UN Police briefing highlights A4P+ progress, training, gender goals and digital tools
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Sign Up Free
Summary
A United Nations briefing to the Security Council outlined progress under the Action for Peacekeeping Plus (A4P+) agenda, advances in training and gender targets for United Nations Police, and plans to expand digital tools and cooperation with host countries.
A United Nations official speaking from Kinshasa told the Security Council that United Nations Police remain central to peacekeeping operations and that member states, host governments and contributors have a stake in ensuring UN police are prepared, equipped and resourced for evolving threats.
“We deeply appreciate the Security Council recognition of United Nations peacekeeping as 1 of the most effective tools in the promotion and maintenance of international peace and security,” the official said, adding that recognition of the “critical role United Nations Police plays in peacekeeping” underpins recent reforms.
The briefing said the Action for Peacekeeping Plus (A4P+) agenda and its monitoring have helped close gaps between mandates and what missions can deliver. The speaker said the Department of Peace Operations recently released a sixth A4P+ progress report and highlighted seven priority areas, including coherence behind political strategies, operational integration, capability and mindset enhancements, accountability, gender and strategic communications.
As examples of operational work, the briefing described United Nations Police activity in the Central African Republic, where UN police are reported to be training internal security forces ahead of elections and supporting development of a national police code of ethics and a security work plan. The official said UN Police in UNISFA have contributed to a rule-of-law support strategy for the Abyei area, and that UN Police in South Sudan are building the capacity of female host-state officers.
On capability development, the speaker said the United Nations Police Commanders course underwent a revision pilot in Nairobi in January, and preparations are underway for a 2026 meeting of the contingent-owned equipment working group. The briefing also described community-oriented and intelligence-led policing initiatives intended to enhance both mission effectiveness and the safety of peacekeepers.
Gender and personnel figures were highlighted: the briefing stated that "Women currently comprise 1 in 5 United Nations Police officers, including 32% of individual police officers and 17% of members of foreign police units," and that the United Nations Police achieved their gender parity targets for 2024. The official also referenced extended pilots under an "ELC initiative" through 2026 that have refurbished or constructed accommodations intended to meet the needs of female peacekeepers.
On technology, the speaker said the strategy for digital transformation guides efforts to modernize peacekeeping, citing work to advance use of an integrated platform described in the briefing as "UN AWARE," which was characterized as a consolidated database for patrol planning, incident reporting and operational activities to improve situational awareness.
The briefing closed by urging continued support from member states for A4P+ priorities and for contributions of qualified police personnel, and by noting the forthcoming peacekeeping ministerial-level meeting in Berlin as an occasion to discuss how UN Police training and capacity-building might be improved and broadened.
Less-critical details noted in the briefing included references to specific pilot projects (five pilots completed in four missions, according to the speaker), the sixth A4P+ progress report (described as recently released), and scheduling references (a 2026 contingent-owned equipment working group meeting).