Security Council Resolution 2518 (2020) [on Safety and Security of Peacekeepers]

S/RES/2518 (2020)View PDF

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the Security Council, under agenda item 18United Nations peacekeeping operations, published in 2020.

What other versions does this mandate have?

3 versions · 2020–2026

This is an older version — the most recent is S/RES/2823 (2026)

2026S/RES/2823 (2026)Security Council resolution 2823 (2026) [on safety and security of peacekeepers]LatestCompare with previous version
2021S/RES/2589 (2021)Security Council resolution 2589 (2021) [on safety and security of peacekeepers]Compare with previous version
2020S/RES/2518 (2020)Security Council resolution 2518 (2020) [on safety and security of peacekeepers]

Versions are identified automatically by matching titles within the same organ (~97% accuracy on a manual audit).

What subjects does this mandate have?

3 topics

Peacekeeping Operations Security Management Staff Security

What does this mandate say?

15 operative paragraphs

Stresses the importance of supporting United Nations peacekeeping operations, recognizes the crucial role peacekeeping plays in achieving conditions for stability and a lasting peace, and emphasizes the importance of enhancing the safety and security of peacekeepers;

Requests the host states to fulfil their obligations to facilitate access and freedom of movement for United Nations peacekeepers and their equipment consistent with the mandate, including for casualty and medical evacuation, and requests the Secretariat to instruct all peacekeeping missions to systematically document violations of status-of-forces agreements and that Mission leadership should use this information to monitor and resolve risks to the safety and security of peacekeepers as necessary;

Calls on all Member States hosting peacekeeping operations to promptly investigate and effectively prosecute those responsible for attacks on United Nations personnel, and to keep the relevant Troop-and Police-Contributing Countries informed of the progress of such investigations and prosecutions;

Notes that peacekeepers are deployed in deteriorating and complex political and security environments, and face asymmetrical and complex threats, underscores the importance of ensuring that peacekeeping missions evolve their capacities and systems to remain agile and effective in implementing their mandates in specific operating contexts to enhance safety and security of peacekeepers and mission protection, including through the provision of adequate medical facilities and critical capabilities;

Requests the Secretary-General to continue to take all appropriate measures to enhance the safety and security of peacekeeping personnel, including by strengthening, where necessary, peacekeeping missions’ situational awareness through measures to improve their information acquisition and analysis capacities, including surveillance and monitoring capacities, within the limits of their mandate and area of operation;

Calls upon Member States and the United Nations to ensure safe, enabling and gender-sensitive working environments for women in peacekeeping operations and to address threats and violence against them;

Reaffirms its determination to take effective steps to further enhance the partnership between the United Nations and regional as well as sub-regional organizations in relation to safety and security of peacekeepers. Encourages partnerships to support the African Union’s efforts to continue to develop policy, guidance and training to ensure the safety and security of its peacekeepers;

Requests United Nations peacekeeping operations to enhance engagements and communications with the host governments, the local authorities and the population to build trust and mutual understanding and improve safety and security;

Calls for measures to enhance operational health support, including to establish well-defined and practical medical standards for peacekeeping operations, accelerate the ongoing efforts to improve the system of medical support and casualty evacuation for injured peacekeepers, ensure adequate medical facilities and qualified personnel are deployed to provide the essential 10-1-2 response at all times, within the mission area and as close to deployment of Troop-and Police-Contributing Countries as possible through the life of the mission;

Requests the Secretary-General to review and ensure uniformity of United Nations standards on training and performance, thereby improving safety and security of peacekeepers, and calls upon Member States to take action to help enhance training for United Nations peacekeepers, including but not limited to countering improvised explosive devices, mitigating threats from improvised explosive devices, health, and basic first aid, with the support of the Secretariat as appropriate;

Reaffirms the critical link between safety and security and the performance of civilian and uniformed peacekeeping personnel, and in that regard welcomes the initiatives undertaken by the Secretary-General to standardize a culture of performance in UN peacekeeping, recalls its requests in its resolution 2378 (2017) and resolution 2436 (2018) that the Secretary-General ensure that performance data related to the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations is used to improve mission operations, including decisions such as those regarding deployment, remediation, repatriation and incentives, reaffirms its support for the development of a comprehensive and integrated performance policy framework that identifies clear standards of performance for evaluating all United Nations civilian and uniformed personnel working in and supporting peacekeeping operations that facilitates effective and full implementation of mandates, and includes comprehensive and objective methodologies based on clear and well-defined benchmarks to ensure accountability for underperformance and incentives and recognition for outstanding performance;

Calls on the United Nations to further operationalize the Light Coordination Mechanism, to facilitate and further coordinate improved training and capacity building activities between Member States to include Troop-and Police-Contributing Countries, providers of training and capacity building, and the United Nations, and encourages Member States to engage with this mechanism, with the aim of improving training on safety and security;

Takes note of the ongoing work of the Secretariat in developing a strategy to better integrate the use of new technologies for the purposes of increasing safety and security, improving situational awareness, enhancing field support and facilitating substantive mandate implementation. Encourages Troop-and Police-Contributing Countries and Field-Missions to support field-focused, reliable and cost-effective new technologies that are driven by the practical needs of end users on the ground and in this regard stresses the need for consultations with Member States and host countries, as appropriate;

Requests the Secretary-General to report progress on improving safety and security of peacekeepers, including on the issues set out in this resolution in his comprehensive annual briefing mandated by its resolution 2378 (2017);

Decides to remain seized of the matter.

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