United Nations Security Council Resolution 2447 – United Nations peacekeeping operations

Resolution 2447 (2018)

The Security Council,

Recalling its resolutions 2185 (2014) and 2382 (2017) on United Nations Policing, as well as relevant resolutions such as resolutions 1265 (1999) and 1894 (2009) on the protection of civilians, 1325 (2000) and 2242 (2015) on women, peace and security, 2086 (2013) on peacekeeping operations, 2151 (2014) on security sector reform, 1645 (2005), 2282 (2016) and 2413 (2018) on post-conflict peacebuilding, 2436 (2018) on performance in peacekeeping operations, and statements of its President such as the statements of 6 October 2004 (S/PRST/2004/34), 29 June 2010 (S/PRST/2010/11), 19 January 2012 (S/PRST/2012/1) and 21 February 2014 (S/PRST/2014/5) on the rule of law and of 12 February 2010 (S/PRST/2010/2) and 14 May 2018 (S/PRST/2018/10) on peacekeeping operations, as well as the statement of 14 July 1997 (S/PRST/1997/38) on civilian police,

Reaffirming its primary responsibility under the Charter of the United Nations for the maintenance of international peace and security,

Stressing the primary responsibility of States for the prevention and resolution of conflicts, as well as for the protection of civilians and the important contribution that United Nations assistance to police, justice and correction areas in peacekeeping and special political missions can provide throughout the conflict cycle, where and as mandated, including through the protection of civilians, capacity-building and development efforts of host-State police, justice and corrections institutions, and noting the relevance of its contribution when considering the broader reform of the peace and security pillar,

Reaffirming that lasting peace is not achieved nor sustained by military and technical engagements alone, but through political solutions and strongly convinced that such political solutions should guide the design and deployment of United Nations peacekeeping operations,

Reaffirming its commitment to upholding the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, including its commitment to and respect for the principles of political independence, sovereign equality and territorial integrity of all States in conducting all peacekeeping activities and the need for States to comply with their obligations under international law,

Further reaffirming the basic principles of peacekeeping, such as consent of the parties, impartiality, and non-use of force, except in self-defence and defence of the mandate, and recognizing that the mandate of each peacekeeping operation is specific to the needs of the situation concerned and underlining that the mandates that it authorizes are consistent with the basic principles, and reiterating that the Security Council expects full delivery of the mandates it authorizes,

Reiterating the need for a comprehensive approach to conflict prevention and sustainable peace, which comprises operational and structural measures for the prevention of armed conflict and addresses its root causes, including through strengthening the rule of law at international and national levels and promo ting sustained economic growth, poverty eradication, social development, sustainable development, national reconciliation, good governance, democracy, gender equality and respect for, and protection of, human rights,

Noting the important role United Nations assistance to police, justice and corrections institutions can play, where mandated, in strengthening the rule of law and security sector reform and reaffirming the lead role of national authorities in progressing the reform of police, justice and corrections institutions as part of wider rule of law and security sector reform efforts, including in dedicating national resources towards national police, justice and corrections institutions, and monitoring the impact of police, justice and corrections reform, and recognizing that the political leadership and political will of national authorities are critical in this regard and success necessitates national ownership,

Reaffirming the primary responsibility of national governments and authorities in identifying, driving and directing priorities, strategies and activities for peacebuilding and sustaining peace, emphasizing that sustaining peace is a shared task and responsibility that needs to be fulfilled by the Government and all other national stakeholders, and in this regard, emphasizing that inclusivity is key to advancing national peacebuilding processes and objectives in order to ensure that the needs of all segments of society are taken into account, and stressing that civil society can play an important role in advancing efforts to sustain peace,Underlining the importance of the support to the strengthening of rule of law institutions of the host country that is provided, where mandated, by a number of peacekeeping operations and special political missions within the scope of their mandates, working in coordination with relevant United Nations entities, and recalling that multidimensional peacekeeping missions may be mandated to provide such support in helping national authorities develop critical rul e of law priorities and strategies to address the needs of police, judicial institutions and corrections system and critical interlinkages thereof, with a view to supporting the states’ ability to provide critical functions in these fields, and as a vital contribution to building peace and ending impunity,

Welcoming efforts undertaken by the Secretary-General to mobilize all partners and stakeholders in support of more effective United Nations peacekeeping through his initiative “Action for Peacekeeping,” and welcomes the political commitments to continue to strengthen the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations, amongst others through joint platforms,

Reiterating the importance of enhancing police, justice, and corrections services in host countries and emphasizing the importance of the rule of law at the national level as one of the key element of conflict prevention, peacekeeping, conflict resolution and peacebuilding,

Stressing the critical importance of strengthening police, justice and corrections elements in peacekeeping operations and special political missions, where and as mandated, to assist national governments in stabilizing the situation, extend State authority, end impunity, protect civilians, tackle the underlying causes of conflict, prevent relapse into conflict and build and sustain peace,

Noting that host-State policing institutions are often the primary link between the government and communities on security issues, and reiterating that professional, effective, accountable and accessible law enforcement, corrections and judicial institutions are necessary to lay the foundations for sustainable peace and national development,

Stressing the importance of United Nations support to strengthen police, justice and corrections institutions, including to provide, as appropriate, a recourse to victims through redress for past violations and abuses, and also to promote national reconciliation, lay the groundwork for durable voluntary return of displaced persons and to help prevent a relapse into conflict, where and as mandated in UN peacekeeping operations and special political missions,

Acknowledging the role of Police Components as an integral part of United Nations peacekeeping operations and special political missions, and the increasingly diverse and complex policing-related tasks in the mandates of such operations and missions, where mandated,

Recognizing the indispensable role of women in United Nations peacekeeping and special political missions, including the critical role that women play in all peace and security efforts, including by providing diverse perspectives which can assist in building trust with local communities and stressing the need to increase their full, equal and meaningful participation and leadership in decision-making in host-States with regard to policing and the rule of law,

Welcoming the efforts to incentivize greater numbers of women in police and civilians deployed and appointed to senior positions in United Nations peacekeeping operations, and efforts to review the obstacles preventing women’s recruitment and professional advancement; taking note in this regard of the Secretary-General’s System-wide Strategy on Gender Parity which tasks relevant United Nations entities, in consultation with Police-Contributing countries, to develop a separate, dedicated strategy on this matter,

Stressing the importance of the efforts of the Secretary-General and the United Nations entities through the Global Focal Point for Police, Justice and Corrections arrangement (Global Focal Point) in enhancing internal coherence and strategic coordination to strengthen a comprehensive United Nations approach to police, justice and corrections assistance,

Underlining the importance of close coordination of the range of United Nations police, justice and corrections activities, both at headquarters and in the field, in particular between the Security Council-mandated missions and the United Nations Country Team, as appropriate, and encouraging relevant United Nations entities mandated to undertake police, justice and corrections activities to work through existing coordination mechanisms, as appropriate,

Adopted by the Security Council at its 8420th meeting, on 13 December 2018.