S/PV.9229 Security Council

In accordance with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representatives of Algeria, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Botswana, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Djibouti, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of Moldova, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand and Türki̇ ye to participate in this meeting. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. Members of the Council have before them document S/2022/977, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by Albania, Algeria, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Botswana, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Djibouti, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of Moldova, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Türki̇ ye and United Arab Emirates. The Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it. I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now.

The draft resolution received 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2668 (2022). I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements after the voting.

The Russian Federation supported resolution 2668 (2022), submitted by Mexico, on the mental health of peacekeepers and the personnel of peacekeeping operations and special political missions. However, we would like to make a statement pertaining to this resolution. We cannot agree with what was done by the authors whereby there is a violation of the principle of the division of labour and an introduction of this narrowly specialized topic to the Security Council. It is our view that, when putting forward initiatives, Member States should take into account the prerogatives of the principal organs as enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. We have a specialized platform to discuss general peacekeeping issues, that is, the General Assembly’s Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, and it will continue to be so. That is where all interested parties, including troop contributors and Secretariat experts, come together for a comprehensive review of all aspects concerning peacekeeping operations. The opinions of troop-contributing countries, which have experience in the field and expertise, is of key importance. With regard to special political missions, personnel selection and performance issues fall under the responsibility of the Secretariat. Sometimes special political missions  — which include, for example, offices of the Special Envoys of the Secretary-General —are created without direct Security Council request. Therefore, when discussing the topic of the mental health of peacekeepers and personnel of peacekeeping operations and special political missions at the Security Council, a broad range of people for whom this resolution is meant is excluded from this substantive discussion. The Security Council lacks the necessary competence to consider peacekeeping personnel mental health issues, as well as lacking adequate data and analysis on the subject and mixing the notions of peacekeeping operations and special political missions under the single term “peace operations”. All that introduces uncertainty as to the responsibility for the appropriate selection of personnel, their mental support, funding and the overall scope of the efforts needed. Against that backdrop, adopting this kind of resolution loses added value. In conclusion, we would like to note that the Security Council is often criticized for being drawn into discussing issues beyond its mandate, thereby encroaching upon the prerogatives of other United Nations bodies. We wholeheartedly share that concern. Our Security Council colleagues know that we are reluctant to discuss at the Council issues that are of a generic, thematic or narrowly focused nature. But the number of such issues discussed has only grown in recent years. In that connection, we once again call on those who generate such initiatives to ensure that they are in line with the main goals of the Council and take into account what the Security Council can realistically do on such matters.

Mexico welcomes the adoption of resolution 2668 (2022). As the main organ responsible for international peace and security, the Security Council has the power to deploy peacekeeping operations and establish special political missions. The personnel working in such missions act on behalf of the United Nations, in many cases in situations of violence and under great pressure. The complexity and intensity at which uniformed and civilian personnel perform their tasks can affect their physical and mental health. It is for that reason that we believe that the Council should give due importance not only to the physical well-being of those personnel, but also to their mental well-being  — to their mental health. Unfortunately, mental health continues to carry stigma in many circumstances and, to date, has not been given the importance it merits, despite the fact that there is clear evidence that the rates of certain mental disorders, such as post-traumatic stress and others, are higher among personnel deployed in United Nations operations than in the general population. The resolution we just adopted has precisely the goal of giving due attention to the mental health of peacekeepers before, during and after their deployment. Mexico reiterates its thanks to the Members of the Council for unanimously adopting this resolution today, as well as to the more than 50 United Nations States Members that co-sponsored it. With this resolution, the Council expresses its support and acknowledgement to peacekeeping personnel for their invaluable work to carry out the Organization’s goals. Mental health is as important as physical health. Recognizing that here in the Council it to our credit, as it means recognizing the dignity and overall well- being that all of those who work for peace throughout the world are entitled.

I shall now make a statement in explanation of vote in my national capacity. As one of the largest troop-contributing countries over the years, India places the highest importance on the safety, security and well-being of United Nations peacekeepers. Mental health is an essential component of holistic health, as the representative of Mexico pointed out, and we are cognizant of the difficult and demanding environments in which United Nations peace operations personnel work. Therefore, the medical care and the well-being of United Nations personnel deserve the collective and close attention of all Member States. While we voted in favour of resolution 2668 (2022) while keeping the overall interests and well-being of United Nations peacekeepers in mind, we would like to submit the following two issues for the Council’s future deliberations. First, any serious deliberation of the issue should be premised on the data and studies conducted in consultation with troop- and police-contributing countries. It need not be based on a simplistic assumption that troop- and police-contributing countries are not giving due attention to the matter. Secondly, we believe that the right forum to deliberate the issue is the General Assembly’s Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (C-34). The C-34 consists of 157 Member States involved in peacekeeping missions and holds annual debates to arrive at policy recommendations. The C-34 has been giving due consideration to the issue of the mental health of United Nations personnel in peace operations. As a result, there has been consistent improvement in recent years in the operating environment, living conditions, casualty evacuation and medical facilities, among other areas. This is a work in progress, and any recommendation on the issue can be done only with adequate data collection, its analysis and taking into consideration the views and concerns of all troop- and police-contributing countries. We conveyed our views on that count during the negotiations on the resolution. We therefore hope that future deliberations on the issue of mental health and the well-being of United Nations peace operations personnel will be addressed in a systemic and holistic manner and through all relevant and mandated organs of the United Nations. I now resume my functions as President of the Council. There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers.