Police vital to peacekeeping success, senior UN officials tell UNSC amid budget cuts

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 06 (APP): Against the backdrop of budget cuts and a severe liquidity crisis, United Nations peace operations and their police contingents are making hard choices — often in very difficult conditions — to deliver on their mandates, the UN Security Council was told by senior officers on Thursday.
The occasion was the annual briefing to the Council members from the heads of police components of United Nations peace operations.
Briefing the 15-member Council, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix stressed that, while “efficiency is essential”, it “cannot replace predictable and sustainable financing”. He called for greater support for international police officers deployed to field missions at a time when financial resources are dwindling and multilateralism is waning.
“Despite severe constraints, our police personnel continue to serve with dedication, professionalism and courage,” he said. “They operate in environments of persistent insecurity, political volatility, and growing operational risks.”
Peace operations depend on UN Police (UNPOL) for community engagement, institutional reform, and prevention of criminal and inter-communal violence.
Officers also address challenges that require a policing response, including in environments with high-density populations such as displacement camps, among other duties.
“United Nations Police remain a key component of UN peacekeeping and play an indispensable role in fulfilling our mandates,” Lacroix said.
He stressed that Member States, host countries, uniformed and civilian personnel all share responsibility for ensuring the success of peacekeeping.
Faisal Shahkar, Police Adviser and Director of the Police Division, said that continued political and financial engagement of Member States was “critical” to ensuring that the United Nations Police remains fit for purpose and responsive to the evolving challenges of today’s complex security environment.
“This year’s Police Week takes place at a moment of reflection and transition,” said Shahkar, a Pakistani national, citing strained multilateralism, fragile geopolitics and persistent conflict.
“Yet, United Nations police remain a cornerstone” in supporting peace, protecting civilians and building accountable institutions, he said, warning of tougher security environments, organized crime, disinformation and resource constraints.
Despite challenges, he cited successes in the Central African Republic and Abyei, urging Member States to sustain momentum so gains “are preserved”.
“Your continued support remains critical in ensuring that the United Nations Police can fulfill our mandated tasks and remain a vital tool for peace and security,” Shahkar told member states.
Meinolf Schlotmann, Police Commissioner of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), said the country’s vast size and poor access mean the Mission cannot “be everywhere at once”, requiring prioritization of high-risk areas and long-range patrols.
UN police, he said, aims to “protect today” while helping build a police service that can protect tomorrow, through mobile, rapidly deployable patrols and support to humanitarian corridors.
But, liquidity-driven cuts — including a 15 per cent budget reduction — have sharply reduced personnel and mobility, even as teams “continue to deliver” by adapting their approach.
Mamouna Ouedraogo, Head of the Police Component of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), said officers work in “one of the world’s most challenging security environments”, with efforts shifting “decisively towards prevention and protection”.
She noted liquidity measures have cut police deployments to about half strength, prioritizing displacement-affected areas and protection of women and children.
“Effective policing is not peripheral,” she said. “It is foundational” to civilian protection, accountability and sustainable stabilization.