India reiterated its firm commitment to ensuring accountability for crimes committed against United Nations peacekeepers, calling it a "strategic necessity" for global peacekeeping operations.
Harish highlights obstacles faced by UN peacekeepers
Addressing a high-level meeting of the Group of Friends (GoF) for promoting accountability for crimes against peacekeepers held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Tuesday, India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador P Harish, highlighted the "tremendous obstacle " faced by UN peacekeepers while working.
"United Nations peacekeepers face tremendous obstacles while working in increasingly dangerous areas. But for the most part, these crimes continue to go unpunished. This lack of accountability severely undermines international peace efforts by giving assailants more confidence," he said.
Accountability is a strategic necessity, says Harish
Stressing the need for accountability, he affirmed, "Therefore, accountability is a strategic necessity. In addition to being required by law, ensuring responsibility for crimes against UN personnel is essential to the integrity and efficacy of international peacekeeping efforts."
He further said, "Peacekeepers' safety is directly improved by justice, allowing them to carry out their vital missions. It is our common duty to fulfil this obligation."
Ensure justice for those who bravely serve under UN flag
The High Level Meeting of the Group of Friends for Accountability of Crimes against Peacekeepers, co-chaired by India and other leading nations, reaffirmed the steadfast dedication of the GoF to ensuring justice for those who bravely serve under the UN flag.
"It also underscored the critical imperative to combat impunity for attacks against peacekeepers, emphasising that accountability is not merely a matter of justice for individuals but a basis for the effectiveness, credibility, and future of UN Peace Operations worldwide," Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations, New York said in a statement.
"In a powerful demonstration of concerted international will, senior representatives from around 40 Member States, senior UN officials and experts, including from field missions, deliberated on enhanced strategies, operational frameworks, and fostering greater international cooperation to bring perpetrators of crimes against peacekeepers to justice," it added.
The discussions highlighted the escalating threats faced by peacekeepers in increasingly volatile environments and the undeniable link between impunity and the continued targeting of these front-line protectors.
(With inputs from ANI)
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