ISLAMABAD: The United Nations Security Council on Tuesday unanimously adopted a Pakistan-Denmark resolution aimed at strengthening accountability for attacks against UN peacekeepers, as member states voiced concern over growing violence targeting personnel serving in peace operations.
The resolution, which received the backing of all 15 Security Council members and was co-sponsored by more than 150 UN member states, seeks to improve follow-up on investigations and prosecutions involving the killing of and acts of violence against peacekeepers deployed under UN mandates.
Introducing the measure before the council, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, said attacks on peacekeepers were increasing while accountability often remained elusive.
“Across several missions, attacks against United Nations peacekeepers have increased in number and sophistication,” Ahmad said. “Peacekeepers are being targeted, often with little accountability.”
The resolution requests the UN secretary-general to provide annual reports on the status of investigations and prosecutions in cases involving the killing of or violence against personnel serving in UN peacekeeping operations.
It also asks the secretary-general to present recommendations within 120 days on ways to strengthen existing accountability mechanisms.
The measure further calls for the designation of a senior focal point within the UN Secretariat to improve coordination, engagement with host countries and troop- and police-contributing nations, and follow-up on accountability efforts.
Pakistan and Denmark, which jointly tabled the resolution, said the initiative was intended to move beyond routine condemnations of attacks on peacekeepers and strengthen practical mechanisms for ensuring justice.
“Condolences are necessary. But they are not enough,” Ahmad told the council.
“When peacekeepers are killed or injured as a result of attacks while performing mandates authorized by this Council, the Council must remain seized of what happens next.”
Pakistan is one of the largest contributors to UN peacekeeping missions and says more than 270,000 of its personnel have served under the UN flag over the decades. According to Pakistan’s mission to the United Nations, 183 Pakistani peacekeepers have lost their lives while serving in UN operations.
The Pakistani envoy said the resolution reflected the Security Council’s determination to strengthen accountability for attacks against UN peacekeepers.
“It sends a clear message: our men and women who serve under the United Nations flag will have the Council’s full backing,” Ahmad said. “Attacks against them will not be met with silence or impunity.”
