UN official says member states must acknowledge paternity of children fathered by peacekeepers

A United Nations representative said the organization and member states share responsibility for children fathered by peacekeepers and that some peacekeepers have admitted paternity, allowing processes to begin for recognition and support.

"We have had a few cases where the peacekeepers have admitted the paternity, and so the process can start for recognition of the child and to provide the maintenance and support for that child and to the mother," the United Nations representative said. "Member states, many of them, have national legislative frameworks that make it difficult for them to take on the responsibility of paternity because many of them view the situation of paternity as a private obligation."

The representative said the United Nations views the matter differently because member states provide personnel to peacekeeping operations and therefore bear responsibility to ensure those personnel acknowledge paternity. The official said the UN has not always given sustained attention to this part of its conduct-and-discipline work but that it is now focusing on the issue "because these are children left behind."

The representative added: "And it really is our role as the United Nations to acknowledge our responsibilities and to work with the member states who have been part of this problem that we've been dealing with."

The meeting transcript does not specify how many cases exist, which member states are involved, or any changes to formal UN policy or specific legislative remedies. No formal vote or binding decision was recorded in the transcript excerpt; the remarks describe the UN's stated intent to increase focus and to work with member states on the problem.

Details about next steps, timelines, or the legal mechanisms member states would use to acknowledge paternity were not specified in the transcript excerpt.