Statement [Made on Behalf of the Security Council, at the 9090th Meeting, 12 July 2022, in Connection with the Council's Consideration of the Item Entitled "United Nations Peacekeeping Operations"]

S/PRST/2022/5View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Presidential Statement of the Security Council, under agenda item 18 United Nations peacekeeping operations, published in 2022.

What subjects does this mandate have?

6 subjects

Information Dissemination Peacekeeping Operations Protection of Civilians in Peacekeeping Operations Public Information Security Management Women in Armed Conflicts

What’s in this document?

18 paragraphs

At the 9090th meeting of the Security Council, held on 12 July 2022, in connection with the Council’s consideration of the item entitled “United Nations peacekeeping operations”, the President of the Security Council made the following statement on behalf of the Council:

“The Security Council reaffirms its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security under the Charter of the United Nations and further reaffirms its previous relevant resolutions and presidential statements addressing peacekeeping.

“The Security Council underscores the importance of peacekeeping as one of the most effective tools available to the United Nations in the promotion and maintenance of international peace and security, and reaffirms 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.

“The Security Council reaffirms that lasting peace is neither achieved nor sustained by military and technical engagements alone, but through political solutions and a comprehensive approach to sustaining peace, and stresses that the pursuit of sustainable political solutions should guide the design and deployment of United Nations peacekeeping operations.

“The Security Council notes the progress made in efforts undertaken by the Secretary-General to mobilize all partners and stakeholders in support of more effective United Nations peacekeeping through his initiatives “Action for Peacekeeping” and “Action for Peacekeeping +”, which highlights the importance of, inter alia, strategic communications in United Nations peacekeeping operations.

“The Security Council underscores the importance of strategic communications to the implementation of United Nations peacekeeping operations’ mandates and to the safety and security of peacekeepers. The Security Council recognizes that strategic communications and the provision of accurate content, including in local languages and in coordination with national authorities, as appropriate, by United Nations peacekeeping operations help strengthen understanding of their mandates, manage expectations and garner trust and support among relevant stakeholders, notably host governments and local communities, and contribute to countering disinformation and misinformation in order to strengthen United Nations peacekeeping operations’ ability to implement their mandates and enhance the safety and security of peacekeepers.

“The Security Council recognizes that strategic communications play an enabler and multiplier role across all mandated areas of United Nations peacekeeping operations, including by helping calibrate messaging in response to information gathered by peacekeeping operations, within the limits of their mandate and area of operation. The Security Council welcomes ongoing efforts by the Secretary-General to take into account strategic communications in planning and decision-making of peacekeeping operations, and notes that a whole-of-mission approach to strategic communications facilitates confidence-building with local communities, as well as coordination between military, police and civilian components and with United Nations country teams. Accordingly, the Security Council stresses the need to improve the culture of strategic communications across civilian, military and police components of United Nations peacekeeping operations and highlights the critical role played by mission leadership in this regard.

“The Security Council underlines that strategic communications are an important element of a comprehensive, integrated and effective approach to the protection of civilians, and calls on United Nations peacekeeping operations in the implementation of protection of civilians mandates to enhance community engagement and awareness about the protection needs and capacities of local communities, particularly through the use of strategic communications and community engagement activities. The Security Council reaffirms the importance of multilingualism from the planning stage, as appropriate, when developing communications strategies. The Security Council underlines that strategic communications can be an important tool to prevent conflict-related sexual violence and encourages United Nations peacekeeping operations to invest from the outset in dialogue and engagement with local actors, particularly women and youth, in order to build from the bottom up a protective environment for civilians.

“The Security Council reaffirms the importance of the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in all stages of peace and political processes and in United Nations peacekeeping operations at all levels and all positions, including senior leadership positions, and encourages the Secretary-General and United Nations peacekeeping operations to continue making use of strategic communications and advocacy to advance the women, peace and security agenda. The Security Council remains committed to increasing the number of civilians and uniformed women in peacekeeping at all levels and in key positions and encourages efforts in this regard.

“The Security Council reaffirms its support for the United Nations zero-tolerance policy on all forms of sexual exploitation and abuse, welcomes the Secretary-General`s continued efforts to implement it and recognizes the importance of communication of this policy among all personnel and relevant stakeholders, including troop- and police-contributing countries and local communities.

“The Security Council emphasizes the importance of enhancing the safety and security of peacekeepers, and notes with great concern the increasing amount of disinformation and misinformation directed against United Nations peacekeeping operations, which may negatively impact missions and peacekeepers. The Security Council stresses the need for an integrated approach to address this challenge in peacekeeping settings and welcomes ongoing efforts by the Secretary-General in this regard. The Security Council reaffirms the critical link between safety and security and the performance of civilian and uniformed peacekeeping personnel, and that institutionalizing a culture of performance in United Nations peacekeeping will contribute to better delivery of peacekeeping mandates, as well as lead to improvements in the safety and security of peacekeepers.

“The Security Council underscores that the primary responsibility for the safety and security of United Nations personnel and assets rests with the host state and highlights the importance of effective communications between United Nations peacekeeping operations and host governments to build trust and mutual understanding, thereby improving the safety and security of peacekeepers. The Security Council reaffirms its call on all Member States hosting peacekeeping operations to promptly investigate and effectively prosecute those responsible for attacks on United Nations personnel and assets, with a view to prevent impunity and discourage violence against peacekeepers, in line with resolution 2589 (2021), and to keep the concerned troop- and police-contributing countries informed on the progress of such investigations and prosecutions in line with resolution 2518 (2020).

“The Security Council takes note of the development of a strategy for the digital transformation of United Nations peacekeeping, recognizes the importance of leveraging existing communication technologies with a view to support mandate delivery and enhance the safety and security of peacekeepers, and, in this context, welcomes ongoing initiatives, such as the roll out of Unite Aware. The Security Council encourages peacekeeping operations and relevant stakeholders, including troop- and police-contributing countries, to support and make full use, as appropriate, of available field-focused, reliable and cost-effective communication technologies, in support of the delivery of peacekeeping mandates and in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the basic principles of peacekeeping, and stresses the need for consultations with Member States and host countries, as appropriate.

“The Security Council reiterates its call upon the Secretary-General to continue to review and ensure uniformity of United Nations standards on training and performance and welcomes the initiative by the Secretary-General to update the 2017 Policy on Strategic Communications and Public Information. The Security Council encourages the Secretary-General to continue to develop, in close consultation with relevant stakeholders, including troop- and police-contributing countries, a strategy on strategic communications, as well as specialized policies, guidelines and training materials on the topic, which should be implemented across all components of peacekeeping operations, with the objective of integrating strategic communications in planning, decision-making and implementation of relevant activities.

“The Security Council recognizes the need to continue to improve peacekeeping operations’ strategic communications capabilities, and encourages the United Nations Secretariat and Member States, including troop- and police-contributing countries, to work together in this regard. The Security Council recognizes that effective strategic communications rely heavily on the adequate, context-specific training of civilian and uniformed personnel alike and highlights the importance of recruiting, as appropriate, qualified Military Public Information Officers and Police strategic communications/public information focal points with relevant experience across United Nations peacekeeping operations.

“The Security Council highlights that, in transition settings, a proactive approach to strategic communications by United Nations peacekeeping operations may contribute to creating conditions conducive to the smooth reconfiguration of United Nations presence, and recognises that the transition process, including the roles and responsibilities of any reconfigured United Nations presence, must be understood by the local population. In this regard, the Security Council requests that strategic communications be considered during early, inclusive and integrated planning for transitions as outlined by resolution 2594 (2021).

“The Security Council requests the Secretary-General to provide it, no later than 15 April 2023, with a strategic review of strategic communications across United Nations peacekeeping operations, including at the headquarters level, which should assess existing capabilities and impact on local communities, identify gaps and challenges, and propose measures to address them.

“The Security Council requests the Secretary-General to ensure that regular reports to the Security Council on individual peacekeeping operations include, as applicable, information on the actions and impact of strategic communications for mandated activities.”

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