S/PV.7808 Security Council

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. Bruce Munyambo, Police Commissioner of the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan; Ms. Priscilla Makotose, Police Commissioner of the African Union/United Nations Hybrid operation in Darfur; Mr. Georges-Pierre Monchotte, Police Commissioner of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti; and Mr. Issoufou Yacouba, Police Commissioner of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. The intention is for this meeting to be as interactive as possible, along the lines of the briefing held last November (see S/PV.7558) and our dialogues with the Force Commanders. We look forward to questions from Council members to the Commissioners and from the Commissioners to the Council. I now give the floor to Mr. Ladsous.

I wish to thank you, Mr. President, and the Senegalese presidency for this fresh opportunity for dialogue with police officials as part of the annual week for United Nations police in New York — a week that is always, and perhaps even more so this year, an opportunity to discuss all the challenges our police forces face and what must be done to improve our tools. This meeting comes two years after the very important adoption of resolution 2185 (2014), which was the first of its kind in the history of the Security Council, as it was the first time that the Council recognized the central role of Blue Helmets in peacekeeping operations. Today, we have chosen what we have found useful in the current context in our various theatres of operations — four aspects represented by the presence of four of our Police Commissioners on the ground: the protection of civilians; the integration of a gender perspective; building police capacities; and personnel security, behaviour and discipline. I will therefore be very brief, since the Council is here to listen to them rather than me. First, with regard to the protection of civilians, it is clear that we are dealing with enormous challenges on the ground. We see it every day in South Sudan, and Commissioner Munyambo will be discussing that. I would like to remind the Council, as I have done before, that the protection of civilians we have been managing in South Sudan is not something we should be cutting back on, since the 200,000 displaced persons in the camps owe the fact that they are still alive to the United Nations, and to the United Nations police in particular. Were it not for that, many of them would not be here. At the same time, however, that creates an enormous organization problem when it comes to running the camps in South Sudan’s current chaotic environment. Regardless, that compels us to consider how to improve the situation on the protection front and what tools, techniques and talents we need in order to optimize the joint functioning of the civilian and military components. Secondly, we have the issue of ensuring full gender integration. That is extremely important to us, and Commissioner Makotose will be discussing it, for the reasons we are well aware of — first, because women, like children, are particularly at risk in most of the situations on the ground, and we have to take that into account — and also because we need to have more women in posts. We have in fact reached a level where 20 per cent of our individual police officers are women, in accordance with the goal established by the Secretary-General, but we have to do better, just as we have to do much better with female formed police units. I have seen them on the ground in Liberia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Haiti, and that is responding to a genuine need, but women make up only 7 per cent of formed police units. That is not enough, because we need them not only for conducting dialogue but also for sharing information on the ground, which women are especially equipped to do. Thirdly, capacity-building is crucial to enabling us to support political processes, redeployment and the re-establishment of the Government on the ground. Those who have heard this before will have to forgive me for quoting myself yet again, but, as we say in French, in many situations good behaviour starts with a healthy fear of the police. When the people see police out there, they say there you are, the Government is back and functioning. And that is all about the rule of law. We will be hearing from Commissioner Monchotte, who sees that routinely in Haiti. By the way, the Office of Internal Oversight Services recently carried out an assessment that recommended making efforts to better align the goals mandated for our police officers and to improve the level of resources available to them. I think that is the case in Haiti, where there is no question that we need to create a post for a deputy chief of police, among other things. We have to monitor things carefully in order to ensure that all these demands are properly aligned within a realistic time frame. Fourthly, there is the security of our personnel, especially in areas where that is an issue, such as in Mali, about which Commissioner Yacouba will be sharing his experiences of operating in an area where the threats come on a daily basis. We are unfortunately seeing victims of this all too often, and the human costs for the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali are far too high. That is all because we are dealing there on the ground with a terrible combination of criminal networks, extremist groups and political stakeholders who are not always very transparent about what they are doing. Those are four illustrations of what we have to deal with, and while they are to some extent dictated by current events, any issue can be tackled within the framework they represent. I would like to take a moment to emphasize the importance of taking better account of the constraints that our police are dealing with on the ground in terms of their welfare. We continue to see considerable disparities between the working conditions of various types of personnel, even when they are doing pretty much the same jobs. Some are treated very differently from others, and that cannot help having an impact on morale and therefore to some extent on performance, particularly for those serving in very problematic areas, such as Libya and Somalia. We therefore have to revisit our approach to mission subsistence allowances and allowances for service in dangerous conditions. That is a real issue; we are working on it, and the Secretary- General has been made aware of it. I have one last comment on conduct and discipline. As the Council knows, our police officers spare no effort to implement resolution 2272 (2016), which the Council adopted in March, and all the measures discussed in the Secretary-General’s report on sexual conduct (A/70/729), an area where the police have a specific role to play regarding punishment as well as prevention and, especially, assistance to victims. In conclusion, the Secretary-General will shortly be issuing his second report on United Nations policing, and in that context, we will be relying the support of the Security Council more than ever to enable us to implement the report’s recommendations as effectively and efficiently as possible. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank and pay tribute to our policemen and -women for their untiring efforts in the field to save lives and contribute to stability — sadly, work that is not without considerable risk but which they do with commendable courage and determination.

I thank Mr. Ladsous for his briefing. I now give the floor to Mr. Munyambo. Mr. Munyambo: One year ago, when the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) last briefed the Security Council on its policing contribution (see S/PV.7558), South Sudan found itself at a crossroads. The 2015 Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan had been signed only a few months earlier. Regrettably, despite the initial progress on ending the fighting and starting the complex task of implementing the Agreement, the July outbreak of fighting in Juba between the Sudan People’s Liberation Army and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition dealt a major setback to that progress. During the year, UNMISS has faced some very significant challenges in its work of protecting civilians and engaging communities in South Sudan. Today I would like to focus on the unique experiences of the United Nations police (UNPOL) in South Sudan by outlining the challenges we continue to face and the priorities we have identified for creating the conditions necessary for peace in a very complex peacekeeping context. The protection of civilians is at the core of the UNMISS mandate. Since the beginning of this conflict, in 2013, close to 2.6 million people have been forced to flee their homes, including more than 1.6 million internally displaced persons (IDPs). Some 200,000 of these IDPs have sought refuge in United Nations protection-of-civilian sites. New clashes of a varied nature in multiple locations since July have left even greater numbers of people displaced. Sadly, more than 16,000 children have reportedly been recruited by armed actors. UNMISS has received several reports of serious human rights violations and abuses, including reports of the rape and gang rape of women and girls, particularly in Juba and Wau, perpetrated by armed men in uniform. In this context, UNPOL is in the forefront of the Mission’s efforts to protect civilians in the UNMISS protection-of-civilians sites in Juba, Bentiu, Malakal, Bor and Wau, and those that are vulnerable outside our sites. UNPOL operations include maintaining order and a protective environment in those sites through a permanent presence, regular cordon and search operations for contraband, including weapons, access control, and crowd control. These operations have necessitated the establishment of holding facilities in Malakal, Bentiu and Juba, which, in the absence of an executive mandate and Government cooperation, has presented unique challenges for UNMISS, with some people subjected to long-term detention for as long as up to two years. A key enabling factor underpinning all UNPOL activities in South Sudan is community engagement. For example, in Juba, UNPOL conducts joint patrols with the UNMISS force and other Mission components outside the protection-of-civilians sites in order to extend protection through a forward-leaning posture and presence. This enables greater interaction with the communities and has had positive effects in building trust among the population and gathering information that enhances policing. A recent innovative measure is the establishment of a 200-metre weapon-free zone around the protection-of-civilians sites in Juba, where the Mission conducts confidence-building patrols and regular search operations to get rid of weapons and prevent armed elements from entering into the sites. Despite our best efforts to proactively engage the communities both within and outside the protection-of- civilians sites, the security context in South Sudan is placing significant demands on UNPOL. We are working systematically to increase police numbers so as to expeditiously reach the mandated ceiling. Importantly, we are also working closely with the Secretariat and Member States to attract police officers with the requisite skill sets. In the current context, we need highly skilled officers in the areas of information-gathering and analysis, crime prevention and specialized issues such as combating sexual-violence-related crimes. Another priority for UNMISS is to improve UNPOL’s ability to address the potential future crises that could result from South Sudan’s political situation. During 2016, UNMISS experienced several major crises, beginning with the attack on the Malakal protection-of-civilians site in February, followed by the violence in Wau in June, and the heavy fighting in Juba in July. These crises placed unprecedented demands on UNPOL. In Wau, 32 individual police officers, together with their military and civilian colleagues, successfully managed to receive and protect more than 20,000 IDPs who within a few days had assembled outside the UNMISS base. Recognizing the scale of the escalating situation, the Mission reinforced our police presence in Wau with 60 formed police units from Bentiu. The fact that less than 100 United Nations police personnel have been able to maintain order in the Wau protection-of- civilians site, which now houses close to 25,000 IDPs, speaks to the professionalism, dedication and hard work of our police officers. The crises in Malakal and Juba, where the protection-of-civilians sites and UNMISS premises were either directly attacked or caught in heavy crossfire, tested UNPOL. One lesson I have derived from these experiences is the importance of ensuring that all police officers have not only the relevant skill sets but also the right mindset to respond quickly and appropriately to a crisis situation. This requires strong leadership, regular scenario-based training with other Mission counterparts, and accountability. Since July, UNMISS has taken several steps to improve the ability of the force and UNPOL to respond robustly when fighting erupts. We have adopted a new standard operating procedure mandating formed police units to respond both inside and outside protection-of-civilians sites. We are regularly conducting joint scenario-based training with the Force and the Department of Safety and Security. Despite our attention to improving performance, much more can be done, in close partnership with the Secretariat and Member States. Allow me to outline three priorities for UNPOL that would help it better to respond to the significant challenges I have presented here today. First, in order to improve UNPOL’s operational capacity, we are trying to attract more officers who are trained to respond to protection needs, in addition to formed police units with contingent-owned equipment, including vehicles suitable for the terrain and security threats, and sniffer dogs to assist with weapon searches. This will significantly enhance UNMISS management of protection-of-civilians sites, including crowd management, access control, patrols and 24-hour police post activities. The second priority is aimed at enhancing community outreach inside and outside protection-of- civilians sites. With improved operational capacity, more officers can be dedicated to enhancing communities’ ability to identify and respond to threats. If the security situation improves and more IDPs express an interest in returning to their homes, UNPOL will resume its pre-crisis plans to conduct confidence- and trust- building patrols in identified areas for returnees. Both of these areas will also be enhanced by the third priority, which is to sensitize the local police force to identify and respond to human rights violations. UNPOL recognizes that the national authorities have primary responsibility for the protection of civilians, to investigate violations and to ensure that perpetrators are held to account. Their role could be enhanced by a strengthened national police presence in key areas affected by the conflict, as stipulated by the peace agreement, as well as working in a collaborative and coordinated manner with UNMISS. In conclusion, as we meet here today, South Sudan finds itself yet again at a crossroads where the peace process is very fragile. It is our sincere hope that the collective efforts of the United Nations, the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and the rest of the international community will assist South Sudan in returning to an inclusive peace process, which is a prerequisite for creating a peaceful, safe and secure environment in the country.

I thank Mr. Munyambo for his briefing. I now give the floor to Ms. Makotose. Ms. Makotose: In 2016, the situation in Darfur was characterized by three factors. First, despite the continuing negotiations, the Government and the armed movements have yet to reach a comprehensive political solution to the conflict. Secondly, the conflict between Government forces and the Sudan Liberation Army/Abdul Wahid began with intense clashes during the first half of the year, followed by continued intermittent fighting in Jebel Marra. More than 80,000 civilians were confirmed displaced as a result, while an additional 117,000 have not been verified due to a denial of access to conflict areas. Thirdly, while the mediation efforts of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) in the more proactive role of State Governments contributed to a decrease in the overall number of intercommunal clashes, the root causes remained largely unaddressed. Incidents of violence against the civilian population, including internally displaced persons (IDPs), continued to be commonplace. UNAMID and humanitarian actors continued to face challenges in implementing their mandates. In line with the strategic priorities of the Mission, the police component prioritizes its resources and activities to support the physical protection of civilians, thereby creating a protective environment through the development of community-oriented policing. As illustrated in the police-to-task review in April and the special report of the Secretary-General and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (see S/2016/510), gender-sensitive policing is essential to fulfil those tasks. Currently, UNAMID has the greatest number of female police officers among all United Nations peacekeeping missions. Two hundred and sixty-seven, or 19 per cent, of UNAMID’s individual police officers are women. Women hold 17 key positions. Four are professional or higher ranking positions, including my own. Thirteen female officers also hold commanding and supervisory positions at Headquarters. Female officers are encouraged to apply for senior positions, and special consideration is given in granting them extensions to their tour of duty. That is not only important with regard to gender balancing but also contributes to the effective implementation of mandated tasks. Female officers participate in all activities, including patrols, family and child protection, gender-awareness and community-oriented policing. They also act as role models, inspiring Darfuri women and girls to advocate for and defend their rights. In particular, female officers contribute to greater and wider access to vulnerable groups. Interaction with communities is critical for information gathering and analysis and enhances early warning. UNAMID police collate information on security and receive reports of criminal incidents including sexual and gender-based violence and other human rights violations. The information is verified and shared with other Mission components, the police of the host State and the local population in line with the do-no-harm principle. Furthermore, UNAMID police, in collaboration with the military, conduct targeted patrols that focus on areas in which violations perpetrated against women and children occur most frequently, such as water points, firewood-collection areas and markets. To effectively meet the security needs of IDPs, primarily focusing on women and children at risk, UNAMID police have fully embraced gender sensitivity policing practices. Notably, UNAMID has ensured that UNAMID women police officers are deployed at every team site. UNAMID police also support the recruitment and training of women in both the Government of the Sudanese police force and the community policing volunteers among IDPs. The current strength of the Sudanese police in Darfur stands at approximately 14,000, 4 per cent of whom are women. Gender balance is critical to building confidence in communities and encouraging victims to report abuses to Sudanese police officers of their choosing. Given that women are disproportionately affected by sexual and gender- based violence and conflict-related sexual violence, an increased female police presence across Darfur will ensure more access to justice for the victims. Through outreach initiatives in communities, UNAMID police encourages Darfuri women, including IDPs, to enlist in the police force. In parallel, UNAMID police’s interactions with the senior leadership of the Government of the Sudanese police force focus on increasing the number of women and transforming it into an increasingly representative police force. More specifically, the UNAMID Police Women’s Network supported the establishment of seven family- and child-protection units in the Government of Sudan’s police force across the five States. While continuing sensitization on gender mainstreaming and sexual and gender-based violence, they also work towards empowering female officers in the Sudanese police by supporting the founding and operationalization of the Sudanese Police Women’s Network. UNAMID police have also strengthened community- oriented policing practices through the recruitment and training of 3,529 community policing volunteers, 29 per cent of whom are women. As part of the operationalization of the United Nations police gender toolkit, UNAMID has developed a guideline on gender mainstreaming, as well as a community policing framework to guide the selection and qualification process of community policing volunteers. The community policing volunteer system has contributed increasingly to the safety and security in IDP camps through their joint efforts with UNAMID police and in some cases with the Sudanese police. That has contributed to a reduction of crime and enhanced the sense of security in communities. Information sharing with the Government of the Sudan’s police has improved and helped speed up investigations. It has also assisted in improving trust and promoting partnership between communities and the Sudanese police on security coordination matters. UNAMID police fully adhere to and implement the Secretary-General’s zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse. That extends to addressing other forms of misconduct through preventative measures. The conduct of United Nations police personnel is key to ensuring that our efforts are sustainable and not in vain. More specifically, I have issued a directive to ensure that all members of the police component are to be briefed on the United Nations policy on sexual exploitation and abuse. As role models, police commanders and team leaders are trained to strictly comply with the Secretary- General’s directives on sexual exploitation and abuse. A communication strategy has been developed and is being implemented to ensure that information materials on sexual exploitation and abuse are available at all team sites. Furthermore, UNAMID police play a vital role in facilitating the outreach of the Conduct and Discipline Team of the Mission to increase awareness of sexual exploitation and abuse and other forms of misconduct, as well as available reporting mechanisms. UNAMID police have also actively participated in the Mission’s task force on sexual exploitation and abuse and contributed to improved reporting and swift investigations by the Immediate Response Team. UNAMID police have recorded no substantial case of sexual exploitation and abuse. As the only female Police Commissioner out of all United Nations peacekeeping missions, I have been and remain fully committed to that important and ongoing effort. Finally, allow me to reiterate, Sir, our commitment to Member States and the people in Darfur. As we all know, there are many challenges that UNAMID police face in implementing its mandate. However, United Nations police officers are the daily interface between Darfuris, the United Nations and the African Union. I appeal for the continued support from the Security Council in our endeavour and would like to express my sincere gratitude for the opportunity to present our gender mainstreaming efforts to you.

I thank Ms. Makotose for her briefing. I now give the floor to Mr. Monchotte. Mr. Monchotte: Before I begin today, I would like to thank the Security Council for this opportunity to speak on how the police component of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) helps develop the policing capacities of the Haitian National Police (HNP). On behalf of all MINUSTAH police personnel and colleagues, let me also express gratitude to the Security Council and the police-contributing countries for their continued support for Haiti’s ongoing stabilization efforts and their solidarity with the people of Haiti, following the tragic loss of life and destruction inflicted by Hurricane Matthew. In 2004, when MINUSTAH was established with a mandate to contribute to the restructuring and reform of the HNP and to create a secure and stable environment, the HNP was only nine years old and had an inadequate budget. The security situation in Haiti was a cause for concern, with only approximately 6,300 insufficiently equipped and trained police officers, who were not able to maintain law and order. The majority of the HNP’s facilities were damaged or destroyed during the fighting and looting experienced in the early months of 2004. Key branches of the HNP and other institutions were dysfunctional or did not exist, including the General Inspectorate and the National Police Academy. Armed gangs competed for control over areas in Port-au- Prince. High homicide and kidnapping rates aggravated social instability, and the population’s confidence in the HNP was very low. Originally, MINUSTAH was authorized to have 6,700 military and 1,622 police personnel. Changing political and security circumstances and the capacity- building requirements of the HNP resulted in the progressive reversal of the military-to-police ratio, with the police component currently having an authorized strength of 2,601 police personnel while the military component has an authorized strength of 2,370 troops. Following the earthquake in January 2010, MINUSTAH, including its police component, redirected significant amounts of resources to supporting the emergency and recovery efforts of Haiti. For 18 months, capacity-building activities were partially suspended. Throughout MINUSTAH’s existence, the police component carefully tailored its assistance in key policing areas to the priorities of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security and the HNP, specifically professionalizing the HNP, strengthening its operational capacity, developing its institutional capacity and reinforcing the national and international institutional relationships of the HNP. This approach resulted in the sustained development and implementation of several five-year plans, namely, the HNP Reform Plan, covering 2006 to 2011, and the HNP Development Plan 2012-2016, which will expire next month. In June, the HNP initiated the development of a strategic plan for the period 2017-2021, and its adoption is expected in the coming months. The plan sets a direction for long-term HNP institution-building goals to create an effective response capacity for addressing the variety of threats Haiti faces. The co-location of MINUSTAH police officers, together with close coordination with national and international partners that have generously contributed to training, logistical support and the reconstruction of facilities, has resulted in visible progress in a number of areas, such as an increase in the police-to-population ratio, strengthened human-resources management, improved practices related to strategic planning and community-oriented policing through training at all police levels, augmented capacity of the judicial police and increased prevention of crime and violence. Allow me to elaborate with a few examples. The HNP’s presence throughout the country has expanded through the construction and reconstruction of police facilities and an increasing quantity and quality of officers deployed nationwide. At present, the HNP has an overall strength of about 13,100 officers, of whom 9 per cent are women, meaning a police-to-population ratio of around 1.3 officers per 1,000 inhabitants. This ratio has increased from 0.6 per thousand citizens, which was the level in 2004, and will gradually increase with the graduation of the twenty-seventh and twenty- eighth classes of recruits scheduled for February and November 2017, respectively. With these graduating classes, the HNP will reach a minimum force of around 15,000 officers. The recruitment and training system has been strengthened, including through the implementation of a seven-month curriculum deployed in 2009, which is in line with international policing and human-rights standards. The system replaced the four-month training programme that had been used since 1995. With respect to improving capacities, the HNP has made tremendous efforts to implement a vetting process and strengthen the General Inspectorate, which is responsible for the competence and integrity of HNP officers and removes those who have committed crimes or are involved in human-rights violations or corruption. Moreover, the HNP has increasingly been able to tackle the kidnapping phenomenon and reduce the number of homicides by dismantling existing or emerging criminal groups, even though the adoption of a national crime-prevention strategy to ensure sustainability is still awaiting adoption. The HNP has also assumed greater responsibility and leadership in securing recent elections. Since 2004, the HNP has increased its capacity to maintain law and order, including through augmented territorial coverage, good crowd-control practices and anti-kidnapping and anti-narcotics operations. Nevertheless, challenges remain. They include, but are not limited to, capacities to maintain and repair assets, police intelligence and organized crime, firearms control, institutional policies, budget execution and strategic planning, as well as civil protection and community-oriented policing. The promotion and implementation of justice and corrections reforms in parallel to police reform is essential to ensuring access to justice, inclusiveness and, ultimately, sustainable development. The recent Office of Internal Oversight Services evaluation recognized the positive impact MINUSTAH police have had on strengthening PNH capacities, matching mandated tasks with available resources and time frames and taking into account external constraints, all of which were highlighted as indispensable elements for success. It is critical for Haiti’s long-term stability that capacity-building of the PNH remain a priority for the international community until the PNH can provide security for all Haitians. Efforts should follow a comprehensive rule-of-law strategy and lessons reflected in the Strategic Guidance Framework for International Police Peacekeeping. They should also be based on community engagement and build on security sector reform principles and human rights norms. In the meantime, MINUSTAH needs the sustained support of police-contributing countries to attain qualified male and female individual police officers and formed police units, including as much as possible francophone and, of course, when possible, Haitian Creole skills. Once again, I thank you, Mr. President, for convening this briefing and affording me an opportunity to address the Security Council today. (spoke in French) I thank the Council for its attention and once again express my gratitude for the efforts carried out those contributing to Haiti.

I thank Mr. Monchotte for his briefing. I now give the floor to Mr. Yacouba.

I would first like to express my gratitude for this opportunity to address the Security Council on various security aspects of the police of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). For reasons relating to the complexity and mulitdimensional nature of the crisis in Mali, the implementation process for the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation faces some serious challenges. Alliances between armed groups that are signatories to the agreement and/or non-signatory groups, as well as terrorist and criminal networks, are formed and disbanded at the will and in the interests of various players. That results in systematic attacks against MINUSMA and Malian and Operation Barkhane forces, which demonstrate the determination of those groups to hamper the implementation of the Agreement. Recurring armed rebellions in the north of Mali have lead to the emergence of organized crime, putting the authority of the State to the test. The security situation in the subregion, exacerbated by the Libyan crisis, appears to hold little promise, as demonstrated by the recent terrorist attacks in the Niger, Burkina Faso and Nigeria. A short while ago, terrorist acts were concentrated in the north but have now spread to the centre and, more recently, towards the south of the country. We can count at least eight terrorist groups that are officially active, without mentioning the possibility of emerging cells in surrounding countries, which would also have an impact on Mali. The figures speak for themselves: from January 2014 to 10 October 2016, 1,013 attacks were recorded against MINUSMA, non-governmental organizations, Mali’s defence and security forces and the Malian population. During the same period, 210 incidents of rocket and mortar fire were reported against MINUSMA and Malian forces. In the past month, 66 attacks were perpetrated against MINUSMA, Malian forces and the civilian population in the regions of Gao, Mopti, Ménaka, Timbuktu and Kidal. Resolution 2295 (2016) provides for responses that address not only the threats linked to organized crime in the Sahel region and its links with terrorism, but also the implementation of security measures set out in the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation, namely, the establishment of reformed defence and security institutions. In that context, Mali must play an active role in the framework of subregional organizations, particularly the Group of Five for the Sahel and the Joint Military Staff Committee. In that connection, the support of partners such as the European Union through the European Union Training Mission and European Union Capacity Building Mission is essential. A national strategy for the prevention of violent radicalism and combating organized crime and terrorism is currently being developed by the Malian authorities with the support of the United Nations system and some technical partners. Furthermore, Mali has established a national centre for strategic studies on the subject. It is crucial that the legal framework be adopted in line with international legal instruments relating to terrorism and organized crime. The comprehensive strategic vision must take into account all aspects of the phenomenon as well as cooperation and coordination mechanisms between the relevant State and non-State entities in order to prevent threats linked to terrorism at the national, regional and international levels. Awaiting the adoption of this strategy and so as to mitigate the impact of terrorist activities, MINUSMA has taken some palliative measures. I refer to the setting up of a cell against transnational organized crime; the establishment of a task force on terrorism with a view to developing synergic action and an integrated approach among all United Nations entities; the training of a weapons and intelligence team to deal with improvised explosive devices; and the establishment of a police laboratory to provide technical and scientific support and expertise to the judiciary counter-terrorism centre in Mali. That will be strengthened by the standing up of legal identity units in all investigative judiciary institutions in order to establish a centralized, viable and fully operational system for criminal data. In spite of all of those efforts, it is unfortunate that the specialised judiciary investigation brigade is still not operational. Mindful that intelligence is the first line of defence against terrorism and organized crime, and pursuant to the current mandate, MINUSMA police have established an intelligence gathering and analysis plan. Forty-nine projects to strengthen the capacity of Mali’s defence and security forces have been carried out. Nearly 14,000 personnel were trained in various technical fields. In addition, 302 civil servants serving in specialized units, including 36 women, received specific training. Those services benefit from multifaceted support through the comprehensive and coordinated approach of various MINUSMA sections, including the rule of law and security institutions. The implementation of resolution 2295 (2016) has been fraught with challenges, particularly in security sector reform, where work has been delayed. The idea of territorial police is too contentious and requires clarification. In the meantime, introducing a neighbourhood policing approach should improve confidence between the Malian security forces and the people. One of the major challenges to the implementation of the mandate and the support of the Malian security forces lies in the deployment of specialized and French- speaking individual police officers. That requires the support of contributing States. Incidentally, such a commitment was undertaken by the representatives of States that participated in the Chiefs of Police Summit. Formed police units play an important role in protecting populations and United Nations personnel and entities through patrols and various operational activities. It is important to note that, in response to the security context, the number of armoured vehicles went from 6 to 10. I would be remiss were I not to conclude by recalling that of MINUSMA police and other stakeholders support the reform of the Malian security forces. However, the plethora of terrorist attacks and other potential threats, as well as strains on human resources and logistics, are of utmost concern as we carry out our mandate. That is why the MINUSMA police continues to play its role through a comprehensive and integrated approach with a view to maintaining peace in Mali and the subregion.

I thank Mr. Yacouba for his briefing. I now give the floor to the members of the Council.

Allow me to first thank the President for convening such an important meeting. It is an important follow-up to the implementation of resolution 2185 (2014), which Malaysia fully supports. I thank Under-Secretary-General Ladsous for his overview and add my voice in welcoming the Police Commissioners of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) and the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNМISS) to the Council, and in thanking them for their respective briefings, to which we have carefully listened. It is clear that the majority of United Nations peace operations today are complex and multidimensional, with missions undertaking significantly more tasks that range from assisting political processes, establishing transitional authorities, distributing humanitarian aid and relief and reintegrating former combatants to preventing violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, and protecting civilians, among others. The report of the High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (see S/2015/446) proposed a number of recommendations addressed both to contributing countries and the Secretariat to ensure that United Nations peacekeeping remains relevant and able to meet the increasingly complex demands of peacekeeping. We welcome the initial steps taken by the Secretariat to implement those recommendations. At the same time, we are of the view that there remains room for improvement, including at the mandate design and planning stages. Clear policy guidance and the provision of adequate training would help to ensure the credibility and proficiency of all United Nations police personnel in carrying out the entrusted mandate. The protection of civilians has become a core component of numerous ongoing peacekeeping missions, for example in South Sudan, the Sudan, Mali and the Central African Republic. Civilian protection is the cross-cutting issue that needs to be addressed by military, civilian and policing components, acting in concert with the political components of the missions. In situations where the protection of civilians form part of a mission’s mandate, Malaysia stresses the need for clear mandates on the protection of civilians and for agreed benchmarks, processes and procedures for their implementation. We are of the view that a shared understanding of what it takes to keep the peace and protect civilians in outbreaks of violence is key. We agree with Commissioner Makotose of UNAMID that the United Nations police has and should continue to play an important role in combating sexual and gender-based violence, and in protecting women and girls from such violence. We therefore believe that there is scope to ensure greater female leadership, gender diversity and training within peacekeeping missions, in line with the United Nations Global Effort initiative. We also believe that police personnel need to be fully equipped with the necessary training prior to their deployment, as highlighted by the briefers. We encourage police contributing countries and regional organizations that have established peacekeeping training centres to offer and assist in providing training to United Nations police, including through specialized training. Malaysia intends to do its part through our Malaysian Peacekeeping Training Centre. Finally, I wish to place on record our utmost appreciation and respect for the commitment, bravery and sacrifice of all United Nations police in the field in discharging the mandates and responsibilities entrusted to them by the United Nations. We have two questions for the briefers. The first is for Commissioner Munyambo of UNMISS. Can the Commissioner provide an elaboration on the role played by United Nations police in supporting the UNMISS protection of civilians mandate during the outbreak of violence in Juba and other areas last July? Our second question is for Commissioner Monchotte of MINUSTAH. We have followed the development of the Haitian National Police (HNP) since joining the Council and we commend MINUSTAH police for its supporting role in training and supporting capacity- building for the National Police. Can the Commissioner elaborate on the state of readiness of the HNP to assume more substantial responsibility for safety and security in the country, including in countering organized criminal gangs?

I would like to thank Senegal for having organized our debate today on the role of police. I would also like to thank Mr. Ladsous and the heads of police components with us today for their briefings. Allow me to address the general approach of improving United Nations police performance. In convening the Chiefs of Police Summit in June for the first time, the United Nations took an important step in that direction, as was the distribution this year of the conclusions on the external review of the functions, structure and capacity of the United Nations police. We must all prioritize the United Nations police’s ability to guarantee better protection of civilians and improve the performance of staff deployed in missions. It is in that spirit that I would like to focus on three aspects that we believe to be most important. First, training is a precondition for a long-term improvement of police capacity, beginning with force generation when we send individual police officers and formed police units that are vetted and well trained, including on the linguistic front, a point to which I will return. Secondly, United Nations police support for capacity-building of the host country’s police remains critical. It requires sharing best practices and establishing a full criminal chain in the host country, including the police, the judiciary and penitentiary administration. The ability to clearly assess the effectiveness of the police is essential to improving its performance. We must take all experience at all levels into account. There is also a need to assess good coordination with the police component with other components of peacekeeping operations, including the military component and the human rights division, which will ensure that the police are part of the comprehensive strategy of the operation. I know that the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Police Division are working on the matter of assessment, and we eagerly await those results. Thirdly, developing neighbourhood police activities within peacekeeping operations should contribute to fostering long-term stability. Within peacekeeping operations, police can help to progressively rebuild confidence between populations and State institutions by keeeping criminals off the streets. Of course, to that end police detachments cannot remain on the sidelines, but must instead be held accountable to the communities they serve. Through its neighbourhood policing activities, the police component of peace operations naturally forges close links with police forces and local gendarmerie. Such cooperation can take on various forms, such as mentoring or joint patrolling, and is therefore crucial to bolstering national capacity. Allow me now to touch upon three challenges that were addressed in the briefings that we heard this morning from the Police Commissioners. First, I wish to talk about linguistic challenges. In order to be effective, police forces should be able to become part of local communities, particularly in missions involving the protection of civilians. For that reason, it is essential to deploy police officers and gendarmes who speak the language and know the culture of the host country in order to foster, facilitate and ensure smooth relations with the population. The Paris Ministerial Conference on Peacekeeping in Francophone Environments, which took place in October, identified approaches to be adopted in the area of training. France will of course participate in training efforts regarding the French language through police training activities. On that topic, I would like to pose a question to each of the Police Commissioners present. The actions undertaken by peacekeeping operations, which include capacity-building in host countries, are of course key to long-term stability. However, daily contact with local forces and the population requires full knowledge of the language of the country. I am therefore wondering if the Police Commissioners of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan and even the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur might provide us with additional information on the challenges their police officers face in the area of language? What measures do they think should be undertaken to address that challenge? Should such measures be taken during force generation, training or during the deployment of a mission? I will now move on to the second challenge, that of gender. We endorse efforts aimed at deploying more female police officers, who can greatly contribute to the performance of police components, in particular by fostering better interaction with vulnerable populations and with victims of human rights violations, as well as by participating in investigations into particular types of violence, including sexual violence. We must combat sexual abuse and exploitation by ensuring that all receive equal treatment before the law. Protecting victims and identifying and punishing perpetrators requires greater communication between United Nations agencies and organizations, on the one hand, and civil, military and judicial authorities in the countries involved in peacekeeping missions, on the other. The third and last challenge that we believe to be key is the use of modern technology by police components, which involve the activities of the police in general, as well as, for example, the gathering of evidence. That requires police officers within peacekeeping operations to be properly equipped, and better cooperation with international organizations, access to databases and the use of modern techniques for investigation. All such measures allow the police force to better protect people and to prevent violations of human rights.

We thank you, Sir, for convening this debate. We thank the briefers, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Mr. Hervé Ladsous, and the Police Commissioners of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, the African Union/United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur, the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali. We also acknowledge the extraordinary work carried out by each of those missions and welcome the various official groups that are present today in the Chamber. This debate highlights the importance of police components in United Nations peacekeeping operations in achieving stability on the ground, generally following armed conflict, and in developing and creating capacities to strengthen police services in host States. Host States must take ownership of their own peace processes and rebuild their institutional and social fabrics, which is an important objective. With respect to developing police services, we must bear in mind that a national police force that enjoys legitimacy within society is a key element to sustaining peace in societies that have been divided by conflict. Likewise, we believe that the creation or reform of solid police institutions is a complex undertaking that requires continued efforts over time. The process goes beyond police training, which is key, to include the development of relevant institutions that are able to provide political support, guidance, oversight, budgets and the required legal framework for police work. Furthermore, building operational capacity also requires a wide range of managerial and administrative roles in the police force. Police contingents must also be given due social and political protection, as well as incentives and recognition for their work in protecting the population and enforcing the law. However, United Nations reports on peacekeeping operations point to the fact that United Nations police are not always in a position to develop or reform police institutions, as reflected, among other things, in the fact that the United Nations police recruitment model does not meet the requirements for the institutional development of host States. Such reports recommend that the recruitment of United Nations police officers must be based on the mandate agreed by the Security Council, which means that those missions with stabilization and protection mandates must recruit numerous police officers accompanied by protection officers. Those contingents that are geared towards reforming the police institutions of host States must recruit fewer numbers of specialized personnel that enjoy backing of civilian staff who work in institutional development. However, it would seem that all recruitment models continue to be based on the legacy of huge contingents inherited from the models of peacekeeping operations. As a result, host States do not receive the support they need to reform their institutions. One of the key components in the process of recruitment is linked to gender equality. We are convinced that women, given their fundamental role in society, are the best agents to protect women and children from abuse and to heal the deep wounds caused by divisions in a society. Likewise, it is also critical to train police forces using personnel or contingents from the host State, who should not have a history of or links to abuse or violence perpetrated against the civil population. They should also have the ability to effectively lead and discharge their mission. Furthermore, Venezuela fully supports the need for an ongoing dialogue between the Security Council and the countries that contribute contingents related to all aspects of activities in peacekeeping operations, especially in the planning stages and in the drafting of mandates, pursuant to Article 44 of the Charter of the United Nations. In conclusion, we wish to reiterate the importance of the role of police contingents in United Nations peacekeeping operations. However, it is necessary that the Security Council bear in mind that United Nations police officers are an integral part of those operations. As such, the Council must respect the prerogatives of the General Assembly, especially the mandate of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations.

I thank Under-Secretary-General Ladsous and the four Police Commissioners who have joined us here today. I wish to thank all Police Commissioners serving around the world, as well as the 13,000 United Nations police. In listening to the briefings, I was quite struck by how much each of the four Commissioners, who in turn represent the other Commissioners, have in common, but also by how very different each of their appeals to us are. Specifically, I noted just how unique each mission is and how we cannot take a solution that works for one mission and apply it to another. Commissioner Munyambo described the hugely important task that peacekeepers in South Sudan are performing by protecting the protection-of-civilians sites  — 200,000 people living at sites were never envisaged when the mandate was created in the first place. Now, suddenly, the police in South Sudan have had to adjust and take on that task. Commissioner Makotose, as the sole female United Nations Police Commissioner  — who works in the Darfur mission, where sexual violence is, sadly, quite widespread as a weapon of war  — described the impact of having women occupy 19 per cent of the individual police officer slots as part of African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur and how that changes the way the communities interact with the Operation and the way women and children come forward. She also described something that we maybe are less conscious of, that is, the extent to which the women who serve in these missions, in, relatively speaking, a higher ratio than what we are used to seeing, serve as role models for young girls in the communities where they serve. That is incredibly important. Commissioner Monchotte has worked in a Haiti Mission that has experienced incredible ups and downs over the years, and the most devastating moment, of course, was the 2010 earthquake, where so many United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) officers, including the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, lost their lives serving the people of Haiti. Yet against that backdrop, MINUSTAH and the police have steadily gone about their business, taking a country that, as we know, had 6,700 equipped and trained police when MINUSTAH deployed, which will have next year up to 15,000 trained and equipped police. I also imagine they will have a different depth of training than had been available before MINUSTAH arrived in Haiti. Commissioner Yacouba in Mali, by far the most dangerous, deadliest mission in the whole world, has made an appeal to us for support for intelligence-based policing. As we noted in the meeting that the Senegal delegation organized last week (see S/PV.7802) on asymmetrical threats, this is an extremely important appeal. That is because that in so many of the missions that exist now in very complex and warlike environments, the peacekeepers and the police are often blind to the threats out there and do not have the information and intelligence they need. I hope that we as a Council heed his appeal. The challenge, as we as a Council talk about United Nations police, is that their mandate is unlike the mandate of any other police force. Therefore, the backgrounds the Commissioners and their officers have are very different in national settings. We as a Council expect United Nations police not just to support host Governments in maintaining law and order, but, as we have heard, to help restore the rule of law in places where armed groups act with impunity. We also expect United Nations police to kind of act as development advisers, working with Governments to rebuild national police forces, as we have seen work in Haiti. Therefore, this year’s external review of the United Nations Police Division, along with an evaluation of United Nations police from the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services, were together an important and comprehensive assessment of how Member States and the Secretariat together can improve a mission with few precedents to draw upon. I think others have already and will discuss all the challenges they are facing, drawing upon in their testimonies today. I just want to focus on two: the training and capabilities that United Nations police bring to their deployment, or the lack thereof in some cases, and the Security Council’s lack of strategic guidance for them when we send them into the field. First, briefly on training and capabilities, one key problem that as Commissioners they must deal with every day is the perpetual mismatch between supply and demand for United Nations police. The United Nations Police Division at Headquarters is under pressure to find enough United Nations police to match the Council’s requests — the figure that we put in our mandates. But unlike militaries, which may have units stationed in barracks waiting for a new contingency in each of our countries, police departments in all of our countries are using their officers to conduct everyday law enforcement. There is not generally a standing pool of officers waiting to get the call. A police department sending a formed police unit, especially to the United Nations, loses 140 to 160 officers to patrol their streets. That is why the United States is really and truly grateful to police-contributing countries for their commitments. But for the Police Division finding any new police experts or formed police units for peacekeeping missions is an extremely time-consuming task. The result is that the Police Division, I think it is fair to say, often focuses more on meeting their numbers, getting police contingents to 100 per cent of authorized strength, rather than being able to afford to look at whether the officers have the training and skills to actually meet the particular mission’s goals. In that regard, I would quote the United Nations Mission in South Sudan Police Commissioner who issued an appeal here today for more officers, as he put it, with the skill set and the mindset suited to the environments where the police are being deployed. Predeployment assessments are done by the Police Division, as we know, but those assessments may not align with the skills that United Nations missions actually need. We hear that from the Police Commissioners whenever we travel in the field. One of the things the external review showed is that the Police Division tests for three basic skills  — linguistic capacity for a particular mission, firearm proficiency and driving competency. Those are very important skills, but they are not necessarily tailored for any specific sui generis set of circumstances like the very varied circumstances we have heard about today. It turns out that approximately 55 per cent of candidates put forward to serve with United Nations as police fail even that three-pronged test. But what peacekeeping missions and Police Commissioners really need to know is whether a police contingent can handle far more complex tasks, like responding to a terrorist attack in a town centre in Mali or explaining to new police recruits how to treat suspects in an interrogation, such as in the Central African Republic. And the Secretariat is not in a position to provide that training to police units that do not already have it. That is a real issue. The issues are so daunting and so systemic that it is tempting to be intimidated and to just go on with our business as we have been doing, but let me offer one place to start. United Nations Member States and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) need to go beyond the basic proficiency test and increase focus on which skills each Mission needs, not just meeting numerical targets for force strength. The Police Division and the broader Secretariat should not expect contingents that pass the basic United Nations assessment test — again, linguistic, firearms and driving — to be ready to tackle the tasks in police mandates. That is common sense but it has not happened enough, in part because the pool of eligible recruits in each of our countries is not large enough. So we Member States must bring intentionality to expanding our national pools of recruits to include officers with relevant skills. I know that we have already seen a number of countries placing a real emphasis on trying to recruit women nationally so that DPKO has more women police officers from whom to recruit. But if we ask the Secretariat and the Police Division to do more, that alone will not work unless the Member States that comprise the United Nations set about actually looking at the skills that are needed and recruiting such people. That brings me to my second and final point, which involves mandates. We States members of the Security Council need to be more strategic about how we deploy United Nations police. In theory — I stress theory — United Nations police should be able to help facilitate the withdrawal of a peacekeeping mission. They can bridge the gap between an armed international military presence and the handover of responsibility for security to local authorities. United Nations police could be a peacekeeping mission’s exit strategy, stepping in after peacekeepers restore a basic level of security, then building up a host country’s law enforcement capabilities. Depending on the circumstances, one could even imagine a world in which troop numbers decline and police numbers increase. Then we could draw down police as a host country’s police and security services are able to take up the baton for law enforcement and stabilization. But that is not what we do today. We typically work with the Secretariat to assign a fixed number of police to a mission, and then provide the police with a list of tasks to complete. Resolutions do not specify when police divisions should focus more on protection than on advising. We rarely consider surging police to allow for troop withdrawals. Of course, it is hard to use United Nations police strategically when serious gaps remain in their skill sets — which speaks to my first point — but part of the problem, too, is a lack of awareness among those of us in the Council about the role of United Nations police. Here I would like to make an admission, which is that I could certainly spend more time thinking about the role of United Nations police in peacekeeping. I would ask my colleagues around the table to think back to the last time that they reviewed a peacekeeping mandate. How closely did they think about the performance of that Mission’s police component? How closely did any of us think about the task that it was performing, about the division of labour even between formed police units, individual police oficers and so on. We can bring more intentionality to that task. Doing so matters, because countless civilians are relying on United Nations police to keep them safe. I will close with just one example. Earlier this year, United Nations police in the Central African Republic deployed to secure polling stations through successive rounds of voting in the Central African Republic’s elections. At one polling place, the Baya Dombia school, a rocket-propelled grenade was fired at a crowd waiting to vote. United Nations police were on hand to help secure the polling site after the attack and they immediately commenced an investigation into who had perpetrated the attack. Hundreds of voters, reportedly, stayed at the school chanting “We will vote, we will vote”. In that case, the United Nations police made sure that violence did not keep those voters from making their voices heard. And United Nations police can play an incredibly important role in promoting security. We on the Council need to dedicate ourselves with greater fervour to helping enable police to do so.

I express great thanks to the four Police Commissioners for briefing the Council on their experience on the ground. I also thank Mr. Ladsous for his briefing. As the previous four Council members have said and subsequent speakers will say, we fully believe in the importance of the role played by police contingents in peacekeeping operations in building trust among the local population through close, ongoing contact with citizens, especially concerning the protection of civilians, as we have heard several times. Our objective, therefore, should be to ensure that the population views the police more as guarantors of their rights and freedoms, rather than in their essential role as law enforcers. That should be our objective, and it is the topic on which I will focus my statement. That is why we believe that we must take into account five key points. The first is collaboration with the local population. There are clear examples, among which I will mention the case of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the lack of collaboration between the local population and the Mission’s police component is due basically to the fear of retaliation from armed groups. It is a legitimate fear that should give us cause to further consider ways to prevent it. It is therefore critical that we focus on ways to build the host State’s capacity in that regard. Another example is the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). I would like to address a question to Mr. Issoufou Yacouba in that respect. MINUSMA, as he rightly noted, is operating in an asymmetric environment. It is therefore especially important to have close patrols aimed at building confidence among the population and ensuring that encounters with United Nations police officers are capable of raising awareness of the work of the Mission, especially among the youth. Here, I wish to ask Mr. Yacouba how he believes we can combine close community policing with the justified need to maintain security in an asymmetric environment, where the Mission’s mobility is severely limited. What impact would the threats in an asymmetric environment that hinders interaction with the population we are called on to protect have on limiting the work of the Mission? The second thing I wish to mention concerns accountability, which is the flip side of my previous point. It is obvious that all Member States are firmly committed to accountability on the part of peacekeeping operations personnel, and Spain sincerely supports that. It is necessary to prosecute all crimes committed, particularly in cases of sexual exploitation or abuse. In that regard, we reiterate our full support for Under- Secretary-General Ladsous in the implementation of the Secretary-General’s zero-tolerance policy. My third point directly touches on the work of the police-contributing countries, including Spain and other countries. As Ambassador Power has said, we must be committed to providing carefully selected uniformed forces with predeployment training, including, importantly, the requisite human rights and international humanitarian law training and ways of preventing sexual exploitation and abuse. Vetting and training must be complemented with appropriate equipment for the uniformed police forces deployed on the ground. That is particularly true in an environment such as Mali, which requires robust police forces especially intended for quick deployment. In scenarios such as that, instruments such as the European Gendarmerie Force, in which the Spanish Guardia Civil participates and which was very successful in the European Union military operation in the Central African Republic in recent times, are especially useful. A fourth aspect has to do with one of the essential functions carried out by police missions, that is, support for the host State’s police. Once again, the case of Mali is meaningful, as are the case of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti when it comes to capacity-building for the Haitian National Police and the case of the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan when it comes to support for the local police in establishing emergency response capabilities in Juba in the context of the protection of civilians. Finally, the fifth aspect I want to touch on, which others have touched on, is to highlight the crucial role of mission police components in the context of the women and peace and security agenda. Ms. Priscilla Makotose indicated that clearly in the context of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur. It is a fact that women’s participation in police contingents is more advanced than it is in military contingents, but a great deal needs to be done to achieve the 20 per cent target that we have set for ourselves. The presence of women, as has already been mentioned, builds confidence among the civilian population and makes it easier to report sexual and gender-based violations. We must comply with resolution 2242 (2015), which the Council adopted in October 2015, and redouble our efforts to increase women’s participation in peacekeeping operations if we want to ensure that those operations are truly effective. Lastly, allow me to make a general observation. Spain has always been firmly committed to the efforts of the Organization to strengthen the peacekeeping operations system. This commitment was reflected in Spain’s broad participation in international missions under the auspices of different international organizations. Currently, Spanish police forces participate in 11 international missions. That is why we have devoted special attention to the work of the Secretariat in this regard, and we welcome the outcome of the report on the external review of the functions, structure and capacities of the Police Division, which was requested by the Secretary-General in accordance with resolution 2185 (2014). The report includes a series of recommendations that warrant consideration by the Council. We also want to underscore the importance of finalizing the strategic guidance framework for United Nations police so that police resources can be utilized with common standards, which will allow them greater effectiveness and efficiency in discharging their mandates.

This is a really important issue, and I want to thank all the briefers. Their presentations were very valuable indeed. One fascinating insight that I learned this morning is that 19 per cent of the police in the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur are women, inspiring Darfuri women and girls. United Nations policing is at the front line of our work. Policemen and policewomen under the United Nations flag help communities at risk of violence, they respond to incidences of disorder and they provide technical expertise to improve domestic police services in fragile States. But United Nations policing concentrates its efforts disproportionately on day-to- day security in fragile States, at the expense of capacity- building elsewhere. Therefore, the big question is how we can change that so that United Nations policing can realize its potential. Rather than make a full statement today, I would like to hear from everyone around the table. In the interest of modernizing our working methods, I will now give up the floor.

We thank Senegal for organizing this annual briefing and this very useful interaction between Security Council members and the heads of police components of selected United Nations peacekeeping missions. We are grateful to Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Mr. Hervé Ladsous, for providing an overview of current challenges facing United Nations police. We are also grateful to the heads of police components of the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan, the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur, the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali for providing very thoughtful insights on the activities and prospects of United Nations police, prevailing challenges, as well as their safety and security. We wholeheartedly commend United Nations police for all they are doing in protecting civilians and in building capacities for law enforcement institutions in host countries. The police component of United Nations peacekeeping and special police political missions plays a crucial role in conflict prevention and management in post-conflict peacebuilding, security, the rule of law and in sustaining peace. Additionally, they give support to the reform and developing of policing, law enforcement institutions and conducting interim policing and other law enforcement duties in host countries. Being the first line of protection and contact with local populations, they are an important element for restoring confidence in the national police, besides playing a crucial protective role centred around two axes, namely, protection against physical violence and the creation of a safe environment. As a recognition of that reality, the Security Council adopted resolution 2185 (2014), which strengthened the role of United Nations police components in conflict and post-conflict situations; in supporting, restructuring and rebuilding law enforcement institutions and the rule of law; and in implementing security sector reforms. Resolution 2185 (2014) further calls on Member States to enhance the capabilities and expertise of United Nations police components regarding capacity development and institution-building, supporting host States’ policing institutions and self-sufficiency, and the transfer of skills and expertise in order to ensure a successful and durable transition. In our statement, we intended to deal with three issues, the protection of civilians, gender-sensitive policing and police capacity-building and security sector reform. Since previous speakers dealt at length with the key issues that underline the subject matter under consideration, we will stop at this time. We would like to request the Police Commissioners’ assessment of the impact of resolution 2185 (2014), with its comprehensive approach to United Nations police, on the discharge of their mandates. In conclusion, the complex context to which the United Nations police component is exposed calls on the Security Council to give clear, credible and realistic mandates and strategic guidance to the Police Division and to United Nations police components in the field and to ensure that sufficient resources are provided, informed by national and local priorities, including the host State’s key reform objectives. In addition, police-contributing countries should pay greater attention to the training and selection of personnel, while ensuring that peacekeeping, peacebuilding and sustaining peace are tangible successes in conflict and post-conflict situations.

I would like to begin by commending you, Mr. President, for convening this briefing, as well as the Under- Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Mr. Hervé Ladsous, and the Police Commissioners of United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan, the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur, the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali for their briefings. It has been practically two years since the Security Council adopted resolution 2185 (2014), which was the first resolution on the functions of United Nations police and in which the valuable contribution to peacekeeping of the work of the United Nations police was underscored and strategic and practical guidance, among other services, for the heads of police components were provided. Similarly, the importance and growing relevance of police work in peacekeeping operations was manifest after the celebration of the first Chiefs of Police Summit in June here at Headquarters, where Ministers of the Interior, heads of Police and high-level officials from more than 100 Member States met to analyse the evolution of United Nations police work. In the same way, meetings like today’s contribute to maintaining the attention generated around this theme. Uruguay is a long-term contributing country and is highly committed to United Nations peacekeeping operations. In respect of the contribution of police personnel, my country has participated in police work in peacekeeping operations since 1991, with its first contribution to the United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala. To date, and withou interruption, we have contributed to numerous United Nations missions, including those in Mozambique, Timor-Leste, Western Sahara, Angola, Liberia, Côte D’Ivoire and Haiti. Our participation is generally oriented towards the deployment of individual police officerss, who mostly acts as instructors and advisers, and in some cases also undertake executive tasks. As police-contributing country, Uruguay wishes to express its recognition to the assesment work of the Police Division of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, in particular its visits to countries that decide to contribute personnel. In that connection, it is essential to continue to improve the training of formed police units and police officials, particularly in the field of protecting civilians, taking into account the increasingly complex environments in which peacekeeping operations operate. Uruguay, as a police-contributing country, meets all United Nations requirements thanks to the training provided by the National School of Peace Operations of Uruguay, where both the military and the police components for service with the United Nations are trained. Training is comprehensive, with a special focus on policies of zero tolerance for sexual abuse and exploitation, gender policies and human rights training. To conclude, I should like to direct an inquiry to the Mr. Monchotte, Police Commissioner of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). MINUSTAH is recognized for its achievements over the years in training of the Haitian National Police, as well as the progress it has made with respect to complementarity, the gradual use of force and joint cooperation between the police and military components of the Mission, acting in support of and in coordination with the National Police. I stress in particular the good results that have been achieved with the operational application of the 1, 2, 3 mechanism. As Ambassador Power mentioned, the Security Council’s exit strategies for peacekeeping operations must absolutely take into account the fact that strengthening the national police allows the military component to withdraw first, to be followed by the United Nations police, which would herald the success of the mission. In this respect, I would ask if the progress achieved in training the Haitian National Police and in the aforementioned cooperation can constitute a basis for the exit strategy and transfer of responsibilities in the security sector, with a view to the gradual withdrawal of MINUSTAH military component in the future.

I would like to thank you, Sir, for convening this important meeting, and to commend once again the outstanding contribution of Senegal to United Nations peacekeeping endeavours. I wish also to express my gratitude to Under-Secretary- General Ladsous for his valuable briefing. We look forward to receiving the relevant report of the Secretary-General. My delegation is especially grateful to the United Nations Police Commissioners who briefed us today. I myself was privileged to see young police officers in the field, especially in protection of civilians sites, while on the Security Council mission to South Sudan, and their work is highly appreciated indeed. Ukraine actively supports United Nations policing in its efforts to enhance the efficiency of field operations, including by contributing its best police officers to missions. As an active police-contributing country, we note that despite the challenges faced by United Nations uniformed men and women, policing is a highly promising endeavour of our Organization. While activities in volatile missions like the United Nations Mission in South Sudan and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali hit today’s headlines — and rightly so — I cannot but acknowledge the achievements in other peacekeeping and special political missions where United Nations police is deployed, such as the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus. We welcome the fact the United Nations policing personnel has improved significantly in size and scope to respond to changing conflict dynamics and to ensure the efficient implementation of mandates, with due regard to the safety and security of United Nations personnel. The challenges faced by United Nations police components on the ground have also evolved significantly and need thorough consideration by the Council. In that context, I would like to highlight several points, and will try to do so in the spirit suggested by the United Kingdom delegation. First, Ukraine welcomes the progress made in the development of the Strategic Guidance Framework for International Police Peacekeeping. We also commend the first United Nations Chiefs of Police Summit, organized by the Police Division last June. This event provided us with a solid foundation for the further strengthening of international cooperation in United Nations policing. Secondly, the complexity of tasks and growing needs in building institutional police capacity in post-conflict environments require Member States to nominate their most qualified and skilled police officers to missions. In that respect, Ukraine holds that that predeployment and in-mission training of police personnel for United Nations peace operations should be enhanced. We also believe that ensuring deployment readiness and increased performance requires the collective and coordinated actions of the Secretariat and Member States. The Police Peacekeeping Training Center in Ukraine, with its predeployment course under United Nations standards, is our contribution to this joint venture. Thirdly, we believe that peacekeeping operations should be provided with resilient mandates, sufficient to ensure security and public order, including by halting illegal cross-border inflows of weapons and mercenaries. Peace missions should have the means and resources necessary for the effective monitoring and verification of ceasefires, the withdrawal of heavy weapons and disarmament. Fourthly, I would like to highlight the importance for police-contributing countries to register and manage all formed police unit commitments through the Peacekeeping Capability Readiness System. It is crucial to ensure United Nations capacity to rapidly deploy police forces to new or existing theatres, as well as to maintain their mobility on the ground. Timely troop generation and deployment are a prerequisite for mission success. Fifthly, without a common understanding of United Nations standards and realities on the ground, successful United Nations policing is not possible. Recalling the presidential statement S/PRST/2015/26 of December 2015, on the findings of the report of the High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (see S/2015/446), would like to emphasize the need to enhance triangular cooperation between police-contributing countries, the Secretariat and the Council. In particular, more frequent police-related briefings by the Secretariat could improve information-sharing, including before mandating police elements of missions. Finally, assistance to host States in capacity- building for the protection of civilians and counter- terrorism is a vital task of United Nations peacekeeping operations. To that end, police components, as integral parts of peacekeeping operations, should be provided with sophisticated technologies and clear mandates. Let me conclude by thanking the heads of police components and their personnel for their dedicated service to the United Nations.

We would like to thank Mr. Hervé Ladsous, Under- Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, and the Police Commissioners of the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS), the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur, the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali for their briefings. Today, more than 13,000 United Nations peacekeeping police officers are deployed in 13 peacekeeping operations and five special political missions. They perform their duties with devotion in trying, complex situations. China commends their spirit of dedication and sacrifice. The international situation is currently undergoing profound changes. Conflicts and disputes are growing more diverse. The context for United Nations peacekeeping operations and the tasks they set out to achieve are increasingly complex. United Nations peacekeeping police mandates are steadily increasing. It is time for the international community to consider in depth the circumstances facing peacekeeping police, their tasks and a way forward by exploring ways and means of improving their work. China would like to share its perspective on the topic as follows. First, the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the three peacekeeping principles — the host country’s consent, impartiality and the non-use of force except in self-defence and defence of the mandate — are the cornerstone of peacekeeping operations. They provide an important safeguard for effective police work. It is necessary to fully respect the sovereignty of host countries, carefully listen to their views and communicate better with them over matters such as the duration of deployment and adjustments to mandates. When, as a result of changed circumstances, the host country demands an exit of United Nations peacekeeping police, the Secretariat should draw up a clear exit time frame under the political guidance of the Security Council in order to avoid indefinite stays in the host country. Secondly, any peacekeeping police mandate must be unambiguous, feasible and focused. Peacekeeping police components are confronted with a multiplicity of complex factors in the field with everchanging circumstances. The design of any given police mandate should consider in an integrated manner the host country’s priority needs and prevailing realities, the capacity of police-contributing countries (PCCs) and other factors, making sure that their mandate is unambiguous, highly actionable and subject to timely assessment in the light of changing demands so that priorities and focuses may be adjusted continuously in order to serve the core objectives of the peacekeeping operation concerned. Thirdly, the Secretariat should comprehensively consider the new context and challenges confronting peacekeeping police work by looking at the big picture and the long-term horizon, stay focused on critical processes, improve such work in a systematic manner and make police work more effective and resilient in the face of complexities. The Secretariat should pay particular attention to strengthening the emergency command capacities of the missions and boost coordination among the police, civilian and military components. It should elaborate on security rules for peacekeeping police, coordinate with PCCs and host countries, improve early warning capacities and internal information sharing and ensure adequate safety measures and the availability of medical equipment and supplies. The aim is to raise the security level across the board. Fourthly, the role of PCCs should be accorded due importance. PCCs and troop-contributing countries (TCCs) are the main players undertaking peacekeeping operations. The long-term development of United Nations peacekeeping operations depends on the efforts of PCCs and TCCs. Their contributions and sacrifices must be acknowledged and respected. A failure to do so would be detrimental to the long-term development of peacekeeping operations. Communications between the Security Council and the Secretariat, on one hand, and PCCs and TCCs, on the other, should be strengthened. The role of the General Assembly’s Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations should be fully leveraged and PCCs and TCCs should be given a greater voice. China is the largest PCC for peacekeeping operations among the permanent members of the Security Council. China’s peacekeeping police, who are scrupulously devoted to their duties, have given an outstanding account of themselves and have received broad accolades from various parties. China started contributing police officers to United Nations peacekeeping operations in 2000. Since then, we have sent close to 2,500 police officers to mission areas such as Timor-Leste, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Afghanistan, Kosovo and Haiti. As we speak, more than 170 Chinese peacekeeping police officers are operating in the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, UNMISS and other missions. In September 2015, China’s President, Mr. Xi Jinping, announced several major initiatives on China’s part to support United Nations peacekeeping operations, including, inter alia, taking the lead on creating a standby formed police unit and providing training for peacekeeping police of other countries. Currently, all of our commitments are being honoured. China is ready to work with the international community to contribute positively to the development of United Nations peacekeeping police and to the maintenance of international peace and security.

We thank the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Mr. Hervé Ladsous, as well as the Police Commissioners of the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan, the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur, the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali for their informative briefings. We also thank all of their staff for their implentation in good faith of the task of maintaining peace and security in difficult situations. For us, this meeting is symbolic because in Russia today it is Police and Internal Affairs Servicemen’s Day — the holiday of professional Russian police. We see the police components as an integral part of United Nations peacekeeping operations. They make a contribution to carrying out the singular mandate of each mission, as defined by the specifics of the respective situations in the countries of deployment. Today United Nations police face a daunting task that has to do with the increasingly difficult and complicated nature of the mandates of missions. They monitor situations and report on violations of public order, but they do more than just that. They provide assistance to national bodies in the protection of civilians and play an important subsidiary role in the post-conflict reform of law enforcement institutions, as well as in the improvement of the national capacities of host countries. We are guided by the idea that, while providing such assistance on behalf of the entire international community, police, just as all United Nations peacekeepers, must unstintingly comply with Security Council mandates and uphold the basic principles of peacekeeping. We must necessarily acknowledge that the growing importance of police places particular responsibility on peacekeepers and leaders, and logically requires adapting the police architecture of the United Nations. We think that a crucial part of effectively implementating mandates is establishing constructive and confidence-based dialogue and relations with host countries and, as necessary, with other parties to the conflict. It is only in that context that assistance in the protection of civilians can be tangibly effective. While Acting in the difficult context of asymmetrical threats, in close cooperation with local populations, there is a need to carefully implement the so-called people-centred approach. That approach consists solely of the need, as necessary, of engaging in confidence-based contact with locals. Any deviation from upholding this principle creates the risk of being accused of breaching the principle of impartiality. Let me provide an example: the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei provide support to the so-called community protection committees. Those committees consist solely of one of the tribes of the region, the Ngok Dinka. The other tribe, the Misseriya, is against their establishment. In that way, the Blue Helments seem to support unilateral actions of one party to the conflict, the Ngok Dinka, which runs counter to the principle of impartiality and the agreement of both sides. Furthermore, we think that United Nations police should not take on non-inherent political functions — in the case of monitoring human rights, for instance. That job is reserved for other United Nations bodies. We would also like to mention the issue of the gathering and analysis of information. We share the view that without it, it is hard to work effectively in the field. Nonetheless, those activities have to be carried out solely with a clear operative end in sight and through legal means and with the agreement of the host country, while fully upholding that country’s sovereignty. The idea of intelligence and the classical understanding of it are not applicable in this instance. One of the key tasks for the leaders of police components and missions in general is to lend assistance in bolstering the capacity of the host countries to resolve law enforcement challenges, such as sharing their experience and training staff. Local police bear the primary responsibility for ensuring the security of civilians. It is important to prevent situations in which as a result of years-long presence of missions, United Nations peacekeepers in fact substitute the efforts of the local police.. Without increasing local potential, there can be no sustainable exit strategy for United Nations presence. In that regard, another important aspect is that United Nations police contingents must clearly understand their tasks, act in a professional manner and be appropriately equipped and trained. In that regard, we support the initiatives of many regional organizations, in particular those of the African Union, to increase the training level of their police components. This is an area of international cooperation that was particularly recognized at the June Summit of Chiefs of Police, attended by representatives of States Members of the United Nations, the Secretariat and United Nations field presences. During that meeting, the Russian delegation declared that it would double the number of its police officers in peacekeeping operations. That is already being done. Twenty per cent of Russian police officers are women. We also intend to broaden our participation in the training of international police. Over the past 16 years, foreign police peacekeepers, including commanders, from more than 50 countries, primarily in Africa, have been trained at the training centre in the city of Domodedovo. Russia has unique experience in the area of the professional training of peacekeepers, which we stand ready to share. We are convinced that police peacekeeping should be the focus of due attention from Member States. Outside independent assessments cannot be a substitute for a discussion of police issues within specialized agencies of the United Nations. Discussions of the most difficult aspects — in particular, the structure of police forces — should be transparent. In that regard, we believe that the best format for dialogue already exists in the Security Council Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations and the General Assembly’s Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, in which all troop- and police-contributing countries are represented — without the artificial exclusions that unfortunately occurred during the police Summit — along with current and potential host countries.

At the outset, I would like to thank the Police Commissioners for their comprehensive briefings. I would also like to express my full gratitude for their efforts and sacrifice in peacekeeping operations with a view to maintaining peace and stability. Police components play a very central role in the implementation of United Nations peacekeeping operations, through the capacity-building of national institutions, while enabling host countries to exert security control throughout their territories. The police component is considered the primary nexus between the United Nations and civilians, and thereby plays a very important role in enhancing trust and building the confidence of communities in United Nations missions, which would eventually build the capacity to implement the mandates. We note the recommendations contained in the report of the High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (see S/2015/446), which is in charge of reviewing police peacekeeping operations. In that regard, we underscore the importance of addressing the recommendations of the General Assembly Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, which is tasked with addressing all peacekeeping-related policies. I take this opportunity to pose the following two questions to the police commissioners. My first question is addressed to the Police Commissioner of the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan. We acknowledge the daunting challenges the mission faces in discharging its mandate, in particular with respect to the protection of civilians — as we witnessed during the Security Council’s visit to Juba in September — and the efforts to overcome such challenges in an unfriendly environment. We also witnessed the challenge of securing civilian camps. The question, therefore, is what is the plan and how much progress has been achieved thus far with regard to the development and capacity-building of the police force in South Sudan? The second question is addressed to the Police Commissioner of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali. The All Sources Information Fusion Unit is considered to be a pilot model for developing intelligence units in peacekeeping missions. Notwithstanding the benefits of such units, there are certain concerns related to the sovereignty of States regarding the information obtained by United Nations forces and to what extent those forces coordinate with host States. With regard to the vital role played by police forces in communication with communities, we have two questions. The first question is, to what extent have intelligence units provided the police component with an assessment of the risks to which those forces are exposed? The second question is, do the Government and the police forces coordinate efforts? Once again, I take this opportunity to extend my deep gratitude and acknowledgement to the police commissioners for the sacrifices and efforts they are exerting to keep the peace.

I would like to begin by thanking Under-Secretary-General Mr. Ladsous and the Police Commissioners of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, the African Union/United Nations Hybrid operation in Darfur (UNAMID), the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali for sharing their experiences with us. I also express my heartfelt appreciation to all peacekeepers for their contribution in the face of severe challenges on the ground. Today’s briefings remind us of the complex and diverse mandates being undertaken by United Nations police components, including protecting civilians, creating amenable conditions for humanitarian assistance, supporting peace processes, restructuring and reforming the security sector and promoting the rule of law and human rights. Today, I would like to focus on national police capacity-building, in line with the presentation given by Mr. Monchotte, the MINUSTAH Police Commissioner, but I also listened with interest to references to the capacity-building of local police forces, which includes a gender focus, provided by the Police Commissioner of UNAMID. I believe that one of our long-term priorities should be to help build and reform the police and law enforcement institutions of host nations, although that may not always be the top priority in all cases in the short-term as pointed out by one of the briefers. That process will enable such institutions to play a sustained role in maintaining peace and security, including after the withdrawal of the peace operations. The United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor- Leste (UNMIT) was a particularly solid example of the successful deployment of civilian police exploits. National police commanders identified the greatest improvements in administrative support areas such as project management, training, development and maintenance of databases, human resources and finance. Work to strengthen the capacity of the national police contributed to UNMIT’s successful closure at the end of 2012. I believe MINUSTAH has the potential to be another successful example in that area. While challenges remain, MINUSTAH has successfully supported the Haitian National Police in a number of areas centred on capacity and the rule of law. Progress has been made through community violence-reduction programmes, improved criminal justice procedures, security sector reform, joint patrols, community policing and the development of the 2017-2021 strategic plan. Police capacity-building efforts like these can play a major role in enabling United Nations peacekeeping operations to draw down and eventually withdraw. On that note, I would like to thank Mr. Monchotte for providing us with interesting statistics on the improvements and a list of the remaining challenges. I would like to ask Mr. Monchotte if he could describe, in concrete terms, some examples of successes and lessons learned from addressing challenges he has faced on the ground with regard to police capacity-building.

At the outset, I too would like to thank Mr. Ladsous and the four Police Commissioners for their informative and valuable briefings this morning. New Zealand would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge their respective efforts and those of the personnel under their command in working towards achieving the mandates set by the Security Council. New Zealand looks forward to the implementation of the recommendations and the external review of the functions, structure and capacity of the United Nations Police Division, especially with regard to United Nations policing having a more field- focused and results-oriented outlook, which should have a direct and positive impact on the good work that the Police Commissioners are all undertaking. New Zealand recognizes the importance of capacity-building and creating enduring stability and security, and the need to recruit suitably qualified and experienced police personnel who are able to effectively contribute to building up the core functions of the national police of the country where they are employed. That includes recruiting more suitably qualified female personnel, given the unique contribution that women make to conflict resolution and post-conflict peacebuilding, a point that was made by Mr. Ladsous, Commissioner Makotose and several other Council members around the table today. Capacity-building should also be linked to the need to implement sequenced and prioritized mandates that would allow for recruitment focus to switch from protection to development as the mission evolves. The release last week of the Executive Summary on the independent special investigation into the violence that occurred in Juba between 8 and 11 July highlighted a number of shortcomings within the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS), and we consider it timely that the UNMISS Police Commissioner briefed the Security Council today on crisis management. We thank him for his insight and update. We consider it worth highlighting that it is not just about having plans in place, but also ensuring that those plans are understood by all, rehearsed and regularly reviewed so that, in the case of UNMISS, all are working towards the goal of effectively achieving the protection-of-civilians mandate. Having said that, New Zealand acknowledges that protection-of- civilians mandates, by their very nature, are complex and require vigorous and robust application of the rules of engagement. We welcome the opportunity for interaction at today’s meeting, and in responding to the questions already posed by my colleagues around the table, we would be grateful for any further specific comments from the Police Commissioners about how the Security Council and the United Nations Police Division can better help them and their personnel in achieving their mandates on the ground. In particular, for UNMISS Police Commissioner Munyambo, New Zealand would be interested in hearing what measures have been put in place to address the issues raised in the special investigation, particularly as they relate to the actions, or inaction, of the formed police units and their protection-of-civilians role. In that respect, we welcomed his comments today concerning the importance of ensuring that all police officers not only have the relevant skill sets but also the right mindset to respond quickly and appropriately to respond to a crisis situation.

I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the representative of Senegal. At the outset, I would like to thank Mr. Ladsous and the other briefers this morning for having accepted our invitation and, above all, for having illustrated the difficult conditions of our operations, under which our tasks are accomplished for the good of humankind. At this late hour, I hardly need to underscore the growing importance of police in peacekeeping operations — the briefers have more than adequately done that. I will simply note why my delegation took the initiative of convening this debate. Senegal is the largest contributor of police units to United Nations peacekeeping operations. Given the growing role of the police in those missions, my delegation considered it useful to take this opportunity, as we preside over the Council this month, but also during United Nations police week, to ask Council members to participate in this interactive dialogue. With nine formed police units in six police stations, for a total of 1,250 personnel throughout our theatre of operations of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau, not to mention individual police officers, Senegal has much to gain from this debate, by sharing its contribution and experience but, above all, by listening to others and asking for their input in order to improve its training and deployment policies for formed police units in peacekeeping operations. The 65 recommendations issuing from the assessments — organized by Mr. Ladsous — on police units, including documents on strategic guidance, seem to be on the right path. Shortcomings, weaknesses and areas of improvement were identified — I will mention but a few, specifically: the often late deployment of police to missions, resulting in development aspects not being included in initial action plans; unqualified personnel, often due to poor training, which hampers their operational capabilities; the difficulty of the Police Division in filling vacancies within mission forces; mandates too rigid for specific and asymmetrical developments on the ground; the lack of a reliable and effective information- and intelligence-gathering system that would enable us to be proactive; but also the difficulty of missions in preventing the misconduct of their personnel, which tarnishes the image of the United Nations. And we have all emphasized the lack of women personnel, who in many cases are more appropriate for local policing efforts. The figure cited was 17 per cent, not 7 per cent, but in UNAMID, with a female Head of Mission, it is 19 per cent, still a significant degree of improvement. I would now like to ask our briefers a few questions, the first of which — on the issue of the language that the missions are operating in in the various theatres — was raised by the French delegation. The second has to do with the fact that peacekeeping missions are increasingly deployed in hostile environments where functioning equipment and well-trained personnel are needed in order to carry out complex tasks effectively. Mr. Ladsous’s Department has frequently deplored the lack of available equipment. On the other hand, some missions have problems with a lack of qualified managerial personnel. What are the implications of those factors for the execution of mandates? That question is for all four briefers and Mr. Ladsous. With regard to MINUSTAH, Hurricane Matthew recently did enormous material damage to the country and significantly worsened the humanitarian situation there. MINUSTAH had to throw itself into assisting the population, which was very badly affected at a moment when the security situation was deteriorating, so the police component was forced to add aiding the population to its traditional tasks. How, in the Commissioner’s opinion, was it able to combine the two missions? And what were the constraints in terms of personnel and equipment? Regarding UNAMID, where the protection of civilians is concerned, what steps can be taken to ensure better physical protection for women in Darfur — Ms. Makotose is a woman and Force Commander — who are often at risk of being raped by armed groups? I now resume my functions as President of the Council. I give the floor to Mr. Ladsous.

With your permission, Mr. President, I think it would be a good idea to ask each of our four Police Commissioners to respond — briefly, I would emphasize — to the questions specifically aimed at them, after which I could complement their answers. I think that would be more logical.

I now give the floor to Ms. Makotose. Ms. Makotose: I would like to express my appreciation for all the comments by Council members. They are very helpful to the mission and can also pave the way for our continued engagement regarding further support. I will begin with the last question. The steps we are taking to protect women include actually sending patrols with them, especially when they are doing activities related to their livelihoods, since they are more vulnerable when they are farming, collecting firewood and gathering the grass that they use in their work. Apart from patrols for the camps for internally displaced persons, we have introduced patrols in the areas that women visit, which we plan in conjunction with the women’s leadership. Thus we specify certain days when they can go out to fetch water and collect firewood. We have also been able to intervene in a personal capacity, by using the women’s association network to introduce fuel-efficient stoves, which have helped to reduce the need to send out patrols. I would also like to respond briefly to the issue raised by the representative of France on language and culture. We do indeed have to deal with such challenges in the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID). We do our best to learn the local language, as well as to teach English to the local communities, and that has improved our interaction with them. They really appreciate the lessons, and we appreciate being able to learn Arabic. UNAMID appreciates the offers to do with the issue of training, as raised here today, and I am sure that the Police Division will be following up so that we can benefit from such offers for further training. I also want to mention the ongoing Police Division efforts regarding tactical and strategic guidance for mission development. I would mainly like to highlight the importance of deploying the 20 per cent of women individual police officers, but also to ask to see that extended to the formed police units (FPUs), because the need is there. The problem is that women are sometimes attacked by men carrying guns, and as a result, when they are patrolling they sometimes feel intimidated because most of the patrols are also made up of men carrying weapons. We would therefore love to see more women in the FPUs. Another area where we are getting guidance is through the aforementioned women’s association network. Another Police Division initiative is the gender toolkit, which helps us tailor our outreach to communities in our gender mainstreaming efforts. A website is being developed to help us reach out to women and police-contributing countries in order to enable them to contribute more women to missions. We also encourage prior training for women to better prepare them for deployment to missions and surviving the rigorous requirements of mission life. The Police Division is also developing a roster for members, especially the senior leadership, so that when they are needed women can be deployed more quickly. I therefore do see us being able to surpass the 20 per cent target ratio for female police that we have set, and that in future a ratio of male to female deployment that actually represents the population is possible, with the Council’s support. More importantly, however, I see it as essential if we are to meet the needs of the male, female and child populations.

I now give the floor to Mr. Munyambo. Mr. Munyambo: I thank the members of the Security Council for their appreciation of the efforts of United Nations police (UNPOL). I would like to respond to the question from the representative of Malaysia on the role of UNPOL in the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan during the crisis. UNPOL did indeed play a very big role during and even after the crisis, including in such areas as search operations, crowd control and access control at gates and the deployment of robust patrols, even outside the civilian protection camps. I would also like to emphasize the importance of understanding the fear about what was happening at the beginning of the crisis. In Malakal in particular, we deployed additional formed police units (FPUs) to reinforce the city, while during the crisis in Wau we also deployed FPUs transferred from Bentiu. During the crisis in Juba we were protecting four categories of people — those in the protection-of-civilian sites fleeing the bullets; other internally displaced persons; and Dinka and Nuer, whom we had to separate, since they could not be mixed owing to their perceived threats to one another. We also had other categories of people, including non-citizens doing business outside, including Eritreans, Ethiopians, Ugandans and some Kenyans, who also ran for protection to the protection-of-civilians sites. So I can say that we played a major role in the protection of all of those categories of people during the crisis. After the crisis, we continued to draw the lessons learned and training and working with other components to ensure the protection of civilians. To respond quickly to the question posed by the Ambassador of Egypt on what we are doing with regard to building the capacity of the South Sudanese national police, I want to recall that while we do not have the mandate of capacity-building, there is a window of opportunity with respect to the joint integrated police. Indeed, in this regard, we have tried to develop a training curriculum and also provide the instructor who will be conducting the training of the joint integrated police. So far 500 have assembled, and we will continue engagements with them.

I thank Mr. Munyambo for the clarifications he has provided. I now give the floor to Mr. Monchotte to respond to the comments made and the questions raised.

The Permanent Representative of Malaysia asked a question as to the progress made in connection with the judicial police. While undeniable progress has been achieved in capacity-building, there is still room for progress. It is for that reason that we particularly support capacity- building in the area of judicial intelligence, training, crime-scene investigation and forensics. I can give a concrete example of such progress. Recently there was a mass jailbreak from some of the national prisons. We carried out a large-scale operation that, without the intelligence gathered by the Haitian National Police, would not have been possible to the same extent. We also used a third-dimension observation capacity provided by our component’s recently created drone units, with a view to the partner taking ownership. I will now turn to the question posed by the Permanent Representative of Uruguay on the drawdown strategy, which is based on an assessment of the competencies taught. While the situation is not the same for the military component, there is a need for in-depth consideration of what has been taken on board by the partner. We are working regularly on this issue, and the elaboration of the strategic development plan accords with this. So the outlook is positive here, but I think that we need to take the time to carry out an evaluation in order to be able to better assess the situation when the time comes. The Permanent Representative of Japan asked what successes have been achieved and what lessons have been learned. I would refer first to the progress made in democratic crowd control. We have put in place a protocol that gives priority to the involvement of the Haitian police force. Since I arrived, and even before then, United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti forces have not been deployed on the front lines. So the partner has taken ownership of best operating procedures, although we still need to make progress in that area. The lessons learned from this include, first, those from the ongoing contacts that we have owing to the co-location of Haitian law-enforcement units with specialists from our police component; and the second lesson is the importance of the close contact I have with the Director General, which, when there are specific problems — I will come back to this issue later — makes it possible to enhance our capacity to respond. Another example that I think is a positive one is the fact that ownership has been taken of the drafting of the upcoming 2017-2021 strategic plan. While other plans required substantial support, this most recent one is currently being drawn up in a much more autonomous way by the partner, although we are still providing some support. As to the question raised by the President of the Security Council, which concerns the situation in the south of the country, of course that event complicated an already complex situation. It was completely unforeseen, brutal and sudden. We had to rethink the situation very quickly and, although we had been involved mainly in preparations for the elections, respond in an appropriate way. As I was saying a moment ago, we immediately and decisively contacted the Director General of the national police in order to coordinate our efforts. I had to redeploy personnel while taking account of the capacity available in terms of resilience and of the support to be provided to those units that were most affected by this unexpected climatic event. That is why I redeployed the Rwandan contingent; some of its forces were in Les Cayes, which was slightly less affected than the town of Jérémie, where they were usually located. The vacuum created by this redeployment, which was absolutely necessary in order to support the department affected, that of Grande Anse, was filled by the dispatch of 65 Senegalese gendarmes, representing a formed police unit in Port-au-Prince. Since they were already located in Les Cayes, I preferred to use those elements. Of course, I sent individual police officers as reinforcements, and all of this was done in coordination with the Haitian police. I should like to touch for a moment on the linguistic challenge that we face, as it is important. It is up to the troop-contributing countries to make every effort to ensure that on the ground, in the Mission, police officers can benefit from all the distance training that is available, for example, the Rosetta Stone system. We have to recognize the efforts made by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations on this issue, and I think that the initiative on joint coordination efforts with the International Organization of la Francophonie is very interesting in this regard.

I thank Mr. Monchotte for the clarifications he has provided. I now give the floor to Mr. Yacouba to respond to the comments made and the questions raised.

I should like to thank everyone present for the close attention paid to our briefings, which has given rise to some very relevant questions. First, to respond to the question asked by the representative of France, I would note that there are two linguistic aspects here. I will not go into detail, but as far as the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) is concerned, we deployed to northern areas, in addition to those who chose to go, individual police officers who speak the local language, in order to facilitate contact. We included all neighbouring countries, so we were able to find police officers who speak the relevant local languages. As far as technology is concerned, I think that it has been fairly well developed. It is a very important issue, because unfortunately there is an urgent threat, and we have no reliable human sources of information that would make it possible to confirm the nature of the threat. But these surveillance methods make it possible better to protect personnel and populations and safeguard the mandate. The acquisition of drones is being considered as well as all of the rules that apply to their use, which are currently being developed. That is all I can say about this issue. The representative of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela asked a question about recruitment. I can provide the example of our experience in MINUSMA. With the Police Division, we have already identified specific elements that are of interest to us and of which we inform the Division. The latter in turn contacts the police-contributing countries, and we subsequently interview to recruit the people whom we believe will truly be appropriate to work in context of our Mission. The representative of Spain referred to community policing and asked how we dealt with it in connection with our Mission. We are of the mind that security should not be imposed. The community needs to tell us what its issues are. Accordingly, because of the lack of police in some northern and central parts of the country, we took the initiative to strengthen cooperation with those units through patrols. We do not carry that out alone, but with the help of the other components of the Mission through the development of certain quick-impact projects. We try to ensure that the impact of the quick-impact projects is all-around, will benefit the entire community and rebuild trust between the population and the Malian forces because, in some regions, trust is lacking. We are however trying to gradually restore that trust. The representative of the Russian Federation also asked a question that is really a question concerning terminology. The intelligence that we are discussing in this context comes from a criminal source. No other word in French better describes it. When we refer to “criminal intelligence”, that is something else. That kind of intelligence is indispensable, so as to know how to ensure the protection of people when we know that we are going to deploy them to an area. When we say that a population is under threat, before we go and help them, we need to know, first of all, the dangers that we will face. In that regard, I believe that gathering this kind of intelligence is of the utmost importance. We use that intelligence to strengthen the capacity of the Malian forces. If the population does not want to provide information, it is because it is not protected. We therefore have to consider how we protect an informer, and all of that is linked to essential security aspects. The representative of Egypt brought up the issue of the All Sources Information Fusion Unit (ASIFU), which is a concern. In all respects, we are very happy with ASIFU, a unit at the core of the Mission. It carries out very relevant analyses that are always tied security issues. The information provided by ASIFU is shared by all MINUSMA structures in connection with carrying out activities. It is one thing to carry out activities in a specific area, but if the area in question is unfortunately unaccessible owing to security issues, one needs to be informed. That information is not kept solely within MINUSMA. The leadership of MINUSMA, for example, holds regular meetings with the Government authorities. Within the force, we have regular meetings with the Chief of Staff of the armed forces. I have regular meetings with the Malian forces, as well. We use that opportunity to exchange all information with the various components. In that regard, I believe that there is no problem. That is the crux of what I have to say. We stress the importance of the support of the Security Council to further raise awareness of the work of police-contributing countries.

I now give the floor to Mr. Ladsous.

One of two timely questions was asked concerning Abyei, regarding which we must be aware of the fact that, despite several political commitments that were made five and a half years ago, there is still no joint police force there. The United Nations and the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei provide the minimum necessary level of police to ensure the minimum level of law and order in the Abyei box. We have created units that provide and contribute to community policing in the Ngok Dinka community. Need I mention that we made the same offer to the Misseriya community, which was rejected by the Government of Khartoum and resulted in the asymmetrical situation, which, I believe, the representative of the Russian Federation pointed out. That continues to be our objective. With regard to the events in Juba in July, as I told the Council, we are firmly committed to the implementation of the recommendations of the report, which resulted from the independent special investigation led by Major General Cammaert. My close colleague, Mr. Wane, is heading up a task force that is working towards implementing all of the recommendations in connection with soldiers, civilians and police officers. All of that has been put in motion, and I promise to keep the Security Council up to date in real time. With regard to the host of questions that were asked this morning, I thank you, Sir, for having taken this initiative. We know the very special role that your country plays in the area of police contributions. I commend both the quantity and the excellent quality of your country’s contribution of police personnel. The corps is made up of people who are highly professional and whose conduct is beyond reproach. And I am truly grateful. I believe that the discussion has illustrated above all the fact that police activities, which form a part of peacekeeping operations, cannot serve as a universal model. At the core of the matter constant tensions arise from two constraints, which vary according to the context: on the one hand, the necessity to compensate for the inexistence or shortcomings of a national police, and, on the other, to boost national capacities. And the situation changes from one moment to the next. Ten years ago in Haiti, the problem was the gangs of Cité de Soleil. The priority was therefore an intervention on the ground to neutralize the members of those gangs. Today, as the Haitian National Police has reached a greater level in terms of quantity and quality, priority has been placed on the very important area of training in terms of both of those elements. The police component of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, in its role of maintaining law and order, is much less needed and has become rather a backup force, composed of our troops and police units remaining in the country. The situation in South Sudan was the exact opposite. In 2011, the mandate accorded by the Security Council was one of capacity-building. The terrible deterioration of the situation there, which began in December 2013, meant that, because of the impossibility of cooperating with South Sudanese institutions that had blood on their hands, we had to put capacity-building activities on hold. And we focused to a much greater degree on policing while hoping that the time would come — as the Police Commissioner said — for integrated joint policing, provided for in the peace agreements, and full-on capacity-building. There is no one-size-fits-all model. Every situation has to be dealt with individually. I would like to address some of the other issues that were brought up. Clearly, language skills are a must. Wherever possible, we need to have more police who can interact with the local populations. That was one of the goals of the Conference on Peacekeeping in Francophone Environments, held in Paris three weeks ago. In two weeks, I will take part in the sixteenth Summit of the International Organization of La Francophonie, to be held in Madagascar. I use all such opportunities to remind people of the major importance of capacity if we want to function correctly. Secondly, with regard to intelligence policy, I know that the terminology continues to lead to certain comments, but it is clear — and Mali was clearly an interesting case here — that we cannot act effectively if we are blind and deaf. Therefore, we need intelligence capacities in military terms; we need intelligence for policing and for civilian activities. Therefore, Mr. President, you know that we are implementing, we are trying to design a type of framework for what could be the intelligence policy of the United Nations. It is clear — and we are working with Member States on that — that we do take account of all the limits concerning, first of all, the need to be consistent with our mandate, not working outside our mandate. It is really for the needs of implementing the mandate. We work in a positive relationship with the host Government. We are prohibited from undertaking any James Bond-style or other such type of operations. Everything needs to be very much focused on the needs that we face. For all that, we need specific tools in terms of technology, that is, surveillance drones in many situations could really help us in our work. Then there are the observation balloons, with clusters of cameras and sensors. Those play a very critical role. They allow us to supervise the security in the capital of the Central African Republic, in Bangui. In terms of new institutions, including in Bangui, we have set up a task force for the security of the capital, and this brings the military and the police closely together, and all that is being constantly fine-tuned. I think all that is really necessary. In part, all that is really the outcome of the impetus that was given by Senegal’s resolution 2185 (2014) two years ago. I think that the Secretary-General’s report that will be issued shortly will give a good illustration of the fact that the Council has given a major impetus to that, and it helps us out very much in all our work. I will conclude on an important point, which was illustrated during the United Nations Chiefs of Police Summit held last spring. This is an opportunity for me to thank all the police-contributing countries because I know very well how in each country a permanent tension exists between its domestic security needs and the interest of ensuring that its national police acquire international experience and also contribute to the needs of the international community. I know to what extent that is very difficult for Ministries of the Interior, for the heads of national police forces and of gendarmeries. The figures show that. We have doubled the numbers of United Nations police force over the last seven or eight years. We now have 13, 500 police, and new pledges have been made in the framework of the United Nations Peacekeeping Capability Readiness System. All that shows that there is now a greater awareness of the importance of all that work. Once again, it demonstrates the generosity of the contributing countries, and that should be commended. Allow me to particularly thank your own country once again, Mr. President, for all that Senegal is doing to help us.

I thank Mr. Ladsous. Once again, I want to convey to you, Sir, and to the Force Commanders the thanks of the Security Council.