25 July 2007: United Nations -- Jane Holl Lute, the newly appointed Under Secretary-General of Field Support, an offshoot of Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), has an immense task ahead of her. Last Friday, July 20, her office announced that it would be investigating allegations of sexual misconduct in Cote d’Ivoire. Since then, Morocco, the home nation of those accused of abuse, and DPKO have had “extensive discussions” about what to do next. This comes at a time when a Pakistani officer from the Democratic Republic of the Congo peacekeeping mission came under fire for alleged gold trafficking. Claims of sexual abuse and exploitation by United Nations peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Haiti and other countries further implicate the organization.

 

“We have a zero tolerance policy,” said Lute. “Understand that it means zero complacency, zero impunity and when investigations are conducted, we will take action. We are determined to maintain a posture of constant vigilance. We ask that you [to United Nations correspondents] make the material you have available to us.”

In late June 2007, the General Assembly approved the $230.5 million budget for a new system related to, but not controlled by DPKO, for only a year. Renewal of the new post of Under Secretary-General of field support, now Lute, will be subject to a review of “its efficiency, relevance, and whether the new system protects unity of command,” according to the resolution.

United Nations and Moroccan officials are meeting on allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse by peacekeepers serving with the UN Mission in Cote d’Ivoire (UNOCI) that prompted the suspension of the Moroccan contingent serving in Bouake, a former rebel stronghold in Cote d'Ivoire. The suspension “complies with the United Nations zero tolerance policy with regard to sexual exploitation and abuse,” UNOCI said in a press release.

On July 16, the UN Security Council extended the mandates of the UNOCI and of the French forces that support it until January 1 next year. The UN mission and the French forces involved will “support the organization in Cote d’Ivoire of free, fair, and transparent elections,” the 15-member council said in a resolution. The resolution requested UNOCI to “support the full implementation” of the Ouagadougou peace agreement,” which was signed last March by former rebel leader and Ivorian Prime Minister Guillaume Soro and President Laurent Gbagbo, to unify the country.

The UN’s Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) is finalizing its investigation, announced by the world body last week, as well as a report on the allegations against the Moroccan peacekeepers. “Does OIOS have enough resources? I don't think they do,” said Lute.

“These societies are broken and torn apart by conflict,” said Lute. “Conflict is the only life they know and this makes for a hard place to conduct investigations. We are limited in our actions and must rely on troop contributing countries, such as Morocco. Morocco has reaffirmed its belief in zero tolerance to us. We will conduct a joint investigation.”

She alluded to her years of work to prosecute and punish those who “taint” the image of peacekeepers for all others.

“What progress have we made and where are we going?” said Lute. “I’ve been laboring with my colleagues for a few years. Invariably, we have a retrospective tendency: look how far we’ve come. And a prospective tendency: look how far we have to go. We must maintain the standards of good honor and discipline while securing the commitment of national capital. We must look at tangible things we can do on the ground so that commanders can live up to their roles. We’ve faced a number of turnovers in leadership, but those in charge cannot leave New York without personally associating with our Zero Tolerance policy.”

The Anti-Prostitution Campaign undertaken by DPKO is one such example of this Zero Tolerance Policy. According to Lute, it is ready for “test-piloting” and will be unveiled in Timor Leste in September. The DPKO’s Victim Assistance program, another measure, will offer retributions to those who have been affected, in many cases with illegitimate children as a result.

“Prostitution is illegal in all UN operations, and is against all rules and regulations even if it’s legal in the place where you are serving or the country where you’re from,” said Lute. “We will be talking to troop contributing countries on this issue. There are a number of recommendations for this aid report, and we are considering all of them internally.”

Once a soldier is implicated and found culpable for misdeeds, he or she is tried in their country of origin. This is often seen as a lack of closure for those victimized by such crimes, as the United Nations has no say over the intensity or absence of punishment.

“We have improved,” said Lute. “But it’s not as good as we would like it to be.”

Over a year ago, then Secretary-General Kofi Annan told 150 participants at the High Level Conference on Eliminating Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by UN and NGO Personnel that it is although significant progress has been made on the issue, “we have really only begun to tackle this egregious problem.” At the time, he said that a “small number of individuals” undermined the “admirable and upstanding behavior of the majority of United Nations staff and the uniformed personnel who serve alongside them.”

“There have been a great deal of allegations, but we need to think about if this is a motivated allegation?” said Lute. “These allegations [in Cote d’Ivoire] has proven bases for investigation, but it is premature to discuss what will happen with the battalion. We have provided troops guidance in terms of no-go areas. Rules for peacekeepers are written in a variety of languages. We have produced a video and we require mandatory training once per deployment, but it's in my experience as a soldier, mother and peacekeeper that standards need to be reinforced again and again and again.”