India has recently launched a ‘Group of Friends’ to promote accountability for crimes against peacekeepers.

About:

• This Group of Friends will act as a platform to promote accountability for all acts of violence against the United Nations peacekeepers by facilitating support to the host state, creating awareness, exchanging information, sharing best practices, supporting initiatives, and mobilizing resources.
• Bangladesh, Egypt, France, India, Morocco and Nepal have joined the group as co-chairs to promote accountability for crimes against peacekeepers.
• Group of Friends represents the “political will” of member states, particularly of the troop and police contributing countries, to champion the implementation of the provisions of U.N. Security Council resolution 2589, which was adopted in August last year under India’s Presidency of the Council.
  • Resolution 2589had called upon member states, hosting or having hosted United Nations peacekeeping operations, to take all appropriate measures to bring to justice perpetrators of the killing of, and all acts of violence against United Nations personnel, including, but not limited to, their detention and abduction.