Delegation from the United Kingdom

Position Paper for the Security Council

The United Nations (UN) Security Council (SC) is addressing the following topics: I. Protection of
Civilians in Armed Conflicts; II. The Situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC); and III.
The Use of Robust Mandates in Peacekeeping. The United Kingdom (UK) recognizes that these topics
are crucial to the global community and is determined to find solutions to both topics.

I. Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflicts

Almost 90% of war victims are civilians. However, according to UN Youth, children and youth are most
affected by armed conflict in most countries. Over 19.000 children were affected by recruitment and
deployment, killing and maiming, rape and other forms of sexual violence, or abduction, in accordance
with the Secretary-General's Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC)(2021). All
subsequent resolutions aiming at creating guidelines for the protection of civilians in armed conflicts
were to be based on the Resolution S/RES/1265 on The Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict (1999)
and the Report of the Secretary-General on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict (S/2019/373).
In 2014, the “Children, Not Soldiers” initiative was launched to end and prevent the recruitment and use
of children in armed conflicts. The campaign resulted in the release and reintegration of more than
13,000 child soldiers. Although the campaign ended at the end of 2016, a desired consensus about this
theme was reached. Also, the European Union (EU) actively supports advancing, defending, and
upholding the rights of all children. For instance, in 2019 10% of EU humanitarian funding was spent
on ensuring children have access to safe education systems. Further, the UK is a member of the UN
Working Group on CAAC (2005), which coordinates global initiatives to safeguard children caught up
in armed conflicts and aids the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) by exerting
diplomatic pressure on designated states and armed groups. Additionally, with more than £800.000
over the previous five years and an additional over £450.000 for 2019 to 2020 in support of their
mandate, the UK is the UN SRSG Office's largest single financial contribution to CAAC. The UK strongly
recognizes the traumatic stress experienced by civilians, especially children, in armed conflicts.
Therefore, to prevent these traumatic stress experiences, the UK proposes the start of a program called
“Safe Place” where several shelters for civilians in armed conflicts are being connected by a tunnel
system. This program should officially start when full consent is reached. With the help of UN Children's
Fund (UNICEF), every child on site should know about these tunnel systems and be prepared to use
them in armed conflicts if needed. These shelters and tunnel systems should be built in such a way that
only UN personnel can deny or grant entry. The construction of a tunnel system and the
search/construction of shelters should start in the countries where, according to UNICEF data, most
children are affected by above mentioned human rights violations. These tunnel systems and shelters
should be built with the help of experts such as civil engineers and architects and should be therefore
leaded by the UN Development Programme. The full support of all Member States is needed here.
Strict secrecy is to be maintained by all parties involved. A conference on the program “Safe Place” this
year will give all Member States the opportunity to express their opinion on the solution since complete
consent is needed. The UK would like to hold this conference once a year in London. The meeting can
of course be held more often if this seems necessary by the majority of the members. And the UK would
of course be willing to contribute financially. To conclude, most civilians in armed conflicts, especially
children who have no one left, are always looking for a place of refuge. Further, it is high time that they
get a safe place and the security that comes with it.

II. The Situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Not only are 5.6 million Congolese internally displaced, but also had the DRC to face a 64% poverty
rate in 2021, reported by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. And as the fifth-poorest country
worldwide, over 27 million civilians in DRC are facing severe and acute food insecurity, according to
the World Bank and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The SC recommended
in resolution S/RES/1925 (2010) on The situation in the DRC that the UN Mission in the DRC (MONUC)
should concentrate more of its mandate on stabilization initiatives. Unfortunately, the UN Organization
Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) has faced a significant amount of criticism lately. Even,
protests against MONUSCO started in 2022 in the Congolese city of Goma. Protesters are still accusing
MONUSCO with doing nothing to put an end to the country's protracted conflict. Now, due to the lack
of trust among civilians, it is extremely challenging for MONUSCO to fulfil its duty. The DRC and the
Great Lakes region's most vulnerable citizens received more than €82 million in humanitarian support
from the EU. And as the DRC's greatest bilateral contributor, the UK provided more than 130 million in
desperately needed aid for humanitarian, educational, and health purposes (2009 -2010). Also in 2009,
the UK contributed £62 million to the MONUC peacekeeping force and up to £50 million to help the
DRC fight Ebola and help raise surrounding countries to respond to this epidemic. Addressing the
urgent need to rebuild trust with the civilians in DRC, the UK proposes a reformation of MONUSCO.
The reformation of MONUSCO aims to give the civilians, mainly the protestants, a sense of
achievement and awareness. Part of the reformation is the participation of 200 Congolese volunteers
in the activities of the MONUSCO. These 200 Congolese volunteers, selected by the government of the
DRC, are to serve as peacekeepers in MONUSCO, so in DRC. To maintain equality, the volunteers
should consist of 100 women and 100 men. Before the final deployment of the participants, 2 months
probationary period should be granted to each. Agreement between both, the participants, and the
current peacekeepers, is crucial for any further progress in building trust. This reformation of
MONUSCO should be leaded by the SRSG in the DRC. Also, this participation and involvement should
be financed by the UN peacekeeping budget. And a conference on the “Reformation of MONUSCO”
this year in London, if complete consent by the Member States allows, would provide an opportunity to
discuss specific details of the solution. This conference should be held twice a year in order not to
neglect the urgency of the current situation in DRC. And of course, the UK would contribute its financial
part for this conference. To be clear, once trust is rebuilt, it is easier to work with the civilians. After all,
we share the same interests, namely helping DRC out of this humanitarian crisis.

I. The Use of Robust Mandates in Peacekeeping

The SC gives a strong mandate to UN peacekeepers in separately unstable situations to interdict violent
attempts to obstruct democratic process and avoid threats of offensives physical, protecting civilians
from the law and/or assisting nationals in maintaining the law. However, robust mandates for
peacekeeping frequently fail to enforce state law or offer accountability measures. The Member States
acknowledge that peacekeeping is one of the most significant instruments used in advancing both
international peace and security through The Declaration of Shared Commitments (2018) on UN
Peacekeeping Operations. Further, the Responsibility to Protect (2005) was supported by all Member
States and it was designed to ensure that the international community never fails to prevent conflicts in
which human rights are clearly violated. Furthermore, within the framework of The Common Security
and Defence Policy (CSDP) (1999), the EU plays a leading role in peacekeeping operations. Already
this year, 21 CSDP missions and operations are underway. And the UK has also supported the UN and
the advocacy of UN peacekeeping in the UK through the UN Association – UK (1945) since its inception.
Additionally, the UK participates deeply in UN peacekeeping through the institution of peacekeeping
mandates, the delivery of peacekeeping resources and troop contributions. As well, the UK is a
significant funder of peacekeeping operations. It provides 6,68 % of the complete UN budget for
peacekeeping operations. According to the resolution A/RES/49/37 on Comprehensive review of the
whole question of peacekeeping operations in all their aspects, Member States are in charge for
ensuring that all personnel deployed to UN peacekeeping operations get Pre-deployment Training in
all aspects. Therefore, the UK believes in launching the "Wiser with Education" program that will adapt
the online Civilian Pre-deployment Training courses published on the UN Peacekeeping Resource Hub,
for UN peacekeepers. It should be more specific at the political, cultural, legal, and historical situation
of the country of deployment. This adaptation is to be done with the help of the Integrated Training
Service (ITS), the data from UN Information Centres and from UN Statistics Division, the Codification
Division (Office of Legal Affairs), and the Department of Operational Support. Due to the already existing
management of the current online site, ITS should lead this program. After 2 months of disciplined
theory learning, the knowledge level should be tested by a 2 hour online exam. No passing 85% in the
exam will mean a repetition of the 2 months. In this way, the level of knowledge is monitored, and the
test is taken even more seriously. To give this solution more room for constructive change, UK proposes
a conference on the program "Wiser with Education" in London. To increase the possibility of reaching
complete consent, this conference should be holding twice a year. If fully approved by all Member
States, the program could be implemented immediately. This can of course be adjusted by the majority
of the members if the need arises. Like the current website, this program should be financed from the
UN peacekeeping budget. Furthermore, by becoming more familiar with the current political, cultural,
historical, and legal situation of the country of operation, peacekeeping mandates can remain effective
and relevant in an ever-changing threat environment, because it will be easier for the UN peacekeeper
to understand certain situation and to react to them better. As a result, more specific training in relation
to the country of deployment can also strengthen the robust mandates of peacekeeping missions.