equipment, we are looking for basic equipment. We need mobile police units that can be set up within five minutes in a situation such as the protection of civilians. That is the kind of equipment I am talking about. Even meals ready to eat would be of great help for our police officers. If a police officer wants something to eat, he can eat because it is readily available.

I thank Mr. Yiga as Police Commissioner of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan for his excellent briefing, particularly in relation to the challenges in South Sudan. I now give the floor to Mr. Carrilho.

Let me first offer my sincere congratulations to Australia and to all the members of the Security Council for organizing this meeting. It is a great honour for me to participate in the discussion and to be able to brief members of the Council on our actions on the protection of civilians and the participation of women in peacekeeping missions with regard to peace and security. First, the protection of civilians. Although the implementation of a strategy for the protection of civilians is now recognized as a cross-cutting responsibility applicable to all components of a mission, my briefing will focus on activities undertaken by the police components. The police components represent the front line of protection of, and contact with, the local populations. The police components play an important role in the protection of civilians and in capacity-building for local police. Beyond their security role, United Nations police (UNPOL) are involved in restoring trust between the population and their police. Beyond preventive diplomacy, United Nations police contribute to the protection of civilians by working particularly on two fronts: protection from physical violence and the establishment of a protective environment. For the police component, protection from physical violence means preventing, deterring and, if necessary, responding to situations in which civilians find themselves under threat of physical violence. Police activities include, among other things, patrols, protection of the freedom of movement and security on the roads in order to allow for humanitarian aid and aid to refugees, as well as maintaining public order. For the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), the mandate stipulates that the protection of civilians is the priority. Specifically, UNPOL participates directly in the protection of civilians by offering operational support to the national security forces and directly to the population. I can cite the following initiatives as examples. A flash-point matrix is integrated into all components of the Mission. Security patrols are undertaken 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by the formed police units, as well as UNPOL, and there are joint patrols with the international and Central African security forces. UNPOL has frequently intervened to extract and protect civilians who found themselves in dangerous situations. I turn to the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), which in the framework of the fight against organized crime has conducted significant operations jointly with the Haitian police. The MINUSTAH police and military components assist the Haitian police in anti-crime operations, and that has made possible the apprehension of numerous criminals and the seizure of significant quantities of weapons and drugs. MINUSTAH has established a plan for maintaining order for the camps at risk. Permanent UNPOL focal points have also been established in the seven largest camps for displaced persons. With regard to the restoration of a protective environment, for us this activity is based on providing assistance to the national security forces and on promoting respect for human rights. In MINUSCA, the police intervene in blatant cases and also in applying urgent temporary measures. On 7 November, the MINUSCA police, together with their military colleagues, arrested and handed over to the national judicial authorities 107 criminals for serious infractions. In the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), United Nations police provide support in the form of specialized training, specifically in the fight against sexual violence. I will now turn to initiatives already in place. In New York, there is training in protection of civilians. In 2011, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations finalized the first programme on the protection of civilians in the framework of pre-deployment training. The training modules are aimed at establishing a common understanding of the protection of civilians. The MINUSCA police have designated focal points that work with the other Mission components on protection of civilian issues, which translates into permanent action on the ground. At МONUSCO, the Working Group on Protection has created a manual for police and military alike, which explains the concept of protection of civilians and provides concrete examples of problems that police and military might have to face. I now turn to the issue of women, peace and security. One of the important measures taken by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations is that of increasing the number of female police in the ranks. The United Nations therefore launched its global effort in 2000, and then again in 2009. Its goal is to have at least 20 per cent female police officers in 2014. That initiative includes dialogues with police-contributing countries and the creation an international network of women police. In addition, a pilot training programme and a selection process for women police officers have allowed for the nprecedented appointment of 2,000 women. In 2014, three training courses were conducted in Rwanda, Burkina Faso and Cameroon. The presence of women in UNPOL teams increases the ability of missions to build relationships of trust with the population, especially with women. The role of female police officers is essential to creating an environment in which the victims, particularly victims of rape or sexual violence, feel a sufficient level of trust to come forward and report the crimes. The police components throughout all missions use the female police presence to improve access to and support of populations, particularly women, and to raise awareness of gender-related problems among the national authorities. For example, in MINUSTAH the police have established a Gender Unit. It is specially dedicated to the prevention of, and the fight against, sexual violence in the camps for internally displaced persons. UNPOL is also working to increase the recruitment and the deployment of women in the police stations. The presence of female police officers in UNPOL contributes to the acceptance of women by serving as examples for their male colleagues. In Timor-Leste, the police component established a Vulnerable Persons Unit tasked with investigating domestic violence, sexual abuse and human trafficking and providing protection to victims of sexual crimes. During the transition, the Unit was integrated into the Criminal Investigation Division of the Polícia Nacional de Timor-Leste. UNPOL and its local counterparts have also cooperated in order to include women in police services. Networks for female police officers were created in peacekeeping operations in the following missions: the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur, MINUSCA, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, MINUSTAH, MONUSCO and the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). The UNPOL networks have enabled the establishment of similar networks in local police services. With regard to the structural reform of national police, United Nations police is encouraging local police to set quotas for the recruitment of women. Several countries have established such quotas, including Liberia, which, with the support of UNMIL, has established a quota of 20 per cent. In Afghanistan, the police service of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan plays a coordinating role and provides technical advice for the implementation of the Afghan Democratic Policing Project, a programme that aims to strengthen the capacity of female police officers and improve access to justice for women and children. What are the challenges faced by the United Nations police? With regard to Security Council resolutions, the best way to guide the missions, including their police components, is to ensure that the resolutions are particularly explicit concerning the priority activities and resources that have been authorized. With regard to the transition between different peacekeeping operations — as was the case with the peacekeeping operations of the African Union and the United Nations in MINUSCA — there is a need to increase the number of female police officers. Despite the efforts deployed, the road ahead remains long. Certain challenges are tied to recruiting obstacles arising from directives or existing practices in the Member States in question. It is important to reiterate our call to Member States to consider the implementation of a policy aimed at having 20 per cent of its deployed police officers be women. In conclusion, strong leadership, such as that of MINUSTAH and MINUSCA, within the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and in the United Nations police is necessary to define and carry out the strategies that enable the implementation of police mandates conferred unto UNPOL by the Security Council. I thank the Council for this opportunity. I would like to underscore that we will do our utmost to continue to ensure the credibility of the United Nations police, including in its protection of civilians mission, and to maintain the trust of the Security Council.

I thank Mr. Carrillo for his informative briefing. Members of the Council have before them document S/2014/828, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by Australia, Chad, France, Jordan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Nigeria, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America. It is my understanding that the Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it. I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now.

There were 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2185 (2014). I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia. Australia deeply appreciates the important role of policing in peacekeeping and peacebuilding, reflecting the lessons we have learned as a contributor to peace operations in our region of the Indo-Pacific — from Cambodia to Solomon Islands to Timor-Leste and elsewhere. We are pleased that the Council is focusing on policing issues in countries emerging from conflict. Australia’s close friend and neighbour Timor-Leste provides a striking example of the vital importance of building effective host-nation police and other law enforcement institutions. In 2006, four years after Timor-Leste’s independence, violence broke out in Dili, with Timorese police and military fighting each other in the streets, dozens of deaths and over 150,000 people displaced. The Council authorized a new peacekeeping operation — the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste. And Australia led an International Stabilisation Force, including 200 Australian police. The focus of those police transitioned over time from stabilization to institution-building. Just two years later, Timor-Leste faced another shock — dual assassination attempts against President Ramos-Horta and Prime Minister Gusmão — yet overall law and order remained intact. That was due to Timor-Leste’s efforts in the interim, with United Nations and other international support, to build its own police and other rule-of-law institutions. Police are the public face of security, to whom populations should turn for protection. That is why the work of the United Nations on policing is so vital. It can repair the community’s faith and trust in local authorities, build a sense of safety and security and lay the groundwork for long-term stability and development. Australia has invested heavily in international police peacekeeping. The Australian Federal Police International Deployment Group is one of the world’s few stand-alone deployable police peacekeeping capacities, and the first in the world to receive United Nations recognition for its predeployment training. In the last 12 months alone, the Group provided training to over 3,500 law and justice officials from 20 nations. This year, we celebrate 50 years of Australian police contributions to United Nations peacekeeping. Over the years, there has been a massive increase in the number of police deployed by the United Nations. Just 20 years ago, there were around only 1,600 police in United Nations missions; today there are over 12,300. And the policing-related mandates authorized by the Council have become increasingly complex. We must ensure that United Nations police components are as effective as possible in achieving those mandates. This meeting and resolution 2185 (2014), which we have just adopted, are landmark steps. The resolution includes clear and strategic guidance for United Nations police, and practical, concrete measures to improve their effectiveness. It reflects the breadth of contemporary developments in United Nations policing, including the adoption of modern technologies and the use of specialized police teams in areas such as sexual and gender-based violence and complex serious crime. It articulates the relevance of policing across the areas of focus of the Council, from the protection of civilians — which is central to all the United Nations work — to combatting transnational organized crime and terrorism, countering violent extremism and fighting impunity. I will highlight three elements. First, with regard to training, standards and guidance, over 100 countries contribute police to United Nations missions, each with their own nuanced policing approaches. The resolution calls on the Secretary- General to continue to work on unified standards, guidance and training. Secondly, building police institutions is vital to the United Nations work on justice, corrections and the rule of law, but it is not easy. It requires highly specialized skills. The resolution asks the Secretary-General to focus on ensuring police components have the right expertise to achieve this. The political dimensions of reform can often be as important as technical aspects. The Secretary-General’s envoys must make that a focus of their good offices work. Many arms of the United Nations work on policing reform, and the resolution calls for better coordination of those efforts. Thirdly, on women and peace and security, in order to be effective, police must recognize the particular needs of women. The best way to ensure that is to involve women in outreach and decision-making and to have more female police officers, so that police forces better reflect the diversity of the communities in which they operate and can better respond to their needs. A useful example is Vanuatu, where Australia funded the establishment of female police barracks, allowing large numbers of women to participate in and graduate from recruit training and in turn become mentors and role models. This has helped dramatically redress the gender imbalance in the Vanuatu Police Force. That issue was also raised by Mr. Ladsous, and I ask Commissioner Carrilho what more we can do to encourage and support more women to join police forces in countries hosting United Nations missions. Today’s resolution paves the way for continued Council focus on policing issues, including an annual meeting with heads of police components, so as to ensure that the Council’s decisions on policing are informed by the actual experiences of police components in the field. It makes the case for the Secretary-General’s forthcoming strategic review of peace operations to deal with policing issues. Policing is an integral part of United Nations peacekeeping and peacebuilding work. Importantly, the development of effective, accountable and communityfocused policing institutions is an integral part of responsible exit strategies for peacekeeping operations. It is Australia’s objective that today’s meeting and resolution make a practical contribution to enduring peace, security and stability. I now resume my functions as President of the Council. I give the floor to the members of the Council.

I thank you, Madam President, for convening this important briefing on expanding the role of policing and peacekeeping in postconflict peacebuilding. Your presence here today amply gives this meeting its due merit. I also thank Mr. Hervé Ladsous, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, and our police commissioners, Greg Hinds of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), Fred Yiga of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and Luis Miguel Carrilho of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) for their informative presentations. As the concept note (S/2014/788, annex) prepared by the Australian presidency reminds us, over the past 20 years we have seen an unprecedented growth of police components in peacekeeping and special political missions. That is due to the changing nature of peacekeeping, which, in the past few years, has increasingly been facing situations where there is no peace to keep and where mass atrocities are committed. The role of the police has therefore become more important and more complex as it moves away from its traditional mission of observation to that of the protection of civilians. Police in peacekeeping missions are also called upon to provide operational policing support across the entire spectrum of policing duties, including the protection of very important persons, the protection of the security of key installations, escort duties, crowd control and humanitarian assistance. That is done in parallel with the crucial mandate of supporting host countries, both in conflict and post-conflict settings, in strengthening the rule of law through the rebuilding and reform of their policing and other law enforcement institutions. That has flowed from the recognition of the central role that host-State policing institutions can play in the restoration and maintenance of law and order, security and stability in post-conflict contexts, including in building trust between the Government and the population, with police officers often serving as the main interface between the Government and the community on security issues. As the seventh largest contributor of United Nations police, Rwanda is well aware of those rapidly growing demands on police components, and that operational context has guided us in the ways we prepare our contingents. In recognition of the importance of the police component of peacekeeping operations, Rwanda supported resolution 2185 (2014), which we have just adopted and which outlines practical steps to improve the effectiveness of police components in United Nations peacekeeping operations and special political missions, as the need for policing expands in peacekeeping and post-conflict peacebuilding environments. We are very much aware of the importance of police contingents in peacekeeping operations. Nonetheless, it is important that the Council take serious note of the letter sent by the Coordinating Bureau of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries to the President of the Council recalling that United Nations policing is an integral part of United Nations peacekeeping operations and that the Security Council should not act in any way to encroach on the mandate of the General Assembly, especially the mandate of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations of the Fourth Committee of the General Assembly. As we know, a mission is best executed when using an integrated and coordinated approach. Therefore, all components of peacekeeping operations, mostly the military and the police, need to be very compatible and complementary. I have just a few comments and questions for the heads of police components who are here with us today, as requested in the concept note. On UNMIL, we thank Commissioner Greg Hinds, of course, and his entire team for their efforts and their support to the Government of Liberia’s response to Ebola. We would be grateful to hear him speak more on the progress in the implementation of the UNMIL road map relating to reforming and restructuring the Liberian police force and law-and-order institutions, especially factoring in the Ebola outbreak. I would also be grateful if he could share with us his experience with regard to the deployment of the Liberian police force throughout the territory of the country. On MINUSCA, the United Nations police has a critical role to play in protecting civilians, re-establishing the rule of law and assisting the transitional Government in the fight against impunity. In that connection, I have a question for Commissioner Carrilho. Given the challenging operating environment in the Central African Republic, how can the Council ensure that individual police officers and formed police units are adequately equipped and appropriately trained to carry out their mandate? What do they need in order to perform their mandated tasks that they do not already have? Does he think that deploying more specialized protection or support units would boost MINUSCA’s efforts to protect civilians and, if so, are there certain areas of expertise that he urgently needs to fill? I also have a question for Commissioner Fred Yiga. The UNMISS mandate was reinforced so as to improve the protection of civilians and the monitoring of human rights and to support the implementation of the cessation of hostilities agreement. Are there best practices that UNMISS police could share with others in implementing that mandate? I think that question can also be answered by other police commissioners with respect to the best practices in their Missions. We all know that the Government of South Sudan has the primary responsibility to protect its people. Does Commissioner Yiga foresee a time when UNMISS can hand over those tasks to the South Sudanese authorities? It is important that we find ways to build their capacities. We were told that he recently trained the South Sudanese police. Is there a framework that he put in place to monitor and coach his trainees in implementing their police duties? I have an additional question for both Commissioners Carrilho and Yiga. Given the need to be able to rapidly respond to the violence in South Sudan and the Central African Republic, how are they reinforcing coordination with the military component of their Missions? Is the division of labour and areas of responsibility between the military and police clear, and do they see some overlaps? On a final note, allow me to share Rwanda’s experience as one of the biggest contributors of female police officers to United Nations missions. As the Rwandan Constitution requires the appointment of women to at least 30 per cent of the posts in decision-making organs, a third of Rwandan police officers are women. Therefore, we have been able to deploy female police officers to United Nations missions. They are fulfilling critical tasks as individual police offers and members of formed police units in policing communities, connecting with local women and offering expertise in reporting and investigating incidents of sexual and gender-based violence. Unfortunately, not all countries have reached the point where they can draw from large pools of qualified female candidates ready for deployment to the field or to United Nations Headquarters for senior directorship posts. Perhaps relaxing some of the rigid recruitment requirements, such as requiring 15 years of relevant experience in some cases, would allow more member States that would like to contribute female officers to step up and do so. It is, of course, necessary for member States to create incentives for women to enter police forces, but it also requires a little creativity and flexibility from the United Nations Secretariat, without compromising the quality of the candidates.

I acknowledge the significant contribution that Rwanda has made to United Nations policing efforts, including, as I understand, as the fourth-largest contributor of female police officers.

Luxembourg thanks Australia for organizing this first meeting of the Security Council on the role of United Nations police in peacekeeping and peacebuilding. The fact that you, Madam President, are presiding over this meeting demonstrates your country’s commitment to this matter. I also wish to thank the Under-Secretary- General for Peacekeeping Operations, Mr. Hervé Ladsous, as well as Commissioners Greg Hinds, Fred Yiga and Luis Miguel Carrilho for their briefings. This morning, in adopting resolution 2185 (2014), the first stand-alone resolution on policing, the Security Council has made a practical and useful contribution to peacekeeping and peacebuilding operations and to security sector reform. Luxembourg was therefore a sponsor of the resolution initiated by Australia. As recalled by the concept note for this meeting (S/2014/788, annex), the past 20 years have seen an unprecedented increase in the number of contingents of United Nations peacekeeping missions. The missions have grown ever more complex and diverse, operating in situations of increasing difficulty that are subject to rapid deterioration. The briefings we have just heard from the heads of the police components in Liberia, South Sudan and the Central African Republic have amply shown that. It is therefore correct for the Security Council to devote increased attention to police components. The protection of civilians lies at the heart of the mandate of most United Nations peacekeeping operations. Police components are a key player in the proper implementation of those mandates. It is therefore essential for police components to be well trained and qualified, and for them to be aware of the need for civilian protection. They must have sufficient capacity and the necessary resources for the effective protection of civilians, in particular woman and children, who are the first victims of conflicts. Today, as we commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, we welcome the fact that the resolution just adopted has taken that aspect into account. Indeed, resolution 2185 (2014) reiterates that the protection of children in armed conflict must be an important factor in any general strategy aimed at conflict resolution or peacebuilding. It also underscores the importance of strengthening coordination between police components and the advisers responsible for the protection of children and women. It also encourages the training of police prior to their deployment, through role-playing, in order to strengthen their ability to prevent sexual and genderbased violence and to reinforce their capacities in the area of child protection. That provision is in line with resolution 2143 (2014) on children and armed conflict. In the interactive spirit of this meeting, I would like to ask Commissioners Yiga and Саrrilho to tell us how they view the way in which the protection of women and children is being implemented on the ground in South Sudan and the Central African Republic. I would also like to know how the coordination between the police components and the advisers responsible for the protection of women and children is working out within the frameworks of the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA). Would the designation of focal points for the protection of children within police components help to further strengthen that coordination? And what measures could be taken by the Security Council to strengthen the ability of the police components in UNMISS and MINUSCA to protect civilians? Allow me now to say a few words about the issue of women and peace and security. As the Under- Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations has noted, it is clear that female police officers make an essential contribution to the work of police components, above all when missions are required to interact with women affected by sexual violence during conflict. It is therefore important to redouble efforts to increase their number and to eliminate any obstacles to the participation of women in police components. Female police officers also need to have access to all levels of responsibility in the field and at United Nations Headquarters. As guardians of peace, the police are the most visible face of the State for citizens. They need to meet the most stringent criteria in terms of professionalism, quality and discipline. In that respect, we believe that the mentoring dimension in the training of national police by United Nations police components is essential, as is the training of more senior officials. I take this opportunity to ask Commissioner Hinds what specific measures are being taken in Liberia to ensure that the capacity-building of national Liberian police is lasting, in other words, that the local police can function in the long term without the support of United Nations Mission in Liberia. To conclude, I would like to express Luxembourg’s deep gratitude to the more than 12,500 police officers deployed in the framework of United Nations peacekeeping missions and special political missions. Alongside peacekeepers and civilian personnel, those police officers carry out essential work, often under difficult conditions, in the implementation of the mandates that the Council defines. We applaud their commitment, as we salute the memory of those who have given their lives in the exercise of their duty in the service of the United Nations.

I thank the representative of Luxembourg for her country’s support for the resolution adopted this morning.

I thank you, Madam President, for being here and for presiding over today’s meeting, the first ever Security Council meeting dedicated to policing, one of the most important tools in our collective arsenal to prevent violence and conflict. Your presence here is a testament to Australia’s deep and enduring commitment to improving United Nations policing in the context of peacekeeping operations. I had the privilege recently of engaging with Commissioner Hinds, the Australian head of the United Nations police in Liberia. He was extremely impressive in a very difficult operating environment. Of course, every one of the missions represented here presents a difficult operating environment of various kinds. So, I thank those gentlemen for their great leadership. We meet at a time of growing demand for United Nations peacekeeping missions. In April, the Security Council authorized the deployment of 1,800 United Nations police for a single peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic. That is more than all the United Nations police deployed in every peacekeeping mission in 1994, when there were only 1,677 all told. In 2012 there were 56 authorized formed police units; today there are 72, so we are seeing that kind of difference in just a two-year period. The increasing demand for United Nations police reflects our evolving understanding of their role. We recognize that they are central to ensuring the overarching objective of peacekeeping missions, which is not merely to stop conflicts but to build a sustainable peace in their place. Given that, what we ask of United Nations police has evolved too, from passive monitoring of local police performance to taking on many lawenforcement duties and the training of host-country forces. That is logical. If one of the main reasons we need peacekeeping missions in the first place is the fragility or utter lack of public security, it follows that for countries to be able to protect their own people, and for missions to be able to eventually wind down, we have to strengthen host-country law enforcement. Our ability to build more accountable, professional police in host countries is the sine qua non of broader efforts to re-establish — or in some instances to establish for the first time — the rule of law. That is why the United States is investing in strengthening United Nations police forces. This year alone we have provided training for 15 formed police units that have been deployed to five different United Nations peacekeeping missions, and equipment to ensure the swift deployment of United Nations police units from Benin, Burkina Faso, Senegal and Togo. It is why we commend the recent commitments of police personnel by Bangladesh, China, Finland, Mongolia, Nepal and Rwanda, announced at the peacekeeping summit co-chaired by Vice-President Biden in September. Those contributions are critical to filling the current gap between capacity and need. United Nations police are showing they can handle complex duties such as protecting civilians and maintaining law and order. In South Sudan it is the responsibility of just three United Nations formed police units, made up of 350 police from Bangladesh and Nepal, together with 500 United Nations individual police officers, to provide internal security in nine camps that are sheltering approximately 100,000 internally displaced persons. People who support the Government and people who oppose it live in close proximity in those camps — as do people from ethnic groups that have been pitted against one another in South Sudan’s brutal civil war  — making the job of policing the camps an extremely challenging one. The United Nations gets and deserves a great deal of credit for opening its gates in South Sudan to people fleeing violence, but it is also worth singling out the United Nations police, who are responsible for preventing violence once people are inside those gates. In the Central African Republic’s capital of Bangui, five formed police units and 100 individual police officers, together with a pair of military battalions, are fully responsible for public security in the city from 4 p.m. to 8 a.m. every single day. Given the rising demand for and demands on United Nations police, it is remarkable that this is our first ever Security Council meeting dedicated to the issue, and the first time that Council members are being briefed by police contingents. That is indicative of a broader lack of communication from the field to the Council. The Council will benefit tremendously from having more insight into the challenges and problems in the field. We must establish fluid lines of communication that enable missions to swiftly share information from the field. That should not mean only through Security Council meetings such as this one; we should have multiple means of getting regular feedback on what is working and what is not. That will make operations more accountable and more effective, and we will be more helpful in supporting police contingents in their hour of need. Rising demands and responsibilities are also why we must do a better job of tracking performance. To that end, we welcome the development of the Strategic Guidance Framework, particularly the focus on human rights, the protection of civilians and transparency. The United States Government participated in the regional consultation on the Framework in Norway, and we found that session appropriately critical and constructive. That approach  — learning in real time from successes and failures in the field, and bringing Member States into the discussion — is the right way to address the increasingly complex challenges that United Nations police face. For the Framework to be effective in the real world, it must be made actionable for police leadership on the ground, and we must keep adapting and improving it, based on the feedback of those who know best. In that spirit, we see our questions today for the Police Commissioners as an initial exchange in what we would like to be a much more regular back-and-forth. In conclusion, I have two questions. First, the protection of civilians is central to the mandates of modern peacekeeping operations. It is also a fundamental responsibility of law enforcement. Yet as we have often highlighted in the Council, in practice missions routinely fail to live up to that mandate. For all those here who are active in areas where the issue has arisen — at some point in the life of a mission — of how police in particular can help implement the mandate to protect civilians, I would like to ask what obstacles they have encountered in fulfilling that responsibility. Do the police under their command have clear guidance on what the protection of civilians entails, and how it should be carried out? What steps can Police Commissioners take, or have already taken, in the field to ensure that police from very different policing cultures, and from different contributing countries, have similar interpretations of what the protection of civilians means? That is of course also an issue on the troop contributors’ side, but it bears exposition and explanation on the policing side too. Secondly, and lastly, in understanding the critical role that police can play in building up the capacity of host countries’ law-enforcement bodies, one of our collective challenges is balancing the need for providing law and order in certain circumstances where there is a policing vacuum, while at the same time rapidly and intensively training local police so that they can re-assume their responsibilities. The presence of international police cannot become an excuse for local police not to step up, and that is a risk. I would be very grateful if each of the Police Commissioners could speak to that question of balancing the importance of actually providing law and order when civilians are in need of security against the importance of not becoming a crutch for host countries. That is a very challenging issue, and we welcome any insight that can be offered as to what the Council could do to remove obstacles the police have in strengthening host-country law enforcement on the ground.

I would like to thank Under-Secretary-General Ladsous and Commissioners Hinds, Yiga and Carrilho for their briefings. Lithuania welcomes the adoption of the first stand-alone resolution (2185) (2014)) on United Nations police, which we were happy to sponsor. We appreciate this first-ever opportunity for the Security Council to speak directly with the heads of United Nations police components. It should become a regular event and practice, and should be as interactive as possible. With United Nations peacekeeping becoming increasingly multidimensional, the success of a mission depends, more than ever, not just on its military component but also on its skilled police officers, who are on the front lines when it comes to stopping community violence, supporting victims, holding criminals accountable and helping to build national justice institutions. A dedicated Council discussion on United Nations police was long overdue. The rapid growth of United Nations police personnel, which started with deployments to the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, has continued ever since. The numbers of United Nations police have doubled in the last 15 years and now account for more than 12 per cent of United Nations uniformed personnel. They are deployed in 12 of 16 United Nations peacekeeping missions. Only a few years after joining the United Nations, Lithuania began deploying police officers to missions in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo. Today our officers are present in Haiti, Liberia and Cyprus, as well in the missions in Afghanistan and Ukraine of the European Union and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. I would like to briefly focus on two topics selected for today’s discussion, the protection of civilians and the importance of police training. The protection of civilians by police components is often front-and-centre of United Nations police deployments. While military components intervene to protect civilians under imminent threat, United Nations police provide a key contribution by patrolling in areas of increased risk, managing public order, facilitating the delivery of humanitarian assistance and ensuring security in camps for refugees and internally displaced persons. Nowhere is that more evident than in Liberia, where the challenges faced by the police officers of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) and Liberian National Police in fighting the Ebola outbreak are enormous and deserve our respect and admiration. At the same time, the outbreak has exposed persistent weaknesses in the Liberian police force, such as insufficient skills and mobility, corruption and a lack of accountability. Those shortcomings should be addressed once the crisis of Ebola is behind us. In South Sudan, what started as a political crisis is now a humanitarian catastrophe with deep ethnic divides. The police component of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has the tremendous task of operating in overcrowded camps amid rampant crime, increasing tensions along ethnic lines and evergrowing sexual violence. In order to ensure successful implementation of its realigned mandate, the Mission should provide its personnel with mediation and community engagement skills. Additional deployments of women police officers will be essential to improving the protection of women and children and addressing sexual violence in displacement camps. In the Central African Republic, police will be instrumental in restoring law and order and stopping violence, violent crime and looting. Yet police officers of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic should not be given a task that extends beyond their capabilities. A more robust United Nations military presence is needed to confront the heavily armed militias responsible for violations of the ceasefire and attacks against civilians. Protection against sexual and gender-based violence remains a key priority in implementing protection-ofcivilian mandates. United Nations police are again expected to be at the forefront of an effective response. In that regard, we welcome proactive approaches, such as the deployment of a specialized United Nations police team in the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti to support national police in preventing and investigating cases of sexual and gender-based violence, as well as the outreach to sexual violence survivors by female United Nations police officers in Liberia and Darfur. Furthermore, women police officers do not just serve and protect, they also inspire local girls and women to stand up for their own rights and to become active participants in their country’s future. They serve as role models and encourage women to join national law-and-order and justice institutions, thus enabling them to contribute to the security of their communities long after the United Nations is gone. Ensuring proper United Nations police training is both a challenge and an essential element of each mission. Officers often come from diverse national police forces with different perceptions about the police role in the community. In addition to an unfamiliar location, they face more hostile environments, poor infrastructure and difficulties dealing with the host State police authorities. The United Nations and the police-contributing countries should do their utmost to ensure that the entire police component is prepared to act as a single team united by the mission’s mandate. Just as the objectives of United Nations missions should be closely adapted to the situation of each host State, so should the training. While conducting actual police work might be necessary in countries where national law-enforcement structures are weak or absent, it can only be an interim measure. United Nations police officers must be capable and willing to pass on their experience, with a view to rebuilding the host State’s capabilities and handing over policing to the national authorities, functioning within the framework of the rule of law and democratic civilian oversight. Police components, including mission leadership, must receive relevant predeployment training, in particular on the protection of civilians, women, children and their human rights as well as addressing sexual and gender-based violence. In that regard, we welcome the adoption of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations/Department of Field Support guidelines on United Nations police in implementing protection-ofcivilians mandates. Finally, United Nations police must ensure they remain close to the communities they serve. Speaking the local language is often indispensable for the effective implementation of community policing and the training of national police authorities. We welcome the partnership between the International Organization of la Francophonie and the Police Division aimed at increasing the number of francophone police officers. Before concluding, I should like to ask a few questions of the participating Police Commissioners. With regard to UNMISS, what additional measures are being taken to ensure that UNMISS police officers have sufficient skills to mediate, defuse tensions and address the needs of the victims of sexual and gender-based violence? With regard to MINUSCA, how will United Nations police assist the national authorities in arresting individuals responsible for crimes and violence? With regard to United Nations Mission in Liberia, how will the Mission adapt its efforts in building the Liberian National Police, following the lessons learned during the Ebola crisis?

I thank Lithuania for its support of the resolution 2185 (2014), adopted this morning.

At the outset, I too would like to thank Mr. Hervé Ladsous, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, and each of the Police Commissioners for their concise and very useful message, which allows us to take stock of the importance of the role played by police components in peacekeeping operations, a message that we also understand relates to the challenges we face. Through them, I would also like to pay tribute to the women and men who make up these police components. I pay tribute to them for their commitment and devotion in the service of the cause that we are defending at the United Nations. I would also like to thank you, Madam President, for organizing today’s debate and for the first Security Council resolution 2185 (2014) on United Nations police, a resolution that recognizes a major evolution in peacekeeping operations. That transformation can be explained by the transformation in the international strategic environment and the evolution of conflicts, which have led to systematizing the presence of police components in peacekeeping operations. Police components are today making a vital contribution, and I think that has been clearly acknowledged in the stabilization of situations. I wish to emphasize three major aspects of the increased role of police in peacekeeping operations. First, in qualitative terms, the effective contribution of police components to civilian protection, together with other components of peacekeeping operations, requires that police and gendarmes be well equipped, not only for their own protection but also when it comes to the necessary communication resources for a strong chain of command and to serve as responsive mobile units. They need to be trained for specific missions, notably in combating violence against women and children, as many of us have stated. The deployment of women police officers is an essential aspect for reassuring vulnerable victims of human rights violations. Achieving that goal is vital, as local police will help to progressively rebuild trust between the population and local police forces. Secondly, these changes require more staff and expertise — a message that the Police Commissioners have related. Apart from traditional public security tasks, United Nations mission police components are also being asked to participate in rebuilding and developing the policing capacities of host countries. In liaison with host countries, police components of peacekeeping missions now need to be further supported through more specialization, based on specific recognized expertise as well as the ability of police to speak the host country’s languages. The great success of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti team, which is responsible for training Haitian police to combat sexual violence and gender-based violence, I believe is a good example. Robust mobilization by Member States should make it possible to further deploy such teams for peacekeeping operations in host countries. On that issue, we should also focus on the need to transfer to host countries standardized norms, not national police expertise, to facilitate national ownership. I welcome in that respect the work already done and under way by the Police Division of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, which for several years has been establishing operational guidelines and standards, notably the Strategic Guidance Framework for International Police Peacekeeping. Thirdly, the fight against organized crime to support the host country and to rebuild its capacities should be an integral part of policing activities during peacekeeping operations. Transnational organized crime is sometimes associated with terrorism, and a global response is needed. We believe that greater cooperation among the Secretariat, host countries, regional and subregional organizations, INTERPOL and regional police organizations could be achieved through training and the sharing of operational information and expertise. Of course, that should be accompanied by ever-closer cooperation between the police and justice sectors that is in line with the same final objective, that is, rebuilding the population’s trust and neutralizing criminals, thereby making it possible to rebuild the rule of law. In that regard, following on a question raised by other delegations, I would like to ask Police Commissioner Carrilho if he could tell us a bit more about the joint task force in Bangui, particularly its role in civilian protection. We believe that to be a very interesting development that could perhaps serve as a model for other United Nations policing activities. In conclusion, I would like to underscore that United Nations policing challenges remain numerous. They include the need for good coordination between police components and civilian and military components, the requisite ownership on the part of host countries of the efforts carried out by peacekeeping operations, the use of modern technologies to protect personnel in carrying out their tasks and, as I already mentioned, the ability to speak the host country language in order to restore confidence between the local population and State institutions. All of that should enable us to have United Nations police who are more professional and effective. The recommendations of the panel of experts on the strategic review of peacekeeping should provide useful proposals in that regard. France looks forward with great interest to receiving those recommendations, and reiterates its readiness to contribute to this debate.

I thank the representative of France for the issues he has raised. I acknowledge France’s support for resolution 2185 (2014).

I thank you, Madam President, for your important initiative in convening this debate. I fully appreciate the exceptional role played by the police components of United Nations peacekeeping operations and special political missions. I also thank Mr. Hervé Ladsous, Under- Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, for his exhaustive briefing on the challenges encountered by United Nations peacekeeping police. I also thank the Police Commissioners of the peacekeeping missions in Liberia, South Sudan and the Central African Republic for the information they have shared on the importance of expertise, training operations and capacities to ensure the success of peacekeeping operations. We are also grateful for the briefing on the protection of civilians and women. We commend the men and women of all nationalities who have served under the United Nations banner to keep the peace. We hail the Blue Helmets who have assumed the noble duty of helping to prevent armed conflict, including in the Middle East. We Jordanians are proud to be among those nations that have made significant contributions to international efforts in the maintenance of international peace and security. We are fully vested in this noble approach at the highest level. Our commitment to this duty is rooted in our unswerving devotion to respect for human rights and the rule of law in the establishment of a safe and sustainable environment that offers stability and a decent life for peoples suffering through war and conflict. Since 1983, Jordan has participated in more than 20 United Nations peacekeeping operations and several special political missions. We have participated under various peacebuilding and peacekeeping mandates focused on police reform and capacity-building. Our experienced officers have contributed to those efforts. We have deployed 21,556 troops and 5,254 police officers to such missions. There is an urgent need to improve the performance and capacities of police components to implement the mandates of Security Council resolutions, especially in the light of the recent surge in demand for police, in terms of both numbers and quality, in peacekeeping operations and peacebuilding exercises. Given the complexity of these tasks, the role of the police has evolved from its traditional oversight and monitoring tasks to diverse capacity-building efforts. Resolution 2185 (2014), adopted today — for which we thank the delegation of Australia — represents a cornerstone of our work and is strictly aligned to the Strategic Guidance Framework for International Police Peacekeeping adopted and updated by the Police Division of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations. Resolution 2185 (2014) underscores the criticial role played by the police components of peacekeeping operations and addresses practical measures to improve police performance in the implementation of mandates. Through the resolution, the United Nations will be in a position to ensure the adequate participation of Member States in peacekeeping operations by providing officers and formed police units with specialized skills that meet international criteria for the implementation of mandates with professionalism and expertise. That will allow us to promote security and reduce the catastrophic impact of conflicts on civilians, while protecting them from a range of physical and psychological torments and threats. It will also help to strengthen security capacities in all their aspects. Jordan is considered to play a lead role through its participation in peacekeeping operations. Above and beyond the expertise that our country has developed in this area, our officers have accumulated years of experience in peacekeeping and peacebuilding. My Government is striving to further develop these capacities by enhancing specialized training so as to respond to the growing and diverse needs in undertaking the broad array of tasks assigned. A higher degree of expertise will also increase the trust of citizens and civilians in our police. Jordanian police officers make use of United Nations training curricula to enhance the skills they deploy in formed police units and as advisers. I have a question for Police Commissioner Hinds of the United Nations Mission in Liberia. What are the lessons learned by and value added to the police experience of the Ebola crisis? We know that police components do not work in the medical field, yet they have had to meet this additional challenge. Next, I have another question for the Police Commissioners in general. What is the level of exhaustive and complementary planning between the military and the police, on the one hand, and the local administrative authorities on the ground, on the other, in implementing mandates while increasing efficiency and avoiding duplications of effort, wherever possible? Lastly, we wish to thank the Government of Australia for this very important initiative, which will have a positive impact on the ground and in the performance by the police components of their various duties.

I thank Jordan for its support for resolution 2185 (2014). I also acknowledge with sincere appreciation Jordan’s contribution as the largest provider of police to United Nations missions.

I thank our briefers today. I should like to congratulate Australia on the adoption of the Security Council’s first-ever resolution on policing (resolution 2185 (2014)), and for holding this inaugural briefing by heads of police components. It is really a great idea. The United Kingdom looks forward to this becoming at least an annual meeting, and to hearing more from police components in the course of our normal Security Council business. We think that is an extremely important part of the work that we do. This debate, we believe, is long overdue. The United Nations first deployed police to the Congo in 1960. In the past 20 years, there has been a significant increase in demand. The United States set out the figures, which represent an eightfold increase in 20 years. As we heard from our briefers today, United Nations policemen and policewomen are building the capacities of host-State police, providing operational support, and in some cases actually acting as interim police and protecting civilians. The need for effective United Nations police is likely to continue to increase in the future. The nature of conflict is changing. New challenges require the Council to change how we respond. Deploying a large number of military troops may not always be the right approach to dealing with failing States. Instead, an effective United Nations policing component can sometimes be a more flexible and effective way to support countries. This is especially true in contexts in which the lines between political violence and criminal violence have become blurred. I thought that came out particularly clearly from Mr. Carrilho’s briefing. In that context I would like to ask just one question, which is: In the Central African Republic, where we have put a much stronger emphasis on policing in the mandate, have we got the balance right, or is it not enough? Moreover, as the military components of peacekeeping missions start to draw down, such as in Haiti, United Nations police could provide an important bridge. This model of a “police-keeping mission” could become a Security Council tool in future. An effective United Nations policing response to these new challenges requires that they place the safety and security of civilians at the centre of all their activities. Sir Robert Peel, the British Home Secretary who established London’s Metropolitan Police in 1829, was the first to articulate the principles of “policing by consent”. Nearly 200 years later, these Peelian principles remain the central tenet of British policing and for many other countries around the world. Nowhere are these principles more important than in countries that have been ravaged by conflict. Stability requires citizens to trust their police and to perceive them as legitimate. We must work together to ensure that United Nations policing has the tools and skills to help build police forces that focus on the welfare and security of citizens. In order for the United Nations police components to achieve this, we would suggest focusing on three main areas, and I think that they have come out very clearly from the briefings that we have heard this morning. First, we need reform at Headquarters and in the field to strengthen international policing doctrine, standards and training to ensure that the United Nations police is ready to face future challenges. We strongly support Australia’s call for this today. There are several promising initiatives under way, including the development of the Strategic Guidance Framework, which is a single policy to guide all United Nations policing activity. Greg Hinds spoke to this in his presentation, and it is important. But more needs to be done. For example, there is still no standardized approach to how training is delivered. We urge the Secretary-General’s high-level panel review on peace operations to present us with bold and ambitious recommendations on how we can take action to improve United Nations policing. Secondly, we must get the right people with the right skills on the ground swiftly. We need to broaden and deepen the pool of available expertise, including the range of police-contributing countries. Fred Yiga made that point very clearly in the presentation that he gave on South Sudan earlier. We need more female police officers, and we urge the Police Division to do more to reach their 20 per cent target. I think, frankly, that we all envy the statistics that Rwanda gave us about their own police force earlier today. Formed police units and individual police officers will remain critical, but we also need to deploy specialized teams with niche capabilities and skills such as the ability to deal with sexual and gender-based crimes. We need civilian policing experts who can work with development actors to build the capacities and institutions of the host State’s police force. Thirdly, we need to improve coordination within the United Nations system and strengthen partnerships with other actors. An effective United Nations policing effort requires the better joining up of all of the United Nations departments and agencies working on these issues. We need a mission-planning process that takes into account the comparative advantages of all the key United Nations actors working in the rule-of-law sector and sequences their activity accordingly. And we need improved mechanisms to coordinate with international financial institutions and regional organizations that also operate in this area. The joint Department of Peacekeeping Operations-United Nations Development Programme global focal point for police, justice and corrections is a welcome step towards this on internal coordination, but more needs to be done. The United Kingdom is committed to doing our part to support United Nations policing. We have United Kingdom officers deployed to Haiti, South Sudan and Iraq. We want to increase this support, especially through providing niche capabilities in areas such as organized crime, community policing, and sexual and gender-based violence. We are also at the forefront of donor efforts, working in 14 conflictaffected countries, spending $80 million on security and justice programmes in 2013 and providing more than 10 million women with improved access to security and justice services. I have two other questions that I wanted to put to our briefers now that we have this opportunity. The first is the fact that they all raised the need for more specific mandates to help effective policing. We need more specific detail from the field of key challenges, and I think, again, that that has come through very clearly from other members of the Security Council today. So my question is: what is their view — because we have, I think, begun to express ours — on the best way to achieve this? The second question for all of them is how they would measure success. We clearly need effective benchmarks to tell whether we are succeeding or failing in transitioning to host State police forces, but how would they achieve that? Finally, I do not want to lose this opportunity today to pay tribute to all of the men and women serving in United Nations police components across the world. As we discuss the challenges and reforms required to improve United Nations policing, we must never forget the risks that they take every single day to make our world a safer place. Today’s debate is also an opportunity for me, on behalf of my Government, to say thank you.

I acknowledge the United Kingdom’s contribution to United Nations policing and peacekeeping.

We are grateful to the Under-Secretary- General for Peacekeeping Operations, Mr. Ladsous, as well as to the heads of the United Nations police components in Liberia, South Sudan and the Central African Republic. We congratulate our Australian colleagues on the consensus adoption of their proposed draft resolution as resolution 2185 (2014). We regard police components as an integral part of United Nations peacekeeping operations and special political missions. These components make their contribution to implementing the unique mandate for each mission, as determined by the specific situation of the country in which they are deployed. Thanks to regular reporting, in line with the relevant mandates, to the Security Council on mission mandates, Member States are well informed about the processes taking place in the countries of deployment and in the missions themselves. However, we hope that today’s discussion will help us to somewhat better understand the difficulties facing police components in the field as they carry out their tasks. Modern United Nations police have wide-ranging tasks before them, owing to the increasingly complex and integrated nature of their mission’s mandates. They now have to not only observe situations and report on breaches of public order in the areas of their responsibilities, but also play an important auxiliary role in the post-conflict reform of law-enforcement institutions and in building and improving the national capacities of host States. We believe that police can achieve effective and long-term results if they strictly abide by the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and closely cooperate with the host country, being guided in that respect by the priorities that the countries have identified and the principles of national ownership and respect for national sovereignty. It is important to avoid imposing external pressure or one’s own views of the core of reform processes. Often it is the police who serve as link not only between the population and the peacekeeping presence, but also between the population and Governments. When transformations are achieved at an early stage, even minimal successes can build citizens’ trust in the authorities, create favourable conditions for a return to normal life and establish the preconditions for lasting peace and national reconciliation. Experience has shown that it is vitally important also to take into account the specific country situation when providing assistance to States. Ignoring this and seeking to apply universal approaches to reforming such an important and sensitive part of society as law-enforcement bodies will inevitably lead to the rejection of the formulas being proposed. Recently we have seen a significant intensification of the potential for conflict in various parts of the world, where, unfortunately, civilians are those most affected. However, we do not share the interpretation of peacekeeping that is being disseminated today, one seen exclusively through the lens of the protection of civilians and the provision of humanitarian assistance. We believe that the primary responsibility for implementing these tasks belongs to the States themselves. Nor should we forget about traditional but still-in-demand tasks such as observing compliance with peace agreements and separating opposing sides. We support the need for an ongoing dialogue between the Security Council and troop-contributing countries on all aspects of peacekeeping operations’ activities, including at the stage of planning and developing mandates. We must accord a special role to the General Assembly Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, which is the main inter-State forum for establishing guidelines for the Secretariat in the area of peacekeeping. In that context, we welcome the holding of a forthcoming briefing to the Special Committee by the heads of police components. In conclusion, for policing tasks to be carried out effectively, especially given the additional complicating factors of conflict, there must be predictable financing and due equipment support and staffing. In that context, as a police-contributing country, the Russian Federation will continue to send officials to missions with the relevant equipment and skills. We are also ready to train police peacekeepers in keeping with United Nations standards at our specialized higher educational institutions.

I thank the representative of the Russian Federation for his country’s support for resolution 2185 (2014) adopted today.

We thank the Australian presidency for having convened today’s informative briefing and for the concept note (S/2014/788, annex), which allows us to address the role of policing in peacekeeping and post-conflict peacebuilding. We also appreciate the briefings from the Police Commissioners of the Missions in Liberia, South Sudan and the Central African Republic. Chile understands the concept of peacekeeping operations in the broadest sense, considering it to include peacekeeping and peacebuilding tasks with military, police and civilian components working in a comprehensive framework. Today’s meeting allows us to assess one of those components — the police component — and to discuss ways to help States reach agreement and overcome conflicts. The increase in the number of police personnel deployed and the changing nature of their functions reflect ever-more complex realities and an understanding of the fundamental role of their work. As we know, its functions today include, inter alia, provisional police efforts that support processes of reform, restructuring and reorganization of national police and other entities that are charged with maintaining a robust rule of law. Whatever their functions are, they should be guided by respect for human rights and the protection of civilians, including, of course, the concept of national ownership. The police function comes with a daily interaction with the civilian population, hence the importance of the police component having the training and equipment needed to enforce the rule of law, respect for human rights and the protection of civilians, in particular women and children, in the face of gender-based and sexual crimes. It is important for each State to protect its civilian population, but if that does not happen, the principle of the responsibility to protect brings us necessarily before the need to act. Further, this contact with the civilian population allows in practical terms the police component to act as an early-warning mechanism. consistent with the Secretary-General’s Human Rights First initiative. We must increase the presence and leadership profile of women in the police components, which is directly linked to the effectiveness of their function. We call upon the Department of Peacekeeping Operations to incorporate in its reports recommendations in step with resolutions 1325 (2000) and 2122 (2013). We also encourage police-contributing countries to give their police sufficient training so as to close the competency gaps. Police components contribute to the laying of the groundwork for a robust rule of law in which reconciliation and the promotion of development through economic growth and the eradication of poverty and social development are key elements when it comes to overcoming conflicts and building peace. In that context, I should like to mention that since 1996 my country has undertaken assistance programmes with the Haitian National Police, through which nearly 60 officers are trained each year in the Chilean police curriculum. A trained and duly equipped United Nations police has the ability to facilitate reconciliation processes and confidence-building among civilian populations, armed groups and Governments, while favouring peacebuilding, the rule of law and the overcoming of crises through inclusive development. We urge that this forum for exchange be maintained, as it allows for more informed decision-making based on firsthand knowledge about the challenges, perspectives and concerns of the police forces working on the ground. We would also like to underscore and appreciate the efforts made by countries providing police forces in the different peacekeeping operations, in particular those countries for which this contribution, unlike other contributions, also means additional effort because they are providing less support for their own domestic public security. Lastly, I should like to say that we would have liked for the resolution adopted this morning (resolution 2185 (2014)) to have directly recognized the role of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations in the terms set forth in the 2006 resolution adopted by the General Assembly (resolution 61/291).

I thank Chile for its support of resolution 2185 (2014). I also acknowledge Chile’s important policing contribution, particularly in Haiti.

I would like to congratulate the Australia presidency for taking the initiative to hold this meeting on the role of policing in peacekeeping and post-conflict peacebuilding. I welcome the adoption of resolution 2185 (2014), which we were pleased to co-sponsor. I thank Mr. Hervé Ladsous, Under-Secretary- General for Peacekeeping Operations, and the heads of the police components of the United Nations Mission in Liberia, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic for their briefings. We welcome the Australian innovation of inviting heads of police components to brief the Security Council. Chad notes the increasing role of United Nations police in peacekeeping operations and the increasing number of individual police and formed police units. Police staffing has increased from 1,677 personnel in 1994 to over 12,300 personnel as of last 30 September, throughout 13 peacekeeping operations and 4 special political missions, which constitutes 14 per cent of United Nations personnel in uniform today. We believe that strengthening the police component of United Nations peacekeeping and special political missions is making a great contribution to stabilization in postconflict situations and in peacebuilding, security sector reform, the protection of civilians and the rule of law. Issues related to police training, skills and equipment and their geographical distribution are crucial ones. It is important for the police-contributing country to ensure that the personnel deployed have among their skills a high level of expertise, appropriate training and equipment that is adapted to the situation. Otherwise, they will not be able to effectively discharge their duties. Consequently, it is logical that the United Nations Police Division and Member States maintain close collaboration in order to identify areas where there are shortcomings to be addressed or where improvements could be made. In that regard, we urge Member States with the resources available to provide them to those who need them. Furthermore, given that United Nations police are called upon to interact with the population, it is important that they have general skills, including linguistic and cultural knowledge of the host country. While knowledge of the language and culture of the host State should not a prerequisite, it is one of the most important elements that should be taken into account in the selection process. Another crucial element is geographic and linguistic representation, particularly in those areas of United Nations policing responsibilities. Moreover, we encourage the Secretary-General and Member States to increase the number of women police in peacekeeping operations, including in positions of responsibility, with at least 20 per cent female representation being reached, in accordance with the global campaign launched in 2009. We would also encourage closer cooperation between the United Nations Police Division and the African Union, which recently established the regional police organization — the African Police Cooperation Organization. Furthermore, we welcome the efforts of the African Union in launching policing missions on the continent, including in the African Union Mission in Somalia. In conclusion, we would like to pay tribute to all police, men and women, in the service of the United Nations, and to all police-contributing countries that have made deployments to countries in conflict or postconflict situations. Their support to the host country police in the areas of civilian protection, security sector reform, rebuilding and providing operational assistance and other functions for maintaining public order is considerable. For its part, Chad remains willing to make its modest contribution to peacekeeping and international security, as demonstrated by its recent and current commitments, through the deployment of police in different United Nations peacekeeping operations. With your permission, Madam President, I would like to ask one question to all three heads of police components of the three operations. What do the Police Commissioners think about including general knowledge, such as linguistic and cultural knowledge of the host country, in the selection process? Should we make that a selection criteria?

I thank the representative of Chad for his country’s support for resolution 2185 (2014), which we have adopted today.

I would like to thank Police Commissioners Greg Hinds, Fred Yiga and Luis Miguel Carrilho for their briefings. We also thank the presidency for organizing today’s first-ever briefing from the heads of the police components. Establishing the rule of law is a fundamental pillar in consolidating post-conflict peace. Initial peacekeeping operations would be fruitless unless they are strategically supported by efforts to institutionalize law-enforcement functions through reforms in the security and justice sectors. Police components in peacekeeping and special political missions are increasingly called upon to play a more constructive role in that process. Even though they make up merely 15 per cent of the total United Nations uniformed personnel, their role is unique and irreplaceable. Their professionalism and expertise can assist in closing the loopholes in civilian protection activities and enable tailored advice in the institution-building process. Police tend to face less psychological resistance than the military in host countries. Female police officers are also better positioned to deal with genderand child-related crimes, which often occur with impunity in conflict-ridden areas. That comparative advantage should be fully utilized and appropriately systemized in the composition of the police components. Different perspectives on the rule of law deserve due attention in assisting a host country’s capacity-building. However, we believe that post-conflict societies, without exception, require an end to impunity, as well as transitional justice and national reconciliation. The political leadership should play a pivotal role in that regard in a transparent, impartial and inclusive manner. Otherwise, a mission’s assistance and engagement will have limited effect. Having said that, I would like to ask the briefers some questions. United Nations missions are often exposed to unexpected circumstances. Based on the United Nations police policy and the Strategic Guidance Framework for International Police Peacekeeping, scenario-based training needs to be continuously elaborated. In Liberia the outbreak of Ebola seriously threatens the peacebuilding achievements made thus far. The security situation may deteriorate unless it is addressed appropriately and in a timely fashion. I would like to ask Commissioner Hinds what specific efforts are being made to coordinate with the host Government and other key partners? What are the main obstacles undermining the work of security institutions? With regard to the protection of civilians, inter-communal fighting widely displaces civilians, as we have witnessed in South Sudan and the Central African Republic. Displaced civilians can no longer find safe haven. Even around the protection-of-civilian camps of the United Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) compound, women and girls fall victim to sexual violence. Last May, through resolution 2155 (2014), the Security Council refocused the UNMISS mandate to stress the protection of civilians, with enhanced police personnel. I would like to hear from Commissioner Yiga what specific actions have been taken on the ground to protect civilians since last May. I also wonder whether there are any negative repercussions from suspending support for South Sudan’s capacity-building? In the Central African Republic the security situation is much worse, with far weaker Government functioning. The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) is being forced to assume more responsibility for policing, as the national police service is virtually non-existent. Impunity persists amid an endless cycle of retaliation between communities. Special Representative of the Secretary-General Gaye once stressed the importance of establishing a criminal justice system in cooperation with international partners. In that regard, I would like to hear from Commissioner Carrilho whether the MINUSCA police component has helped that idea materialize with the transitional Government. Before concluding, we would like to pay special tribute to all United Nations police component personnel. We believe that resolution 2185 (2014), adopted today, will be a good reference for the highlevel independent panel on peace operations in carrying out their comprehensive review, due next year.

I particularly thank the Republic of Korea for supporting our resolution 2185 (2014) today.

We thank Australia for organizing this first-ever specific briefing in the Security Council on an issue to which Argentina attaches particular importance as the leading regional contributor of political observers to United Nations peacekeeping operations. Furthermore, we thank the Police Commissioners from the United Nations Mission in the Sudan, the United Nations Mission in Liberia and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic for their briefings to the Council. We highlight the courage and dedication with which they carry out their complex tasks in difficult environments and with scarce resouorces. And we urge that this type of meeting be repeated regularly in future. The role of United Nations police has gained increasing importance in recent years, along with the evolution of multidimensional peacekeeping operations and the increasing use of special political missions. In both such missions, the police personnel of the Organization is currently carrying out essential functions aimed at rebuilding security institutions, promoting and protecting human rights and consolidating democracy and the rule of law in host States. My country has supported the evolution of those tasks, having established, in 1992, the first regional training centre for officers involved in peacekeeping missions, the Training Centre for Police Peace Operations. Our security forces have had a constant presence in peacekeeping operations since 1991. Today, Argentina is a member of the Group of Friends of United Nations Police and the Group of Friends of Security Sector Reform. We also organized one of four regional workshops held in the course of the development of the Strategic Guidance Framework for International Police Peacekeeping, an inclusive process that included due consultation with Member States. Argentina also participated constructively in the negotiations on resolution 2185 (2014), the Council’s first-ever resolution on the subject. I should like briefly highlight some specific issues with regard to this important resolution. First, we believe that the resolution adequately describes the significant development and increasing significance of the role of police components in peacekeeping missions. It also emphasizes the need for close coordination with the States concerned and with the other elements of missions in their various tasks, especially those related to the promotion and protection of human rights, strengthening rule-of-law institutions, the rule of law, the reform of the security and justice sectors and fighting transnational crime, among others. The resolution also stresses the important role of the police component of the United Nations in protecting civilians, in particular populations under threat of physical violence, including all forms of gender-based and sexual violence, in areas where peacekeeping operations are deployed, all the while recognizing that the protection of civilians is a primary responsibility of the host country. In that regard, while the respective wording addresses the essential on this issue, we would have preferred that there be more more emphasis in the operational paragraphs as to the role that police components could have in protecting against violations of human rights, in particular against women and children. In addition, we welcome the fact that the resolution reaffirms the role that police components could have in facilitating the participation and inclusion of women in conflict resolution and peacebuilding, as well as the need to increase the number of women police deployed in peacekeeping missions and the coordination between police and advisers on the protection of women and children. Argentina highlights the provisions of resolution 1325 (2000), on women and peace and security, as well as all the subsequent resolutions. We reiterate the need for the full, equal and effective participation of women in all stages of peace processes, given their vital role in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in peacebuilding. We agree with the text of the resolution as to the need for deployed personnel to possess the skills and abilities necessary to perform their functions, in particular in the context of peacekeepinng missions with complex and multidimensional mandates. Peacekeeping missions increasingly rely on the ability to deploy high-level specialized personnel, including in particular specialized police and civilian personnel such as experts in the rule of law and security-sector reform. In that regard, we note the important role of technical cooperation and in strengthening South- South cooperation. We agree with the other members of thd Council about the special importance of this first resolution on police components in peacekeeping and special political missions, which we supported and voted in favour of. There is, however, one aspect in particular that prevented us from becoming a sponsore. That aspect is related to the lack of specific mention in the text of the resolution to the mandate of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (C-34), as wet out in paragraph 20 of the Commmittee’s report (A/68/19). That mandate has been standardized by virtue of it having been repeated over the years without being questioned by its members. In accordance with that traditional and widely recognized mandate, it is understood that the C-34 is the only forum of the United Nations that has been entrusted with carrying out a comprehensive review of the issue of peacekeeping operations in all its aspects, including measures to improve the capacity of the Organization to carry out such operations. That implies that the Secretary- General, in the development and implementation of standards, guidelines and procedures for improving peacekeeping activities of the maintenance of peace, including the police components, must take full account of that mandate. Therefore, Argentian, which is part of the C-34 Bureau, does not understand or share the reluctance on the part of some members of the Council to include an explicit reference to the Committee’s mandate in such a broad and comprehensive resolution as the one we adopted today. Above and beyond those comments, I would like, in conclusion, to welcome the resolution. We members of the Council worked hard on it over the past few days in the hope that the consensus text would help us to make further progress on this important issue.

I acknowledge Argentina’s policing contribution to the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti.

We, too, thank Under-Secretary- General Ladsous and the Police Commissioners and heads of police components from the United Nations Mission in Liberia, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic for their comprehensive and highly informative briefings. Your own statement this morning, Madam President, has inspired us greatly. We note that, more than any other institution, the police is the most important link between the population and the State. Rightly, the French have a saying: the fear of the gendarme is the beginning of wisdom. We believe that should permeate even in the areas of peacekeeping, peacebuilding and conflict resolution. There is nothing more sobering or more reassuring to the population that the presence of a police officer  — the symbol of the State, a representative of law and order and the executor of justice. With that reflection in mind, we commend the delegation of Australia for organizing this first-ever briefing by heads of police components of peacekeeping missions, which provides the Council with an opportunity to hear directly from, and to interact with, those responsible for implementing Council mandates as they concern policing in peacekeeping. We also welcome the adoption today of resolution 2185 (2014), the first-even Council resolution on policing, which Nigeria was pleased to join as a sponsor. We commend your delegation, Madam President, for its leadership role in the drafting of the resolution. In our view, this resolution should complement the similar resolution 2151 (2014), adopted in April during Nigeria’s presidency. Through today’s resolution, the Council demonstrates its commitment to backing, among other things, policing mandates with appropriate resources. That is significant because police components are taking on increasingly complex and multidimensional tasks in the context of peacekeeping missions. To be effective, they need to be adequately supported. The resolution also shows that the Council recognizes the need for close consultation between the Secretary-General and the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, as well as Member States, in order to promote systemwide coherency in the policing-related work of the United Nations. In that regard, the prerogative of the General Assembly should also be respected. To take a trip down memory lane, we would like to note that policing in the context of peacekeeping missions and special political missions is a matter of great interest to Nigeria. Our involvement in policing in the United Nations peacekeeping dates back to 1960, when a Nigerian contingent of 400 police officers was deployed to the Congo alongside the United Nations Operation in the Congo. Since then, Nigeria has participated in over 20 United Nations missions across the world, involving the deployment of over 12,000 Nigerian police officers. As indicated in the concept note for this briefing (S/2014/788, annex), peacekeeping operations have become multidimensional and now include the protection of civilians, security sector reform and support for electoral processes, post-conflict stabilization, peacebuilding and the rule of law. The role of the components of peacekeeping missions has been transformed subsequently. Given that new reality, Nigeria believes that the time is appropriate to address policing in United Nations peacekeeping operations and special political missions. We share the opinion expressed by the delegation of the United Kingdom that this is very timely and indeed long overdue, and that there should be a continuation of today’s process in terms of inviting heads of police components to brief the Council on an annual basis and to participate in deliberations as and when necessary. Given that reality, Nigeria believes that the time is appropriate, as I said, to address policing in peacekeeping operations and special political missions. Being an integral part of United Nations peacekeeping operations, the police component must function interdependently with all other components, including the military and civilian components, during mandate implementation. Our briefers have charge of critical aspects of policing in peacekeeping and special political missions. It is crucial to note that each peacekeeping operation and special political mission has unique challenges, requiring unique responses. For effective policing in United Nations peacekeeping operations and special political missions, the following measures might be taken into account. First, policing mandates must be clearly formulated. We support the position of the Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations that this can be effectively achieved through sustained triangular cooperation between the Council, the Secretariat and police-contributing countries. In that regard, that trio, in consultation with host States, must come up with workable standards, including relevant training and effective coordination to facilitate the implementation of policing mandates. Secondly, police-contributing countries must be encouraged to provide personnel with the relevant competence to carry out mandated tasks. Thirdly, the police must have the requisite predeployment training to enhance understanding of the environment in their areas of primary assignment. That will facilitate their integration and allow them to function effectively. Fourthly, adequate resources, including equipment and funds, must be made available for the police to implement their mandates without any hindrance. Fifthly, the host State must guarantee the safety of United Nations police whenever deployed and cooperate fully with them in the discharge of their mandate. Sixthly, in order to enhance the role of women in United Nations policing, emphasis should be placed on assigning roles based on comparative advantages. We consider it appropriate for policewomen to be given a central role in the protection of women and children. That, we believe, will help to promote the women and peace and security agenda of the United Nations. As policing mandates continue to evolve in response to the changing pattern of conflicts, it is crucial that the Council be kept abreast of developments related to United Nations policing in order to adopt the relevant mandates. That will be aided by regular briefings by heads of police components, as reflected in resolution 2185 (2014), which we have just adopted. We look forward to the Secretary-General’s strategic review on United Nations peacekeeping, which we expect will be carried out in consultation with Member States through the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations. We also call upon the Peacebuilding Support Office and the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) to invite all heads of police components to participate in the review of the PBC’s work to be held in June 2015.

I recognize the valuable contribution that Nigeria makes as one of the top 10 contributors of police to United Nations missions.

China appreciates Australia’s initiative to hold this open briefing of the Security Council on United Nations peacekeeping policing. We welcome Minister for Foreign Affairs Bishop, who is personally presiding over our deliberations today. I thank Under-Secretary- General Ladsous and the Police Commissioners of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) for their briefings. China salutes all United Nations peacekeeping police officers, who are working in very difficult conditions, for their dedication. The maintenance of international peace and security is one of the purposes of the Charter of the United Nations and a pillar of the United Nations work. In recent years, as the nature of conflicts and disputes has become more diverse, peacekeeping operations face increasingly complex situations and tasks. The United Nations peacekeeping policing mandates have also grown continuously. To ensure the sound and effective conduct of United Nations peacekeeping police work, it is necessary to change with the times and to strike a balance between mandate formulation and implementation results, and between efficiency and scale. In that connection, China would like to make four points. First, United Nations peacekeeping police should strictly abide by the Council’s mandate and the three principles of peacekeeping. They must respect the sovereignty of the host State, heed the opinions of host States while helping them carry out activities such as security sector reform, constructively provide training, advisory assistance and support, and work to find assistance programmes that are best suited to local conditions. Secondly, to strengthen the focus of United Nations policing, when the Council deploys peacekeeping operations it should ensure that the peacekeeping mandate is viable and practical, explicitly prioritize tasks, and avoid all-inclusive mandates. The implementation results of peacekeeping policing mandates should be reviewed in a timely way. The mandated tasks and deployment scales should also be adjusted according to the developments in the host States in a timely way. Thirdly, in order to comprehensively increase the efficiency of peacekeeping policing, the rapid deployment and operational capabilities of peacekeeping police have a bearing on whether the missions can play their role at key moments. The Council, the Secretariat, host States and troop-contributing countries should strengthen communication and coordination, improve the formation and deployment processes of peacekeeping civilian police and formed police units, and optimize logistics. In that process, the Secretariat should carefully heed and value the opinions and recommendations of the police-contributing countries. The mission should strengthen scientific planning and management, improve the efficiency of resource utilization, and avoid unnecessary waste and overlap. Fourthly, in order to strengthen capacity-building for peacekeeping police, China supports the Secretariat’s engaging in close consultation with police-contributing countries and the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations; developing standards for the organization, training and monitoring of peacekeeping police; and strengthening the safety and security of peacekeeping police in view of the security situation in the areas of operation. The United Nations should step up its support for capacity-building for peacekeeping police from regional organizations, such as the African Union, and help them play a bigger role in maintaining regional peace and stability. China sent peacekeeping police to the United Nations for the first time in 2000, and we are now an important police-contributing country at the United Nations and also the biggest contributor of police among the permanent members of the Council. To date, China has sent altogether more than 2,000 peacekeeping police officers to eight missions. Currently, we have over 170 peacekeeping police officers working to implement peacekeeping mandates of the United Nations Mission in Liberia and the United Nations Mission in South Sudan. Chinese peacekeeping police fulfil their duties strictly, perform well and have won extensive acclaim. China is willing to send more peacekeeping civilian police, formed riot police units and specialized police experts, such as forensic experts and criminal investigation officers, to the United Nations Blue Helmets and is committed to helping police-contributing countries, including those of Africa, improve their capacity-building. China stands ready to work with the international community to make a positive contribution to the promotion of sustainable development of United Nations peacekeeping police as well as the maintenance of international peace and security.

I thank China for its support for resolution 2185 (2014). I also acknowledge China’s contribution to the United Nations policing, including in the United Nations Mission in Liberia police component led by Commissioner Hinds. I shall now give the floor to the briefers to respond. I give the floor to Mr. Hinds. Mr. Hinds: In response to the first question posed by the representative of Rwanda in relation to progress in reforming, rebuilding and restructuring the Liberian National Police and the other security institutions, in the case of Liberia it was actually a matter of recreating the security institutions, post-conflict. There has been steady progress. Over this time, we have seen a police force that was decimated grow into a force of almost 5,000 officers, who provide a policing service to the populace of Liberia right across the entire country. It is a maturing organization. It still has a way to go, which is why we are still there. Importantly, it works in partnership with a number of other security agencies: the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization, the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Transnational Crime Unit. Those civilian agencies have responsibility for domestic security in Liberia, and are all doing their best, with the limited resources available to them, to provide a professional response. The Ebola crisis over the past eight months in Liberia has seen sustained pressure put on those organizations, and there have been cracks in what we saw as maturing institutions with regard to improving performance and operationalization. What we can try to do is build on what we have seen as a result of Ebola. We have seen services that had been delivered at the national level devolve to the county level. We have seen decentralized structures, decentralized decision-making and decentralized resource mobilization right across Liberia. It has been a challenge to move what has been an overcentralized and bureaucratic process in the capital, Monrovia. That has perhaps been seen as one of the silver linings. In our remaining time in Liberia, we will look to strengthen those local mechanisms. We have seen improved relationships with the community and improved responsiveness on the part of the security agencies. They have taken on a range of tasks that are not typically policing functions, but under the health, humanitarian and other crises that Ebola has created in Liberia and across West Africa, we have seen the police perform admirably. Even though many officers have been affected by the crisis themselves, with a number of these agencies losing lives to the crisis, they are still committed to their role and function and to improving and professionalizing their organizations. We will continue to work with them.

I now give the floor to Mr. Yiga. Mr. Yiga: I thank the Council for the overwhelming support that has come out of this important meeting. It has taken us to the next level as United Nations peacekeeping police officers. The ball is in our court now to make it work. I have three categories of answers to the questions that have come from members. First of all, let me make a general statement. From what I have heard, the Council does not want us to be any less than what it expects us to be in the field. That has come out very strongly. We must be the United Nations police (UNPOL) that we should be in the field, and we therefore need all possible support that can come our way to do our work. Sometimes we have to be good diplomats in our role as UNPOL. We have to be very strong professionals in terms of operations, and sometimes we need to mix in a bit of politics to understand host State situations. The second point I would like to make is that there has been a lot of support for training and readiness to prepare UNPOL to carry out its functions. Perhaps it is time to influence some Member States to offer peacekeeping training at police institutions all over the world. If training is seen as a serious matter  — whether or not someone is going to be deployed in peacekeeping — then officers will emerge from police training with the knowledge that the world may require their skills in case they are chosen. I think that would make a very big difference. I know that police commissioners who would be willing to come as guest speakers to police institutions. Finally is the issue of equipment. That is very serious. We need to be equipped. Let me give one example. There is a lot of crime taking place now. As police officers, we cannot afford to just look on as crime increases every day. Moreover, we do not have strong data bases to share with the world when stability has been restored. We need equipment and we need support in terms of scientific management and research into crime. We need to be able to categorize the kind of crime that is happening in our situations in order to enable the Security Council to develop relevant policies. Let me reply to the question posed by the representative of Rwanda with regard to whether training police offers has helped in any way. A lot of effort was put into police training in South Sudan, but it was all lost when the crisis began. Still, we managed to create a sense of shame among police officers. The Inspector General of Police belongs to the biggest regional police organizations, and when he attends their meetings he represents South Sudan’s national police service. When he mixes with colleagues, he is expected to tell them what he is doing in his own country as head of the police, which holds him to a standard that links him to the common fraternity of policing all over the world.

I now give the floor to Mr. Carrilho. Mr. Carrilho: With respect to women in peacekeeping, and particularly in the police, of course much more can be done. A lot has already been done at the instrumental level by the Security Council, through several resolutions, but in terms of improved outreach, the police-contributing countries should clearly be encouraged to participate with more females in peacekeeping. When we are speaking about working with the most vulnerable groups  — victims, women, children, the elderly, internally displaced persons and persons with disabilities  — the presence of females in peacekeeping really makes a difference. Maybe we can also enhance their conditions in terms of their participation and welfare in peacekeeping; we might give them shorter terms of duty. Of course, as my colleagues have said, training is essential. But if Member States have more females in their national institutions, it will be easier to have more of them in peacekeeping, so it is a global effort. And finally there is the issue of providing special training in language and driving skills, which can be a difficulty in peacekeeping. Of course, we welcome the adoption today of resolution 2185 (2014), which is an excellent initiative that will undoubtedly result in more women entering peacekeeping. Concerning the question posed by the representative of Rwanda on cooperation between the military and the police  — and in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic in Bangui we have a battalion from Rwanda that is participating in the Bangui Joint Task Force — we have several instruments, either the normal type, with meetings, but operationally speaking, the operations centre is the same, with both police and military. In the case of the Central African Republic, within Bangui the United Nations forces, police and military, are under a single command, a unique experiment that is going very well and that we hope will produce even better results than it has so far. As I said, more than 107 people have already been arrested. We also have international security forces from Operation Sangaris and the European Union-led peacekeeping force (EUFOR RCA), as well as the national security forces. So all of that entails a level of coordination that we are organizing through that operations centre in order to achieve coordinated action. (spoke in French) Concerning the question from the Permanent Representative of Luxembourg on coordination in the protection of women and children, that is a very important issue for us, the police. Even at the Mission level we have counsellors for the protection of children. At the United Nations police level, we now have a focal point — as we also do where we have responsibility for judicial cooperation and criminal investigation  — in Bangui, as we hope we will also have in the provinces in the future. That is because the country’s future, of course, depends on its children, and though it may not be able to deal with that issue, despite the fact that, let us be clear, as many Council members have said, principal responsibility for protection belongs to the national authorities. And, as my colleague from the United Nations Mission in Liberia expressed it well, it is our responsibility in terms of building the capacity of the national police and gendarmerie to help them become effective in this area. (spoke in English) Concerning the question from the Permanent Representative of the United States on how we are implementing the protection of civilians, leadership is of course essential. At the level of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Office of Rule of Law and Security Institutions of the United Nations Police Division, there are clear guidelines; in fact, new standard operating procedures are being developed to make our strategy sharper and more precise, including on the ground, where we must be able to deliver. I would point to the example I mentioned of a flashpoint matrix, where all areas are properly listed, with frequent meetings at both the strategic and operational levels geared to working out how we should tackle them. In one particular neighbourhood in Bangui we are specifically conducting operations on the protection of civilians with a police and military capacity, ensuring as far as possible that the people can have a normal life. Of course, for us in Bangui the protection of civilians is essential. (spoke in French) Regarding the question from the Permanent Representative of Lithuania on how the United Nations police assist the national judicial authorities, the resolution that the Council has given us is a useful instrument for temporary emergency measures, and we have already arrested more than 100 people, but it requires cooperating with the judicial authorities, which we are doing. We are working together with the national police and gendarmerie as well as prosecutors and judges, and, at the end of the process, we are also protecting prisons, so that is the level at which we are working and assisting the national authorities. Where training is concerned, we are helping the national authorities both on the separation of the legislative and executive powers and on basic training of police officers and magistrates. Concerning the question from the representative of France about how things are going with the Bangui Joint Task Force, we have the police and military of the Mission’s reserve units working together, as well as the French forces, with whom we have an excellent working relationship, as well as the European Union’s EUFOR RCA. As I said, we have an operations centre where the various representatives are all together, sometimes with liaison officers and, when necessary during a crisis, with increased participation of those groups. In terms of the protection of civilians, roles are identified and we coordinate in order to avoid duplication of efforts. In every neighbourhood, especially those that are particularly threatened, we coordinate means with deployments. We also have targeted operations, and checkpoint and combing operations, and, when there are threats in more specific spots, we coordinate — and regarding that, I should thank France and Operation Sangaris for their direct cooperation. The representative of Jordan asked about how we coordinate between the police, the military and local authorities. We are trying — because that is our mandate and because peacekeeping missions are always temporary  — to ensure that the national institutions always play the primary role in security, and we support that. We have the mechanisms to do so. (spoke in English) Concerning the question from the representative of the United Kingdom about manpower, I do not know a single police commissioner or special representative who will ever be happy with the resources he has, whether human or material. Of course we would be delighted to have more, but we will not complain that the resources we have prevent us from achieving our mandates, particularly when the issue is the protection of civilians. And the level of expectations, particularly in the Central African Republic, is very high. I can assure the members of the Council that we will do our best to successfully implement our mandate. The measure of success is always the end result, and the aim for the end result is to have national security forces and police that are able to provide security to their own people. That is how we measure it. And there are tools. My colleague from Liberia spoke about a few. The Strategic Guidance Framework for International Police Peacekeeping will help. I think that I have addressed all the questions, as well as that posed by the representative of the Republic of Korea concerning the case management system. We have an integrated approach, which is what the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) offers. MINUSCA enables the protection of human rights, justice, community violence reduction and civil affairs, which will naturally aid in the implementation of the mandate, not only for police authorities, but also for the political authorities and the transitional Government to establish a country where everyone can help and can have a normal life. (spoke in French) Finally, to the representative of Chad, the United Nations police are cooperating with the national and international police, and with the representatives of the African Union. Of course, the African police will always be welcome in terms of coordination. (spoke in English) Finally, it is our intention at MINUSCA to continue to support national institutions operationally and, as has been stressed by several members of the Security Council, we are in the process of establishing a development plan to strengthen the capacities of the national police and gendarmerie.

I believe that there was one further issue raised by the representative of Chad about language capacity. I would ask Mr. Carrilho to comment on that and the impact it has.

As regards language, of course since the United Nations police (UNPOL) is the most visible face of the State, we want the Central African police to be present everywhere, and we are there to support them. All of UNPOL staff now speak French in the Mission. This includes individuals not only in UNPOL but also in the formed police units. This is really the first mission in which I have participated where we have had that capability. We even have men and women police who are capable of speaking Sangho because, as they were deployed with the African-led International Support Mission in the Central African Republic to the regional headquarters of the African Union, it was very important to have that contact. But we need to be more specific in terms of qualifications. Especially when we talk about development, there are also capacities that may be more important than language skills. For example, with respect to the database in Haiti, it is more important to have the relevant capacities and language skills may be redundant. But as to the question asked by the Permanent Representative of Chad, for which I thank him, each and every officer in UNPOL speaks French at this time.

Again, I take this opportunity to thank members for supporting resolution 2185 (2014), I also thank the briefers, including Assistant Secretary- General Titov, for their participation in this debate, which, like the resolution, is the first ever dedicated to policing issues. We now have a platform for further work and outcomes. There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers. The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda.