New York, June 23 (SANA) The UN Security Council (UNSC) unanimously adopted a resolution on Tuesday aimed at holding perpetrators of attacks against UN peacekeepers accountable, amid growing concern over rising violence and low prosecution rates.
Resolution 2823 (2026), drafted by Denmark and Pakistan and co-sponsored by more than 150 countries, calls upon all relevant stakeholders to cooperate with the UN to facilitate the identification, investigation and prosecution of perpetrators without delay.
The resolution stresses that accountability for attacks against UN personnel serving in peacekeeping operations is essential to deter future attacks, safeguard the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations and the safety and security of such personnel.
It calls on host countries to take all necessary measures to investigate and prosecute those responsible for attacks on UN personnel, and urges all parties to cooperate with investigations. The council said attacks against UN peacekeepers may constitute war crimes and expressed its intention to consider further steps to strengthen accountability for them.
New measures to strengthen accountability
The resolution requests the UN Secretary-General to designate a senior focal point within the UN to coordinate efforts to improve accountability for crimes against peacekeepers, and to ensure that in the event of future attacks, peacekeeping operations will promptly establish clear factual records and make them available for investigations by host countries.
It encourages troop- and police-contributing countries to deploy investigators to assist inquiries when needed, and calls for an annual UN progress report on investigations and prosecutions.
Rising attacks on peacekeepers
The resolution comes amid a series of deadly incidents targeting UN personnel, including the killing of seven peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) since hostilities escalated in early March. Deliberate attacks on peacekeepers are considered serious violations of international humanitarian law and could amount to war crimes, UNIFIL has previously stated.
Since 1948, nearly 4,500 UN peacekeepers have lost their lives in the line of duty, including 1,095 killed in deliberate attacks—359 of them since 2013—while thousands more have been injured.
KhA
