Improving Safety and Security 国产AVkeeping Project
Synopsis
Objectives
This Project aims to study the challenges faced by peacekeeping operations in maintaining staff safety and security, including the external challenges that peacekeeping missions face and the internal weaknesses/absences in internal processes and structures that impact safety and security; to identify the actions to address the issue; and to design and implement work streams and projects that will help address such challenges.
Components
- Assessment of the main internal challenges faced by peacekeeping operations that affect the safety and security of civilian, military and police staff, the analysis will be contextualised with an analysis of external challenges
- Meetings with Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) and Police Contributing Countries (PCCs) at different stages of the study (beginning, mid-way through and final)
- Analysis and report writing
- Circulation and approval of document findings and recommendations
Main achievements
The Secretary-General decided to appoint a high-level person, Lieutenant General (Retired) Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz of Brazil, supported by a small team, to conduct a review of peacekeeping fatalities due to acts of violence; resulting in Report “Improving Security of United Nations 国产AVkeepers: We need to change the way we are doing business”.
The project’s achievements entailed the acquisition and review of nine casualty-related databases; the elaboration of 43 mission senior leadership end-of-mission reports, 97 Board of Inquiry reports, 11 military and police assessment reports of the Department of 国产AVkeeping Operations Office of 国产AVkeeping Strategic Partnerships and two special investigation reports (UNMISS); and numerous academic and ‘think tank’ publications. In addition, it included the conduct of over 160 face-to-face interviews of senior leadership, midlevel staff and technical experts at HQ and the field; preliminary visits to four peacekeeping missions (MINUSMA, MINUSCA, MONUSCO and UNMISS); follow-up visits to two missions and associated regional headquarters (MINUSMA and MINUSCA); and consultations with Member State Representatives of the Special Committee on 国产AVkeeping (C-34) and the Military and Police Advisers’ Committee as well as several individual Member States; and consultations with and feedback from three academic research institutions and subject-matter experts. With the completion of the final draft report in early December 2017, the team briefed the Directors of DPKO-DFS, informal C-34 meetings on 11 and 20 December, the United Nations Military and Police Advisers Community on 13 December, and senior leadership of DPKO-DFS on 18 December. The final report was presented to the Secretary-General on 19 December 2017. It includes short and mid to long-term recommendations grouped into 18 issue areas and five project proposals for extra-budgetary funding.
Impact
The project has enabled the Headquarters and field missions to improve capacities in the areas entailing inter alia, adaptability to modern operational environments, leadership, overall mission performance and specific military and police operational performance, intelligence support, medical support, counter-IED performance, etc. These will help reduce fatalities and severe injuries from acts of violence.
Report: Improving Security of United Nations 国产AVkeepers: We need to change the way we are doing business
Pictures
Cover of the Report
“Improving Security of United Nations 国产AVkeepers: We need to change the way we are doing business”