Committee: Security Council
Topic: Abuse by Peacekeepers
Country: Kuwait
While the UN Peacekeepers have a duty to maintain peace and security, assist the political process, and protect civilians, there have been multiple reports of sexual abuse and misconduct in the last 20 years. Despite the increasing number of reports, only 53 people in uniform and 1 person out of uniform have been jailed. Though peacekeepers agree to a standards of conduct (which states that peacekeepers must “respect local laws, customs and practices, treat host country inhabitants with respect, courtesy and consideration, and act with impartiality, integrity and tact.”), its implementation is not being used effectively. The abusive peacekeepers are using the resources of the country’s inhabitants as exploitation. The countries they are in are already in a vulnerable state, and peacekeepers are simply making this worse.
Kuwait firmly believes in the necessity of UN Peacekeepers. When Iraq invaded Kuwait in the 1990s, peacekeepers were instrumental in the reparation of Kuwait’s society. UN spending equalled $600 million on the border of Kuwait and Iraq for the situation with peacekeepers. Despite this, Kuwait recognizes the urgency and concern of this problem. Kuwait does not see this problem as a direct action of the United Nations, but rather as a “call-to-action” for other nations. Kuwait sees these actions as a direct violation of terrorism and violent extremism. Other nations should begin to recognize sexual violence as this kind of act, and not rely on the United Nations to infringe upon their national sovereignty.
Kuwait, as previously stated, is deeply concerned with the abuse by UN Peacekeepers. Moreover, the United Nations prides itself on promoting international wellbeing, they have failed and are continuing to fail on protecting the world from abuse by peacekeepers. However, the sensitivity of conditions of peacekeepers is not something to be overlooked; the effectiveness of a peacekeeping mission is somewhat dependent on the conditions of the area, and variables like climate change, immigration, and displacement can interfere with the overall success of the United Nations. Kuwait believes that the council must take swift action, not only to properly convict abusive peacekeepers, but to also address the nature of peacekeeping organizations. Reform, which obviously needs to take place, starts with clearing up the definitions of meaningful mandates. The Security Council needs to begin with clearing up the mission of UN Peacekeepers, and start delving into more specifics on their role in global peace.
- Katherine Sundeen
