Topic: 2025 – Criminal Accountability of UN Officials
Country: South Africa
Delegate Name: Caitlyn Leahy
Country: South Africa
Delegate: Caitlyn Leahy
School: Williamston High School
Committee: Legal
Topic: Criminal Accountability of UN Officials
Peacekeepers play an important role in the United Nations(UN) and maintaining world peace. One of the ways UN Peacekeepers and officials can continue to operate in different countries and under many governments is by giving them special legal protections so local governments cannot interfere with their missions. Unfortunately, some soldiers use their privilege and legal protections as a way to get away with their crimes. Specifically, there are many allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation among UN officials, including almost four hundred sexual assault allegations in 2023. Bribery and corruption are also common accusations against UN soldiers, which makes the UN appear untrustworthy. Some of the most alarming allegations are of peacekeepers in the Congo, Haiti, and the Central African Republic exchanging sexual favors from young girls for food and small sums of money. The responsibility of punishing sex offenders in the UN usually lies with the individuals’ home country, but they are often ignored by the government so the country’s reputation is not hurt in the UN. The violent and unethical actions of peacekeepers and the UN’s failure to hold them properly accountable tarnishes the reputation of the UN and contradicts the entire purpose of the United Nations to create peace.
As previously stated, a majority of the responsibility to punish individuals who break the law while they are affiliated with the UN lies with the country of their origin. Soldiers from South Africa who are accused of sexual assault and other crimes are regularly called back to South Africa where they are investigated by the government and must answer for their crimes. Although a majority of the UN peacekeepers are stationed in Africa, there are very few in South Africa due to its political stability. South Africa contributes almost two-thousand UN peacekeepers, the fifteenth most contributing country in the UN.
South Africa believes that in order to reduce the amount of criminal activity in the UN, both the individuals who commit these crimes and the higher up authorities must be reprimanded harshly from the UN itself. South Africa believes that in order to discourage these activities the punishments must be severe and that those who commit crimes in the UN not only be fired but also tried in an international court. South Africa also thinks that enforcing curfew rules and rules against fraternalizing would improve control over the soldiers whereabouts and reduce the amount of crime. South Africa believes that balancing the local governments’ sovereignty and freedom along with making sure the UN’s commitment to justice is being handled appropriately is the key to fixing this issue. It is open to working with many different countries to work out a resolution, including other African countries where these crimes are being committed.
