I thank Under-Secretary-General Lacroix and the Police Commissioners for thorough and informative briefings.
Norway has been a Police Contributing Country since 1989. Our support to UN Policing is consistent and comprehensive. It includes deployment of highly qualified personnel as well as financial contributions and policy input.
We have noticed a remarkable development, with UN Police now undertaking a broad specter of duties, including capacity building, operational support, and strengthening policy and formal guidance. This reflects the increasingly complex security situations facing current peace operations, including terrorism and transnational organized crime.
Publications from the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate and INTERPOL acknowledges the nexus between international security threats, and law enforcement matters, such as the fight against impunity. An independent and well-functioning justice sector is fundamental to ensure sustainable peace and good governance, as well reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals.
Norway advocates for a robust police component. Mandates should draw upon the full capabilities of the UN Police to support the protection of civilians, including children, strengthen the rule of law, safeguard human rights, and enhance the capacity of host state police and judicial institutions.
Professionalizing the police and the judicial chain must be emphasized in Security Council mandates. Norway underlines the importance of adequate resources and staffing of the Police Division and OROLSI. New, non-military challenges, demands a proactive and innovative approach.
President,
It is a privilege to state that Norway has among the world’s most gender balanced police services. This year more than 50 percent of new police students at our Police University College were female.
We have brought our gender approach further ahead to an international context through the funding of a program led by the UN Police Division, aiming to increase the number of female UNPOL's. The project is concrete and measurable. We have high expectations to the implementation. Nevertheless, gender balance is not all about numbers, it is also about full, equal and meaningful participation.
In Norway we don’t recruit female police officers to UNPOL; we recruit the best and most competent police officers, regardless of gender. Our female participation is high, usually with around fifty percent female contingent commanders. A long-term national gender strategy has given a solid base of female police, whom we benefit from in our international deployments. We recognize the Police Division's implementation of the Secretary-General's Gender Parity Strategy, where gender and competence go hand in hand.
President,
We are glad to see that the concept of Specialized Police Teams has become an established tool in UN Policing. From the first team deployment in 2010, which was initiated and led by Norway, we now see Specialized Police Teams in most Missions. We encourage the DPO and the Police Division to continue developing the model when reviewing the guidelines next year.
We encourage the Police Division to make use of new technological developments, ensuring that the Strategic Guidance Framework reflects new challenges through innovation and new technical standards. We would like to see technology included as a cross-cutting theme not only for the Ministerial in Seoul but also in the general follow-up of the Secretary-General’s Action for peacekeeping.
In conclusion we strongly encourage the UN and Member States to focus on the important role of the police in conflict and post-conflict settings; including through strong partnerships with regional and non-UN organizations, in particular the African Union and INTERPOL, to ensure smooth transitions and to establish peaceful, sustainable solutions.
Thank you.