Nordic Statement on UNCOPS delivered on June 28, 2024

Nordic Statement on UNCOPS delivered on June 28, 2024

Chair, Ministers, Excellences, and colleagues,

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of strong contributors and supporters of peace operations and the UN Police (UNPOL), the Nordic countries, namely: Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and my own country, Finland.

We convene at a time when we must reflect on the direction for UN peace operations in an increasingly challenging geopolitical and operational context.

Against this background, the Nordics believe the Secretary-General’s New Vision for Rule of Law provides solid guidance also for the future of UN peace operations and UN policing. We call for further discussions on how UN actors with mandates on policing will turn this vision into action, strategically link and coordinate the delivery of their mandates. This could take place in the context of discussions leading up to and following the Summit of the Future.

I would also like to offer four reflections from the Nordics:

First, in line with the Secretary-General’s New Vision, we must ensure that current and future UN POL deployments remain people-centred and foster local buy-in partnerships with and between host states and their populations. With this in mind, we welcome progress on advancing gender parity within UN Police. The progress should continue, and we call for similarly ambitious plans to advance gender-responsive policing.

Second, in line with the New Vision for Rule of Law, we call for improved coordination between UNPOL and all relevant UN partners. This is most relevant in mission start-up, drawdown and transition contexts. Likewise, UN Police must reinforce integration with justice and corrections partners, especially in missions, but also in the daily work at headquarters and where relevant. We want to see concrete results through the full use of coordination mechanisms at headquarters and in missions.

Third, a key strength of UN Police is its global access to Member States’ police capabilities. We should leverage this further to improve performance by focusing on merit-based recruitments based on specific job profiles that match the needs for individual experts and teams on the ground.

Finally, continued discussions would benefit from a new UN Secretary-General’s report on UN policing that is forward-looking and encompasses all aspects of police work in the UN-context.

Additionally, the Secretariat together with UN partners that have mandates to provide of police support could consider drafting joint papers discussing these issues further.

Excellences, I thank you for your attention.