Security Council Resolution 2378 (2017) [on Un Peacekeeping Reform]

S/RES/2378 (2017)View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the Security Council, under agenda item 18 United Nations peacekeeping operations, published in 2017.

What subjects does this mandate have?

4 subjects

Peace Peacebuilding Peacekeeping Operations War Prevention

What’s in this document?

21 operative paragraphs

Stresses that the primacy of politics should be the hallmark of the approach of the United Nations to the resolution of conflict, including through mediation, the monitoring of ceasefires, assistance to the implementation of peace accords;

Further stresses that prevention of conflicts remains a primary responsibility of States and actions undertaken within the framework of conflict prevention by the United Nations should support and complement, as appropriate, the conflict prevention roles of national Governments;

Reaffirms the duty of all States to settle their international disputes by peaceful means, inter alia through negotiation, enquiry, good offices, mediation, conciliation, arbitration and judicial settlement, or other peaceful means of their own choice;

Recognizes that good offices of the Secretary-General can help resolve conflicts, and encourages the Secretary-General to continue to use mediation to help resolve conflicts peacefully, working in coordination and closely with the relevant regional and subregional organizations, including the African Union, as appropriate;

Further recognizes the critical importance of improving accountability, transparency, efficiency and effectiveness in the performance of United Nations peacekeeping operations including through further consideration of the relevant recommendations of the report of the High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (A/70/95-S/2015/446) and the relevant recommendations of the Secretary-General’s report (A/70/357-S/2015/682), in accordance with existing purviews and procedures;

Emphasizes the importance of ensuring agile and flexible field support by promoting innovation for better delivery and results with a view to enhancing the overall effectiveness of peacekeeping operations;

Welcomes the intention of the Secretary-General to introduce peacekeeping reform within the Secretariat as well as on the ground and underscores the need to continue to engage and seek the support of Member States to ensure transparency;

Takes note of the Secretary-General’s initiatives to pursue structural reform of the Secretariat to reinforce the United Nations peace and security architecture; encourages the Secretary-General to continue to engage with the Security Council and the General Assembly and relevant Committees on his initiatives;

Underlines the importance of adequate implementation and follow-up of United Nations peacekeeping reform in accordance with existing mandates and procedures; requests its Working Group established in accordance with the Presidential Statement of 31 January 2001 (S/PRST/2001/3), to review reform initiatives in close cooperation with other Member States, including Troop- and Police-Contributing Countries and host countries;

Requests the Secretary-General to provide a comprehensive annual briefing to the Security Council on reform of United Nations peacekeeping every twelve months to be followed by a debate, further requests the Secretary-General to provide updates to the Security Council, as part of his comprehensive briefing, on the continuous efforts made in filling the existing gaps in terms of force generation and capabilities as well as other relevant aspects necessary for peacekeeping to effectively and appropriately respond to peace and security challenges; and further requests the Secretary-General to provide recommendations to the Security Council within 90 days of the adoption of this resolution on a mechanism to fill these gaps including through more effective and efficient training and capacity-building;

Underscores the need to enhance the overall effectiveness and efficiency of United Nations peacekeeping by improving mission planning, increasing the number of relevant pledges of capabilities, including niche capabilities, enablers, engineering, medical and rapid deployment units as well as reinforcing peacekeeping performance through training and to fulfil the pledges made by a number of Member States at the various multilateral meetings held in 2015 and 2016;

Reaffirms its determination to pursue more prioritization when evaluating, mandating and reviewing United Nations peacekeeping operations, including through strengthening Triangular consultations with Troop- and Police-Contributing Countries and the Secretariat, strengthening existing formal mechanisms, and underlining the shared responsibility for meaningful, inclusive, active and dynamic consultations, as well as enhancing its dialogue with host countries, with the aim of fully and successfully implementing peacekeeping mandates;

Further reaffirms its ongoing efforts to review peacekeeping operations to ensure maximum effectiveness and efficiency on the ground, and to deepen these efforts in partnership with Troop- and Police-Contributing Countries and other relevant stakeholders, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure data streams related to the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations, including peacekeeping performance data, are centralized to improve analytics and evaluation of mission operations, based on clear and well identified benchmarks;

Further reaffirms its commitment to the cooperation between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations and arrangements in matters relating to the maintenance of international peace and security, and consistent with Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations, which can improve collective security;

Reiterates its determination to take effective steps to further enhance the relationship between the United Nations and regional organizations, in particular the African Union, in accordance with Chapter VIII of the United Nations Charter;

Underlines the importance of accelerating the operationalization of the African Standby Force and calls upon the United Nations and Member States to continue to support within the existing means the strengthening of the African Standby Force’s readiness as the overarching framework for African peace support operations, and requests the Secretary-General to report on the progress achieved in this regard in his next Report on Strengthening the Partnership between the United Nations and the African Union on Issues of Peace and Security in Africa, including the Work of the United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU), and encourages the UN Secretariat and the AUC to collaborate towards strengthening the APSA by supporting the APSA road map and silencing the guns master roadmap and their respective work plans;

Reiterates that regional organizations have the responsibility to secure human, financial, logistical and other resources for their organizations and recognizes that ad hoc and unpredictable financing arrangements for African Union led peace support operations authorized by the Security Council and consistent with Chapter VIII of the Charter may impact the effectiveness of these peace support operations;

Expresses its intention to give further consideration to practical steps that can be taken, and the conditions necessary, to establish the mechanism through which African Union led peace support operations authorized by the Security Council and under the Security Council’s authority under Chapter VIII of the Charter could be partly financed through United Nations assessed contributions, on a case by case basis, in compliance with relevant agreed standards and mechanisms to ensure strategic and financial oversight and accountability, and taking into account the work undertaken by the United Nations Secretariat and the African Union Commission in this regard, acknowledging the development of operations mandated or authorized by the AU;

Reiterates its request to the Secretary-General, where applicable, to continue to take steps to enhance measures in United Nations peacekeeping operations against all forms of abuse and exploitation of civilians by any member of the United Nations peacekeeping operations, urges Troop- and Police-Contributing Countries to take preventive and disciplinary action to ensure that such acts are properly investigated and punished in cases involving their personnel; reiterates its call for all non-United Nations forces authorized under a Security Council mandate to take adequate measures to prevent and combat impunity for sexual exploitation and abuse, hold perpetrators accountable and repatriate units when there is credible evidence of widespread or systematic sexual exploitation and abuse by those units;

Requests the Secretary-General, in coordination with the African Union, to present in his next Report on Strengthening the Partnership between the United Nations and the African Union on Issues of Peace and Security in Africa, including the Work of the United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU), a reporting framework which would establish clear, consistent and predictable reporting channels, including fiduciary and mandate delivery, between the Secretariat, the Commission and the two Councils, as well as standardized reporting requirements;

Decides to remain seized of the matter.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

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