U.S. Wants to Toughen U.N. Response to Peacekeeper Misconduct
U.S. Wants to Toughen U.N. Response to Peacekeeper Misconduct - Agence France-Presse
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The United States has presented a draft Security Council resolution aimed at toughening the UN response to failures by peacekeepers in their mission to protect civilians, US Ambassador Nikki Haley said Wednesday.
UN peacekeeping missions are facing a damaging wave of allegations of sex abuse and of failing to come to the aid of civilians caught up in violence, notably in the Central African Republic and South Sudan.
The draft text, seen by AFP, would reinforce measures such as repatriating peacekeepers, replacing units and withholding UN payments for soldiers involved in misconduct -- penalties that have irked troop-contributing countries.
"We hear far too many stories of civilians who are vulnerable, who put their trust in peacekeepers, and our peacekeepers fail to protect them," Haley told a council debate on peacekeeping.
The draft resolution will "accelerate progress on improving peacekeeping performance," she said.
The United States, which is the number one financial contributor to the UN's peacekeeping budget of $6.9 billion, has moved to cut funding amid concerns over misconduct and poor performance of some missions.
But Russia and China cautioned that the views of troop-contributing countries must be taken into account and called for improved training of peacekeepers, instead of penalties…