UN Security Council adopts resolution on accountability for attacks against peacekeepers

The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on Tuesday aimed at strengthening accountability for crimes committed against UN peacekeepers, underscoring the need to investigate and prosecute attacks targeting personnel serving in peace operations.

The resolution, co-authored by Pakistan and Denmark, received the support of all 15 Council members and was co-sponsored by more than 100 UN member states.

According to the UN, as many as 1,095 peacekeepers have been killed in malicious acts since 1948, including 359 since 2013, while several thousand others have been injured.

Ahead of the vote, Pakistan's UN envoy Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said the Security Council must go beyond expressions of concern.

"This draft resolution seeks to move the council beyond statements condemning these attacks. Council's pronouncements are important, condolences are necessary, but they are not enough," he said.

Ahmad noted that the resolution introduces practical measures to strengthen existing accountability mechanisms, including annual reporting by the UN secretary-general on investigations and prosecutions related to killings and violence against peacekeepers.

Following the vote, Denmark's UN envoy Christina Markus Lassen welcomed the resolution's adoption and thanked Council members for their engagement during negotiations.

"The unanimous support for this resolution sends a strong and important message to the over 50,000 personnel currently serving in peacekeeping missions," she said.

Lassen added that Denmark was pleased to work closely with Pakistan on the initiative as part of their cooperation on peacekeeping issues within the Security Council.

Adopted as UN Resolution 2823, it condemns all attacks against UN peacekeepers and pays tribute to personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty.

It stresses that attacks against peacekeepers may constitute war crimes and highlights accountability as a key tool to deter future violence and improve the safety and security of UN missions.

The text also calls on relevant stakeholders to cooperate with the UN in pursuing accountability and reiterates the responsibility of host countries to investigate such crimes and bring perpetrators to justice in accordance with national and international law.