India on Tuesday co-chaired a high-level meeting at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, reaffirming its push for justice for peacekeepers facing violence in conflict zones.
Addressing the meeting of the Group of Friends for Accountability for Crimes Against Peacekeepers, Parvathaneni Harish, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, underlined the need for stronger protection mechanisms and swift action against perpetrators targeting UN personnel.
“Glad to be part of the Group of Friends for Accountability of Crimes against Peacekeepers that met today to take forward the landmark Security Council Resolution 2589 (2021) that was championed by India. We remain committed to the pursuit of justice for peacekeepers,” Harish said in a post on X.
Harish stressed that UN peacekeepers continue to work in dangerous environments, yet crimes against them often go unpunished. “This lack of accountability severely undermines international peace efforts by giving assailants more confidence,” he said.
Calling accountability a “strategic necessity”, Harish said, “Ensuring responsibility for crimes against UN personnel is essential to the integrity and effectiveness of international peacekeeping efforts. Justice directly improves peacekeepers’ safety, allowing them to carry out their missions. It is our collective duty to uphold this commitment.”
The Group of Friends for Accountability for Crimes Against Peacekeepers was launched in December 2022 during India’s presidency of the UN Security Council, building on Resolution 2589. According to UN data, more than 1,000 peacekeepers have been killed in hostile acts since 1948.
At the meeting, member states reiterated the need to tackle impunity for attacks on peacekeepers, stressing that accountability underpins the credibility and future of UN peace operations worldwide.
India, one of the largest troop-contributing countries to UN missions, has deployed over 300,000 peacekeepers in the last seven decades. So far, 182 Indian peacekeepers have lost their lives while serving under the UN flag.
IANS
