UNITED NATIONS, June 23 (Xinhua) -- The Security Council on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution on accountability for crimes committed against UN peacekeepers.
Since 1948, 1,095 UN peacekeepers have been killed as a result of malicious acts, including 359 since 2013, and several thousand more were injured, according to the world body.
Resolution 2823 stresses that accountability for attacks against UN peacekeepers is essential to deter future attacks, safeguard the effectiveness of UN peacekeeping operations and the safety and security of peacekeepers.
It calls on all relevant stakeholders to cooperate with the United Nations to facilitate the identification, investigation and prosecution of perpetrators without delay.
The resolution recalls the responsibility of host states to work with peacekeeping operations to enhance the safety and security of UN peacekeepers, and to take all necessary measures to investigate crimes against UN peacekeepers to prosecute the perpetrators.
The resolution requests the UN secretary-general to ensure that in the event of any future attacks on peacekeepers and their premises, peacekeeping operations "promptly establish clear factual records of the incidents and make them available for host states' investigations into such attacks."
It calls on all relevant states and other relevant actors to cooperate fully with such investigations and take all appropriate measures to bring perpetrators to justice, and requests the secretary-general to keep relevant troop- and police-contributing countries and relevant states informed of progress in investigations and accountability efforts.
The resolution requests the secretary-general to designate a senior focal point, among current personnel, on accountability for crimes against UN peacekeepers.
It requests the secretary-general to submit to the Security Council annual reports on the status of the investigation and prosecution of cases related to crimes against UN peacekeepers. The first such report should be submitted within 120 days of the adoption of the resolution. ■
