Note: A full summary of today’s Security Council meeting will be made available upon completion.
Briefings
JEAN-PIERRE LACROIX, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, making introductory remarks, said that today’s interactive discussion will focus on the role played by military components of peacekeeping missions in protecting civilians based on a recent Security Council debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict. This annual gathering of Force Commanders provides an important occasion for in-depth exchanges between them and various actors at United Nations Headquarters to improve the impact of peacekeeping. They have engaged in discussions on various topics, including the safety of peacekeepers, strategic communications, leveraging emerging technology to improve peacekeeping, countering emerging threats and a reflection on the women, peace and security agenda. The topic chosen for today is an important one for peace operations. Hearing the briefers experience and insights will be useful to the Council.
MOHAN SUBRAMANIAN, Force Commander of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), said the protection of civilians remains the Mission’s overarching priority in the implementation of its mandate. In pursuance of its strategy, the military component conducts its protection-of-civilians operations in close cooperation with the substantive sections of UNMISS and in collaboration with international partners, humanitarian actors, the United Nations country team and the host Government. On practical aspects of its protection-of-civilians operations conducted by the force, he said it includes engagement with the authorities of the Government, including the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces, to prevent conflicts through proactive actions. These include pre-planned deployment at bases in identified potential conflict areas, as well as dynamic deployment of temporary operating bases, and long- and short-duration patrols in locations where early warning is received on imminent conflicts. Further, it deploys quick reaction forces or teams for defence of identified protection of civilians and internally displaced persons camps.
He underscored that conflict-prevention is the best method for the protection of civilians. However, the impact of conflict-prevention methods is difficult to assess. With this in mind, the force is continuously conducting reviews of its actions to facilitate fine-tuning of its protection-of-civilians operations. Further, it attaches great importance to the protection of maximum civilians, he said, pointing to efforts to continuously enhance freedom of movement through land, sea and air. It is not necessarily only by the use of arms and military means that the force ensures physical protection of civilians in South Sudan. The country has experienced unprecedented floods, not seen in the past six decades, in addition to the scourge of subnational violence. In October 2022, a very critical breach took place in the dykes, which allowed a forceful gush of water to flood the surrounding areas. The flow of water was at such speeds that engineering equipment could not reach the breach. If unaddressed, the floods could have led to the death of over 40,000 internally displaced persons. The breach was detected by a dyke monitoring patrol and all UNMISS personnel at Bentiu joined together at the breach location to fill sandbags and make repairs in 48 hours saving nearly 40,000 lives.
OTÁVIO RODRIGUES DE MIRANDA FILHO, Force Commander for the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), said there are many current and evolving trends threating civilians. At the State level, MONUSCO’s main concern is the weak capacity of security actors and a weak justice system. “The level of impunity is too high,” he stressed. Illegal armed groups often target civilians and the most vulnerable. He warned of a “cycle of retaliatory violence”. It is, therefore, essential to focus on boosting engagement and dialogue, create safe civilian spaces and advocate their protection with political leaders in both the national and provincial levels. Joint operations, whenever possible, provide a local security presence to international operations. Being able to deploy air assets, for example, is essential as well.
A complex and dynamic operational landscape, including new threats, such as disinformation, has affected MONUSCO’s efforts to prevent and respond to threats against civilians, he continued. Freedom of movement has been compromised by attacks on patrols. Manipulation through the information domain has eroded the support of the population, making it much more difficult to carry out patrols in the protection of civilians. “We must understand that we are going to operate in a hostile environment with a high possibility of armed confrontation,” he said. Emphasizing the importance of ensuring that missions have proper equipment and military training, he also added: “The militaries must know that they are going to a war environment.”
The military personnel must be professional, preferably with previous experience, he said. Troop-contributing countries must avoid sending newly recruited personnel. “The posture and the self-confidence of the troops makes a significant difference in the result of the implementation of the mandate,” he stressed. Providing language classes prior to deployment whenever possible is crucial. But, the most important aspect of peacekeeping operations is the leadership of the commanders, he said, adding that one weak commander can compromise it all. Further, it is key to invest in improving data and the use of technology and demand more females in the force of peacekeeping missions. “Women civilians are more likely to talk with women peacekeepers,” he added.
AROLDO LÁZARO SÁENZ, Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), said that the 2006 war between Israel and Hizbullah had a devastating impact on civilians on both sides. In the aftermath of the conflict, UNIFIL became one of the currently six United Nations peacekeeping missions with a protection-of-civilians mandate. In UNIFIL’s area of operation, there is presently no clear identified imminent physical threat to civilians and the Force’s protection of civilian efforts are focused on prevention. The prevention aspect is achieved through robust deployment across the area of operation, situational awareness, and dialogue and engagement with the parties to the conflict. UNIFIL has established a tripartite forum – a key confidence-building and conflict-management tool – which is the only venue where Lebanese and Israeli forces are in the same room in addressing security concerns.
The forum is the cornerstone of the Force’s coordination and liaison mechanisms and a vital platform for de-confliction, confidence-building and conflict-prevention between the parties which remain technically at war. For instance, following cross-Blue Line rocket fire on 6 April and subsequent Israeli air strikes, the parties were able to pass messages to deconflict, avoid misunderstandings and facilitate safe travel to the launch sites to prevent further rocket fire. UNIFIL’s Liaison Branch has teams of unarmed observers, deployed north and south of the Blue Line. They maintain regular contact with the Israel Defense Forces and Lebanese Armed Forces on the ground. UNIFIL, like other missions, has recently been fighting an unprecedented rise in mis- and disinformation campaigns, which have the potential to create tensions and undermine the image and effectiveness of the Force, including by contributing to a decline in the local consent indispensable for the safety of UNIFIL peacekeepers and access to the area of operations.
Regarding physical protection, UNIFIL is deployed with a robust and visible presence, he said. This includes more than 450 daily operational activities, conducted both independently and in close coordination with the Lebanese Armed Forces, and throughout the area of operations. UNIFIL also assists the Lebanese Armed Forces in keeping the area of operations free of unauthorized armed personnel, assets and weapons through coordinated operations. However, UNIFIL faces challenges in accessing all sites of interest, such as the unauthorized firing ranges. Women and youth are essential partners in all tiers of the protection-of-civilians policy. UNIFIL ensures full participation of female peacekeepers in its operational activities. Lastly, it is critical to manage expectations: the type of conflict that could reignite between Lebanon and Israel would likely lead to significant civilian casualties, despite the Force’s preparedness and efforts. It is all the more important to invest in prevention, the best possible protection-of-civilians strategy, and work to address the root causes of the conflict, he stressed, calling for the collective and individual support of Council members.
Statements
HAROLD ADLAI AGYEMAN (Ghana) highlighted that, with more than 1 million men and women, from 125 countries, deployed by the United Nations to about 72 peacekeeping operations since 1948, peacekeeping has remained a preferred tool for the maintenance of international peace and security over the past 75 years. On current trends of threats to civilians in peacekeeping context, he noted the continued targeting of civilian populations to spread fear and nominal control through the increasing use of improvised explosive devices against civilians and peacekeepers and the adoption of terror as a tactic by groups to dissuade local populations from cooperating with national authorities. Against this backdrop, he inquired about specific examples where intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities have been integrated with technological and strategic communication tools to mobilize local populations to help prevent attacks by terrorists and armed groups. Also, he asked how missions have gone about rebuilding trust with the local populations and host Governments in contexts where prevention and response fail, and civilians suffer attacks from armed groups.
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