The organization’s Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, warned of the increasing number of conflagrations on the planet, which violates the purpose of the United Nations.

Among other challenges, he mentioned a decline in respect for the rule of law, corruption, disregard for international law, transnational organized crime, attacks on human rights, and the reduction of civic space. Each of them demands unique and specific police responses, he said.

“In this context, he told the Security Council, UN peacekeeping operations can only achieve what I call the intermediate objectives, which include preserving the ceasefire, protecting hundreds of thousands of civilians, mediating local conflicts and strengthening institutions whenever possible,”

Lacroix recognized the importance of these goals and highlighted the role of the forces deployed in UN operations, working “tirelessly to serve communities in increasingly challenging contexts.”

The United Nations Police plays a notable role in achieving many of these objectives, he stressed in the session dedicated to the strategic priorities of the UN police components on the ground.

The UN will continue to strengthen effectiveness through its Action for Peacekeeping program known as A4P, with priorities including improved political strategies and greater operational integration, he said.

The Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations recalled, however, that peace is the ultimate goal of the United Nations, focused on lasting solutions to conflicts, to which end he called for the unified political support of the member states and, in particular, the Security Council, to enhance the diplomatic and political avenues. “Otherwise, we can only serve to mitigate conflicts rather than resolve them,” he stressed.

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