Statement by the Republic of Slovenia at the UNSC meeting on the United Nations peacekeeping operations, Police Commissioners

Thank you Mr. President.

I wish to thank Under-Secretary-General Lacroix, Police Commissioner Bizimungu, Senior Police Adviser Xu, and Police Adviser Shahkar for their insightful briefings. I also wish to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all policemen and policewomen who are serving in the UN operations.

Mr. President,

Day to day it is becoming clear that we see serious challenges to the international legal framework we have built over the last decades. This can be most visibly seen through wide and grave deterioration of peace and security around the globe as we are witnessing a record number of armed conflicts and most disturbingly a record number of victims of these conflicts, including among civilians.

If we are to break with this vicious cycle, we must pursue all possible avenues. One of them is maintaining peace in situations and environments where it is already fragile.

Let me therefore focus on three important elements concerning possible contributions of the UN Police to the “Action for Peacekeeping Plus” initiative.

First, we need to reassess the United Nations’ support for police, justice, and corrections. The demands placed on the UN policing have evolved, as have the operating environments. Well trained and effective police personnel is needed in peacekeeping operations more than ever. To effectively prevent conflict and promote sustainable peace, we must develop a more comprehensive and efficient approach to law enforcement challenges and address the absence of justice systems where needed. Police, justice, and corrections must be central to the deployment of peace operations throughout their full life cycle and during transitions.

Second, a consistent vision by the UN to support police, justice, and corrections in both mission and non-mission settings is vital. Only tailored capacity-building interventions that endure throughout the entire life cycle, can enable host country to fully realize their potential and to build or rebuild the system based on and guided by the rule of law.

This vision must be accompanied by a carefully crafted operational plan, developed in collaboration with Member States, including Police Contributing Countries, relevant actors from the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on Policing, as well as civil society and academia.

We should explore innovative models for deploying police, justice, and corrections personnel, fostering stronger partnership among UN entities, and encompassing all facets of law enforcement capacity building.

All of this must be undertaken with a strong commitment to environmental management. Slovenia is a staunch advocate for an effectively managed footprint for peace operations that minimizes risks to personnel, host communities and ecosystems. It is the UN’s reputation that is at stake and we should not take this lightly.

Third, it is crucial to ensure women’s full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation at all stages and levels of peace processes. In this regard, we commend all efforts to promote the deployment and professional development of women police officers and women judicial and correction personnel within the UN peacekeeping. This initiative not only strengthens the UN missions but also benefits the communities they serve.

Mr. President,

I would like to conclude by acknowledging the ongoing efforts of various UN entities in implementing the Action for Peacekeeping initiative and addressing future challenges and opportunities.

I thank you.

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