India adopts 'zero-tolerance' policy for serious misconduct of peacekeepers: Amb Tirumurti

United Nations, June 30

India pays great attention to the conduct of peacekeepers and has adopted a “zero-tolerance” policy for sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA)-related serious misconduct, and the country aims to strengthen mechanisms to ensure prevention and mitigation of these issues, India’s envoy to the UN has said.

Speaking at the high-level meeting with the UN Member States on ‘Strengthening the Conduct of Peacekeeping Personnel’ on Monday, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador TS Tirumurti said a clean image of the UN peacekeeper was the cornerstone for the success of United Nations peace operations.

India, which is among the largest troop contributing countries to UN peacekeeping missions, is also the only country among the top 20 troop contributing countries that does not figure in the list of SEA-related cases on the UN website.

“India pays great attention to the conduct of the peacekeepers. We have adopted a ‘zero-tolerance’ policy for sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA)-related serious misconduct and aim to strengthen mechanisms to ensure prevention and mitigation of these issues,” he said.

Tirumurti said prevention lay at the core of India’s efforts to combat SEA and serious misconduct issues, and screening, training, and awareness were the prime components of this approach. PTI