UN-Truth

Sexual exploitation and abuse are “utterly immoral, and completely at odds with our mission”, SG Kofi Annan said at a meeting convened by the UN, and added that “no one in the UN is above the law”. 

Prince Zeid Ra’ad Zeid Al-Hussein of Jordan, who is Kofi Annan’s Special Adviser on Sexual Abuse and Exploitation by UN Peacekeeping Personnel, however, clarified that “only host countries or the national States of individuals suspected of abuse could exercise authority”. 

Definition of terms: “host countries” means the countries, often war-torn or post-conflict, where the UN Peacekeeping Missions are based; “national States of individuals suspected” means their own countries — if they are police or soldiers serving in a UN Peacekeeping Mission. 

Prince Zeid noted that there is not always a “complete judicial system in place” in all “host countries”. 

That means that the country which sent its contingent to join the UN Peacekeeping Mission is usually the only authority able to “discipline” a peacekeeper accused of abuse or exploitation — and what usually happens is that an accused peacekeeper simply gets sent home, and that’s it.

[It is important to note that military contingents serving in UN Peacekeeping Missions are selected after consulations with the host countries.  The countries sending the military contingents are reimbursed by the United Nations for the service of their troops -- often relatively handsomely rewarded, because the United Nations is footing the bill, at international rates.]

The UN can only punish its own staff members, who work under contracts issued by the United Nations.

Prince Zeid also disclosed that there has been discussion in the UN Secretariat of requiring anyone going to serve in the field to give a sample of their own DNA, which, he said “makes investigations easier and is a considerable deterrent”.  [Otherwise, it is implied, UN staff members are capable of anything.]  Price Zeid added that this DNA sample could be returned to the staff member, when he or she returns from the field.

At a press conference after the meeting, the UN’s Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping, American former Air Force officer Jane Holl Lute, said that the UN has about 100,000 Peacekeepers deployed at any given time, and — with rotation of military staff– this means that the UN is managing nearly 200,000 Peacekeepers a year. 

“You don’t run an organization through fear, intimidation, and investigation”, Ms. Lute wisely said, however.  “You run an organization on purpose and pride”.

Ms. Lute also dashed a bit of cold water on a journalist’s helpful suggestion to institute a “no-fraternization” policy. 

Ms. Lute added that since local nationals made up such a high percentage of peacekeeping staff, a “no-fraternization” policy would be next to impossible to enforce.

 

Filed under: Human Rights, Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment, UN Administration, UN Peacekeeping, UN Secretary-General