Comprehensive Review of the Whole Question of Peacekeeping ...

A/57/767
other civilian personnel and requests that the Secretary-General include information
on the progress in this regard in his reports to the Committee.
155. The Special Committee takes note of the need to further improve information
collection, analysis and dissemination both at Headquarters and in the field and
recommends that the strengthened capacity of the Department of Peacekeeping
Operations, especially that of the Situation Centre, be utilized for this purpose. The
Committee stresses the importance of these capabilities, which would be helpful for
troop-contributing countries in their decision-making regarding participation, as
well as in their training of appropriate personnel to meet specific mission
requirements.
156. Considering that the majority of recent incidents involving the death or injury
of personnel in United Nations peacekeeping missions resulted from accidents, the
Special Committee welcomes the establishment of a safety council to promote safety
awareness, both at Headquarters and in the field, and encourages its active work.
The Committee believes that the Secretariat could benefit from the expertise of
safety programmes of Member States, including in the areas of flight safety, vehicle
safety and health and fire prevention. The Committee encourages Member States to
share with the Secretariat relevant information on national safety programmes.
157. The Special Committee requests information on the status of the Secretariat’s
work to formalize a policy on protection from nuclear, biological and chemical
threats in the field.
158. The Special Committee reiterates its support for the establishment of an entry
point for safety and security in the Peacekeeping Best Practices Unit. The
Committee also notes that the Secretary-General stated in his report that the
Department of Peacekeeping Operations hopes to resubmit its request for a full-time
security and safety focal point.
159. The Special Committee notes with appreciation the progress achieved by the
Department of Peacekeeping Operations in ensuring the safety of air operations in
peacekeeping operations, in particular through the implementation of international
aviation standards, the evaluation of air carrier documentation and procedures, the
use of rigorous contractual procedures and the continuous monitoring of the
Department’s aviation operations. The Committee stresses the need to ensure that
high standards be maintained at all times, especially when entering into partnerships
with other United Nations agencies.
160. The Special Committee requests the Secretariat to ensure that expeditious,
comprehensive, impartial and transparent investigations or inquiries are conducted
into incidents leading to loss of life or serious injury among personnel deployed in
United Nations peacekeeping missions and to provide all troop-contributing
countries in the concerned mission with a copy of all internal United Nations
investigations or inquiries, including the final outcome, at the earliest stage possible.
Early implementation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to avoid repetition
of such accidents should be encouraged. Information on measures actually
implemented to avoid the repetition of such accidents should also be made available,
as soon as possible, to all troop-contributing countries of the concerned mission.
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