Topic: 2025 – Criminal Accountability of UN Officials
Country: Ukraine
Delegate Name: Jaclyn Charbauski
Committee: LEGAL
Topic: Criminal Accountability of UN Officials
Country: Ukraine
Delegate Name: Jaclyn Charbauski
School: Forest Hills Northern
One of the United Nation’s main purposes is to maintain international peace and security. Since its founding it has upheld this principle by employing thousands of UN workers to operate in conflict zones and developing countries to solve humanitarian issues between nations. In order to ensure they can perform their duties without fear of coercion or pressure from individual member states, UN officials are granted immunity from legal process for words spoken or written and from all acts performed while working in other nations. This allows them to do their work without being held accountable for actions that may be illegal in individual member states. Immunity is necessary for the UN to carry out its actions. However, in recent years, concern has risen about just how far that immunity goes. There have been hundreds of cases in several countries where this immunity has permitted UN officials to engage in morally wrongful acts such as corruption, exploitation, and abuse without consequences. Specifically Haiti, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have brought this issue into the light. Thus, raises the controversy of how to allow UN officials to carry out their duties, while balancing the length that their immunity should go.
Although the criminal accountability of UN officials is not a major issue in Ukraine, it is still impacting Ukraine due to its impact on the globe. Ukraine believes in full criminal accountability of United Nations officials and experts, as their “special status” should not protect them from criminal actions. As is already evident, when officials aren’t held accountable it creates a dangerous world full of fear from these untouchable administrators. Ukraine has in past years urged cooperation between the UN and individual member states to facilitate investigations of crimes. However, this is a short-term solution and it needs a larger fix. Ukraine stands behind the belief that no one is above the law and there should be zero-tolerance for any crime. The biggest concern Ukraine has is the process and effectiveness of international justice mechanisms, specifically the International Criminal Court (ICC) to hold UN officials accountable.
At the 67th session of the UN General Assembly, the Delegation of Ukraine stated, “All Member States should focus on closer cooperation between themselves and with the United Nations with the aim to facilitate due investigations of the crimes.” This is what need to be done to ensure that UN officials are held accountable to their actions. Investigations by either the ICC or the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) need to be done on a regular basis to keep UN officials from engaging in criminal activity. For removing their immunity all together is not an option. Unfortunately, there has been an increase in the number of deaths and injuries due to deliberate attacks against United Nations peacekeeping missions. Over 3,000 Blue Helmets dead. Thus, the Nations cannot drop protective measures. Officials need to be accountable, yes, but they must also be safe.
