Topic: 2025 – Criminal Accountability of UN Officials
Country: Indonesia
Delegate Name: Colton Kolka
Country: Indonesia
Delagate: Colton Kolka
School: Williamston High School
Committee: Legal
Topic: Criminal Accountability of UN Officials
With global outreach and connectivity at an all time high, the rate of crime and assualt in foreign nations committed by United Nations (UN) officials is higher than ever. According to the United Nations, in 2020, around 100 sexual exploitations and abuse allegations were recieved. Assaults were happening during missions, especially the one to the Democratic Republic of the Congo as it was responsible for 90% of said allegations. Although UN officials have some legal protections, those protections are in place to ensure their mission is being enacted to its fullest extent, not placing officials above the law, free to do whatever they please. Officials who break the set standards must be held accountable, if not for pure moral reasons but for the survivors sake, to help them start the healing process. The UN has made an effort into providing a legal framework for the process of criminal accountabilty but detail could be pushed further.
Indonesia has committed to helping victims of crime and working to end officials who abuse their position. Indonesia helped establish a protection from sexual exploitation, abuse and sexual harassment (PSEAH) network through the United Nations in Indonesia. This helped network resources to multiple areas, giving survivors many options in many places on where to go to report abuse. PSEAH has worked to inform and train UN members against sexual exploitation and abuse to further prevent the spread of assualts. PSEAH also centers around the survivor, assuring they get the help they need and justice will get served. Indonesia has also backed UN proposals for a legal framework convention to provide accountability for criminal officials.
Indonesia is committing to a zero-tolerance approach to help end sexual explotation and abuse. Indonesia believes transparency and a clear, consise, legal framework is needed for the process of holding UN officials accountable. A listed course of action for discipline and the consequences of actions would thoroughly get the job done. Without this, the option for offenders to stay in a cycle of abuse and go unchecked is very possible and that does not stop abuse and bring justice for survivors. Responsibility for punishment should mainly lie with the offender’s home country to protect national sovereignty but a framework should be followed to ensure action is taken and justice is served. Indonesia looks to work with its allies in the association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other willing countries. The line of legal protection v.s. crime committed needs to be drawn clearly and when sexual exploitation and abuse is involved there is no room for error.
