Security Council resolution 2409 (2018) [on extension of the mandate of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) until 31 Mar. 2019]
Symbol: S/RES/2409 (2018)
Date: 2018-03-27
Status: adopted
Agenda: S/73 [104] UN ORGANIZATION STABILIZATION MISSION IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
S/73 [102] DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO SITUATION
S/ X The situation concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Subjects: UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo|UN. Group of Experts Established pursuant to Resolution 1533 (2004)|Framework for Peace, Security and Cooperation for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Region (2013)|Political Agreement for the Holding of Peaceful, Credible and Transparent Elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2016)|Charter of the United Nations (1945). Chapter VII|PEACEBUILDING|ELECTIONS|HUMAN RIGHTS IN ARMED CONFLICTS|PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS|INTERNAL SECURITY|DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO|DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO SITUATION
Votes in favour: 15
Votes against: 0
Abstentions: 0
Voting record:
country: BOLIVIA (PLURINATIONAL STATE OF)
vote: yes
country: CHINA
vote: yes
country: CÔTE D'IVOIRE
vote: yes
country: EQUATORIAL GUINEA
vote: yes
country: ETHIOPIA
vote: yes
country: FRANCE
vote: yes
country: KAZAKHSTAN
vote: yes
country: KUWAIT
vote: yes
country: NETHERLANDS
vote: yes
country: PERU
vote: yes
country: POLAND
vote: yes
country: RUSSIAN FEDERATION
vote: yes
country: SWEDEN
vote: yes
country: UNITED KINGDOM
vote: yes
country: UNITED STATES
vote: yes

               United Nations                                                                         S/RES/2409 (2018)
               Security Council                                                     Distr.: General
                                                                                    27 March 2018

                                                                                    Original: English




               Resolution 2409 (2018)
               Adopted by the Security Council at its 8216th meeting, on
               27 March 2018

                     The Security Council,
                    Recalling its previous resolutions and the statements of its President concerning
               the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), especially its resolutions 2389 (2017),
               2360 (2017), 2348 (2017), 2293 (2016), 2277 (2016), 2211 (2015), 2198 (2015), 2147
               (2014), 2136 (2014), and 2098 (2013),
                     Reaffirming the basic principles of peacekeeping, including consent of the
               parties, impartiality, and non-use of force, except in self-defence and defence of the
               mandate, and recognizing that the mandate of each peacekeeping mission is specific
               to the need and situation of the country concerned,
                      Reaffirming its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and
               territorial integrity of the DRC as well as all States in the region and emphasizing the
               need to respect fully the principles of non-interference, good-neighbourliness and
               regional cooperation,
                    Recalling that the Government of the DRC bears the primary responsibility to
               protect civilians within its territory and subject to its jurisdiction, including protection
               from crimes against humanity and war crimes,
                     Reaffirming its strong support for the “Comprehensive and Inclusive Political
               Agreement” signed in Kinshasa on 31 December 2016, which remains the only viable
               path out of the current political situation, calling for a swift and full implementation
               of the agreement, in good faith and in all its components, in order to organize
               peaceful, credible, inclusive and timely elections on 23 December 2018, in line with
               the electoral calendar, leading to a peaceful transfer of power, in accordance with the
               Congolese Constitution,
                      Recalling that full and timely implementation of the 31 December 2016
               agreement and the electoral calendar is critical in supporting the legitimacy of the
               transitional institutions, stressing the crucial importance of a peaceful and credible
               electoral cycle, in accordance with the Constitution and respecting the African
               Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, for lasting stabilization, rule of
               law and consolidation of constitutional democracy in the DRC, and calling on the
               DRC government to immediately implement the confidence-building measures in
               full, as per the agreement, including by putting an end to restrictions of the political
               space in the DRC, in particular arbitrary arrests and detention of members of the




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               political opposition and of civil society, as well as restrictions of fundamental
               freedoms such as the freedom of opinion and expression, freedom of the press, and
               the right of peaceful assembly,
                    Recalling the importance of taking urgent measures to restore confidence
               between all actors involved in the electoral process, stressing the importance of the
               Government of the DRC and its national partners taking all necessary steps to
               accelerate preparations for the elections without further delay, and to ensure an
               environment conducive to the peaceful and inclusive conduct of political activities,
               including the security of all political actors, and reiterating its commitment to act
               accordingly regarding all Congolese actors whose actions and statement impede the
               implementation of the agreement and the timely organization of the elections,
                    Calling upon all parties to continue to reject violence of any kind, exercise
               maximum restraint in their actions and statements, to refrain from provocations such
               as violence and violent speeches, so as not to further inflame the situation, and to
               address their differences peacefully,
                     Remaining deeply concerned by reports of increased serious violations and
               abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law committed
               by some members of the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC), the National
               Intelligence Agency (ANR), the Republican Guard and Congolese National Police
               (PNC), including against members of the opposition and of civil society in the context
               of the electoral process, strongly condemning the killing of civilians by State and
               non-State actors and disproportionate use of force by elements of the security forces,
               including during peaceful protests, in accordance with national legislation, stressing
               the importance of releasing all persons detained arbitrarily, including human rights
               defenders and persons of different political affiliations, and emphasizing that the
               Government of the DRC must respect human rights and refrain from disproportionate
               use of force,
                     Welcoming in that regard the report of the Joint Commission of Inquiry,
               composed of representatives of the Ministries of Human Rights, Justice and Security,
               the National Commission of Human Rights and civil society, set up to investigate
               allegations of human rights violations and abuses committed on 31 December 2017
               and 21 January 2018, which notes “cases of illegal use of force” and of violations of
               the right of freedom of religious assembly, and calling for the implementation of its
               recommendations, including regarding banning the use of live ammunition,
                     Reiterating its concern over the lack of progress in the investigations and
               prosecutions against alleged perpetrators of human rights violations and abuses
               committed during the 2011 electoral process, in January 2015, September and
               December 2016, in December 2017, and January and February 2018, and calling for
               further efforts to hold those responsible to account and fight impunity,
                     Remaining deeply concerned by the persistent high levels of violence and
               violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian
               law, condemning in particular those involving targeted attacks against civilians,
               widespread sexual and gender-based violence, recruitment and use of children by
               armed groups and militias, the forced displacement of significant numbers of
               civilians, extrajudicial executions and arbitrary arrests, recognizing their deleterious
               effect on the stabilization, reconstruction and development efforts in the DRC, and
               emphasizing that all those responsible for all such violations and abuses must be
               swiftly apprehended, brought to justice and held accountable, and calling upon the
               Government of the DRC to facilitate, in line with previous agreements, full and
               unhindered access for the Joint Human Rights Office in the DRC to all detention
               centres, hospitals and morgues and all other premises required for documenting
               human rights violations, as applicable,

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                 Recalling the importance of fighting impunity within all ranks of FARDC and
           PNC, commending the DRC authorities for prosecutions and convictions of members
           of the FARDC and PNC for crimes against humanity and encouraging them to take
           further action, and stressing the need for the Government of the DRC to continue to
           ensure the increased professionalism of its security forces, including the training and
           capacity building aimed at security during public meetings and protests fully
           respecting domestic and international human rights law,
                 Noting that the DRC has continued to suffer from recurring and evolving cycles
           of conflict and persistent violence by armed groups, expressing particular concern at
           the reports of growing inter-communal and militia violence in areas of the DRC, in
           particular in the regions of Kasaï and Tanganyika, including attacks against religious
           institutions, and killings of policemen, further expressing concerns about mass graves
           in the Kasaï region, and calling upon all parties to take appropriate measures to
           protect and respect United Nations, diplomatic and foreign premises, property and
           personnel and other civilians in the DRC,
                 Reiterating its deep concern regarding the security and humanitarian crisis in
           the DRC exacerbated by destabilizing activities of foreign and domestic armed
           groups, stressing the importance of neutralizing armed groups in the DRC, and
           recognizing the importance of efforts of the FARDC and the United Nations
           Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO), including by
           conducting joint operations, in accordance with its mandate and the human rights due
           diligence policy on United Nations-support to non-United Nations forces (HRDDP),
           in that regard, recalling the strategic importance of the implementation of the Peace,
           Security and Cooperation (PSC) Framework for the DRC and the region, and
           reiterating its call to all signatories to fulfil promptly, fully and in good faith their
           respective commitments under this Framework in order to address the root causes of
           conflict and put an end to recurring cycles of violence, and promote lasting regional
           development,
                Recalling that it is prepared to impose targeted sanctions under paragraph 7 (d)
           and (e) of its resolution 2293 (2016), regarding inter alia human rights violations or
           abuses or violations of international humanitarian law,
                Stressing the need for continued cooperation with the International Criminal
           Court (ICC) by the Government of the DRC, and stressing the importance of actively
           seeking to hold accountable those responsible for genocide, war crimes and crimes
           against humanity in the country,
                 Encouraging the continuation of efforts by the Secretary-General of the United
           Nations, the African Union (AU), the International Conference on the Great Lakes
           Region (ICGLR), and the Southern African Development Community (SAD C) to
           restore peace and security in the DRC, encouraging the Government of the DRC to
           ensure continuous close cooperation with these and other international parties, and
           recognizing the efforts of the Government of the DRC aiming at the achievement of
           peace and national development,
                Expressing concern at the illegal exploitation and trafficking of natural
           resources by armed groups among others, and the negative impact of armed confl ict
           on protected natural areas, which undermines lasting peace and development for the
           DRC, and encouraging the Government of the DRC to strengthen efforts to safeguard
           those areas,
                 Welcoming the decisions of the ICGLR at its 7th summit on 19 October 2017
           regarding the fight against illegal exploitation of natural resources in the Great Lakes
           region and encouraging member States to further increase cooperation in fighting
           illegal exploitation and trade of natural resources, including gold and wildlife,

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                     Expressing great concern over the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation
               that has left at least 13.1 million Congolese in need of humanitarian assistance,
               including more than 7.7 million severely food insecure people, expressing deep
               concern that the worsening humanitarian situation has reached catastrophic levels in
               some parts of the country and has prompted the United Nations to activate the highest
               level of emergency preparedness, further expressing deep concern regarding the very
               high number of internally displaced persons in the DRC which has more than doubled
               in the last year to more than 4.49 million, and the 540,000 refugees in the DRC, as
               well as the more than 714,000 refugees from the DRC as a result of ongoing
               hostilities, calling on member States and other international partners to scale up
               funding to urgently respond to the humanitarian needs in the country, further calling
               upon the DRC and all States in the region to work towards a peaceful environment
               conducive to the realization of durable solutions for refugees and internally displaced
               persons, including their eventual voluntary return and reintegration in the DRC in
               conditions of safety and dignity, with the support of the United Nations Country Team
               (UNCT), stressing that any such solution should be in line with relevant obligations
               under international refugee law, international humanitarian law and international
               human rights law, and commending United Nations humanitarian agencies, partners,
               and donors for their efforts to provide urgent and coordinated support to the
               population,
                     Expressing further concern at increased impediments to humanitarian access in
               eastern DRC resulting from insecurity and violence, as well as continued attacks
               against humanitarian actors and assets, calling upon all parties to respect the
               impartiality, independence and neutrality of humanitarian actors, and underlining the
               need for safe and unhindered access for humanitarian actors,
                     Recalling all its relevant resolutions on women, peace and security, on childre n
               and armed conflict, and on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, also recalling
               the conclusions on children and armed conflict in the DRC (S/AC.51/2014/3) adopted
               on 18 September 2014 by the Security Council Working Group on Children and
               Armed Conflict pertaining to the parties in armed conflicts of the DRC, and
               welcoming efforts of the Government of the DRC in this regard, welcoming efforts by
               the Government of the DRC to implement resolution 1325 (2000) and encouraging
               the implementation of the National Action plan,
                     Welcoming the progress achieved by the Government of the DRC, including the
               Presidential Adviser on Sexual Violence and the Recruitment of Children, in
               cooperation with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for
               Children and Armed Conflict, the SRSG on Sexual Violence in Conflict, and
               MONUSCO, to implement the action plans to prevent and end the recruitment and
               use of children and sexual violence by the FARDC, and to combat impunity for sexual
               violence in conflict, including sexual violence committed by the FARDC and the
               PNC,
                     Welcoming the efforts of MONUSCO and international partners in delivering
               training in human rights, international humanitarian law, gender mainstreaming, child
               protection and protection from sexual and gender-based violence for Congolese
               security institutions and underlining their importance,
                     Welcoming the commitment of the Secretary-General to enforce strictly his zerotolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), noting the various measures
               taken by MONUSCO and Troop- and Police-contributing countries (T/PCCs) to
               combat SEA, which has led to a reduction in reported cases, but sti ll expressing grave
               concern over numerous allegations of SEA reportedly committed by peacekeepers
               and civilian personnel in the DRC, emphasizing the need to ensure that incidents can
               be reported and duly verified in a safe and simple manner, stressing the urgent need


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           for T/PCCs and, as appropriate, MONUSCO to promptly investigate those allegations
           in a credible and transparent manner and for those responsible for such criminal
           offences or misconduct to be held to account, and further stressing the need to prevent
           such exploitation and abuse and to improve how these allegations are addressed in
           line with resolution 2272 (2016),
                 Reaffirming that the successful protection of civilians is critical to the fulfilment
           of MONUSCO’s mandate and the delivery of an improved security environment, also
           stressing the importance of peaceful means and progress on key reforms to promote
           the protection of civilians, as well as appropriate prioritization and resourcing,
                 Reaffirming its strong support to the SRSG and MONUSCO in the
           implementation of their mandates, strongly encouraging the continuation of their
           efforts and calling on the Secretariat to support MONUSCO to fully implement its
           mandate,
                 Recalling that it is important that all MONUSCO contingents, including the
           contingents of the Intervention Brigade, are properly trained and effectively
           equipped, including with adequate language skills, staffed and supported to be able
           to sustain their commitment to carry out their respective tasks,
                Recalling resolution 2378 (2017), which requests the Secretary-General to
           ensure that data related to the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations, including
           peacekeeping performance data, is used to improve analytics and evaluation of
           mission operations, based on clear and well identified benchmarks,
                Noting the publication of the report on “Improving Security of United Nations
           Peacekeepers”, which highlights the link between the safety and security of
           peacekeepers and the performance of troops, recognizing that fatalities can be a
           consequence of deficiencies in training, equipment and performance,
                Welcoming the initiative of the SG to conduct Special Investigations into
           performance issues, encouraging the SG to report on the findings of such
           investigations and efforts to take collective action to improve peacekeeping
           operations,
                Noting the financial constraints the United Nations face and the need for the
           United Nations to make the best use of the resources placed at its disposal,
           encouraging Member States to ensure that MONUSCO is sufficiently resourced and
           equipped to effectively carry out its mandate and to ensure that the United Nations
           makes the best use of the resources placed at its disposal,
                 Reiterating its call on all parties to cooperate fully with MONUSCO and to
           remain committed to the full and objective implementation of the Mission ’s mandate,
           reiterating its condemnation of any and all attacks against peacekeepers, and
           emphasizing that those responsible for such attacks must be held accountable,
                 Emphasizing that MONUSCO’s activities should be conducted in such a manner
           as to build and sustain peace and facilitate progress towards sustainable peace and
           development, stressing the need to involve the UNCT and, in this regard, emphasizing
           the importance of joint analysis and effective strategic planning with the UNCT,
                 Determining that the situation in the DRC continues to constitute a threat to
           international peace and security in the region,
                Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,

           Political situation and electoral process
                 1.     Reiterates its appeal to all Congolese actors to work for the preservation
           of the still fragile gains in the path of peace and stability in the DRC, underscores the

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               responsibility that all Congolese political stakeholders bear, especially by overcoming
               their differences to reach consensus and upholding the interests and well-being of
               their people above all other considerations, strongly urges all stakeholders, most
               notable all signatories of the 31 December 2016 Agreement, to remain committed to
               the Agreement and actively engaged to ensure its full imp lementation and work
               towards the holding of transparent, credible and inclusive elections within the
               timetable announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI),
               including by refraining from provocations such as violence and violent speech,
               exercising maximum restraint in their actions and statements and addressing their
               differences peacefully,
                     2.   Requests the Secretary-General to provide political support to the
               implementation of the Agreement and the restoration of trust among the diffe rent
               parties and preparation of the elections, consistent with this resolution, including
               through his good offices;
                     3.    Calls on all stakeholders in the DRC, including President Kabila, the
               presidential majority and the opposition, to swiftly implement t he Agreement, in good
               faith and in all its components, and to fully implement confidence -building measures,
               and in particular the release of all political prisoners, an end to “unjustified lawsuits”,
               as they are referred to in the agreement, an end to the duplication of political parties
               and a credible candidates registration process, and allowing all main political parties
               to appoint their own representatives in the bodies overseeing the electoral process, in
               order to proceed without further delay to the preparation of the elections due to take
               place on 23 December 2018;
                     4.   Reiterates its determination to bring its full support to the implementation
               of the Agreement and that effective, swift and timely implementation of the
               Agreement is critical to a credible process and the peace and stability of the DRC and
               in supporting the legitimacy of the transitional institutions;
                    5.    Calls for continued and close coordination between the United Nations,
               the African Union, the ICGLR, SADC, and other key regional ac tors to ensure full
               implementation of the Agreement and the successful conclusion of the electoral
               process;
                     6.    Underscores the need to do everything possible to ensure that the elections
               on 23 December 2018 are organized with the requisite conditions of transparency,
               credibility and inclusivity and security, including full and effective participation of
               women at all stages, calls on the Government of the DRC and its national partners,
               including the CENI, to ensure a safe, transparent and credible electora l process, in
               fulfilment of their primary responsibility to create propitious conditions for the
               forthcoming elections, as per the 31 December 2016 agreement, and in accordance
               with the Constitution and national legislation, and respecting the African Char ter on
               Democracy, Elections and Governance, including by ensuring full access to the CENI
               budget, plans and operations to Congolese observers and by ensuring continuous
               dialogue with political parties and civil society representatives, so as to ensure
               consensus and confidence in the conduct of the electoral process;
                     7.    Welcomes the completion of the voter registration by the CENI, with the
               active support of MONUSCO, the adoption of the amended electoral law and of the
               election financing bill by the Congolese parliament, calls on the CENI to ensure the
               electoral calendar and key election benchmarks are respected, which include
               finalizing a clear and transparent budget, cleaning the voter registry by April 2018,
               conducting an independent audit of the registry by May 2018, and respecting
               deadlines for candidate registration finalised by August 2018, culminating in
               elections being held on 23 December 2018 and transfer of power on 12 January 2019;


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                 8.    Calls on the Parliament during the ordinary session starting on 15 March
           2018 to adopt revisions to the law for the distribution of seats needed to keep the
           electoral timeline in conformity with the electoral calendar, further calls on all
           political stakeholders to take measures to improve women participation in the
           elections, especially ensuring an increase in the number of women candidates
           standing for election;
                 9.    Encourages the CENI to approve the multi-partner fund for the Projet
           d’Appui au Cycle Electoral au Congo (PACEC) in order to support civic educati on,
           the deployment of elections monitors and provide other important types of support
           for the election process and encourages donors to fund it accordingly, welcomes the
           commitment by the United Nations, the African Union, SADC, the European Union
           and the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie to support the electoral
           process, and the establishment of a joint team of experts from these organizations, as
           well as the role of ICGLR, and encourages the CENI to make us of their support;
                 10. Urges the Government as well as all relevant parties to ensure an
           environment conducive to a free, fair, credible, inclusive, transparent, peaceful and
           timely electoral process, in accordance with the Congolese Constitution and the
           31 December 2016 Agreement, which includes, for women and men alike, free and
           constructive political debate, freedom of opinion and expression, including for the
           press, freedom of assembly, equitable access to media including State media, the
           security of all political actors, freedom of movement for all candidates, as well as for
           election observers and witnesses, journalists, human rights defenders and actors from
           civil society;

           Human Rights
                 11. Urges the Government of the DRC to hold accountable those responsible
           for violations of international humanitarian law or violations and abuses of human
           rights, as applicable, in particular those that may amount to war crimes and crimes
           against humanity, including those committed in the context of the electoral process,
           and stresses the importance to this end of both regional cooperation and the DRC ’s
           cooperation with the ICC, as well as cooperation with the African court of Human
           and People’s rights;
                 12. Expresses concern about the increase in reported human rights violations
           by State agents, calls upon the Congolese authorities to ensure the prosecution of
           those responsible for the crimes involving grave human rights violations and abuses
           committed in the context of the 28 November 2011 elections and the current electoral
           process, deplores the loss of lives, injuries and arrests recorded during various
           incidents and condemns any disproportionate use of force, and calls on the Congolese
           authorities to urgently investigate any disproportionate use of force by security forces
           on peaceful protesters, in particular on 31 December 2017, 21 January 2018 and
           25 February 2018, so that those responsible for these acts are swiftly brought to
           justice, underlines the importance of observing the rule of law;
                13. Calls on the Government of the DRC to respect human rights and
           fundamental freedoms, especially the right of peaceful assembly, lift the blanket ban
           on demonstrations, and to exercise maximum restraint in their response to protests,
           as recommended by the report of the Congolese Joint Commission of Inquiry on
           Allegations of Human Rights Violations and Abuses committed on 31 December 2017
           and 21 January 2018, and also calls upon the opposition actors to ensure the peaceful
           character of their demonstrations and to respect national legislation;
                 14. Reiterates its condemnation of the violence witnessed in the Kasaï region
           over the past year, further reiterates the importance and urgency of prompt and
           transparent investigations into violations of international humanitarian law and

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               violations or abuses of human rights in the region, as well as its intention to closely
               monitor progress of the investigations into these violations and abuses, including the
               joint investigations by the Government of the DRC, MONUSCO and the United
               Nations Joint Human Rights Office in the DRC, in order to bring to justice and hold
               accountable all those responsible, and looks forward to their results; further calls
               upon the Government of the DRC to continue to cooperate with the team of
               international experts on the situation in the Kasai regions, as mandated by the Human
               Rights Council in its resolution 35/33, and urges the Government of the DRC to fully
               cooperate with the united Nations team deployed, as agreed, to assist the Congolese
               authorities investigations into the deaths of the two UN experts in March 2017, and
               ensure all perpetrators are brought to justice and held accountable;
                     15. Welcomes efforts made by the Government of the DRC to combat and
               prevent sexual violence in conflict, including progress made in the fight against
               impunity through the arrest, prosecution and conviction of perpetrators from the
               FARDC and the PNC, and urges the Government of the DRC to continue to strengthen
               its efforts to combat impunity for sexual violence in conflict, including sexual
               violence committed by the FARDC and PNC at all levels, and to provide all necessary
               services and protection to survivors and victims, and further calls upon the
               Government of the DRC to complete investigations into allegations of sexual
               exploitation and abuse by members of the FARDC in line with the zero -tolerance
               policy and, if appropriate, to prosecute those responsible;
                     16. Encourages the Government of the DRC to implement in full its National
               Strategy and the Roadmap agreed during the national conference in Kinshasa from
               11–13 October 2016 to evaluate the implementation of the Joint Communiqué
               between the Government of the DRC and the United Nations on the Fight Against
               Sexual Violence in Conflict adopted in Kinshasa on 30 March 2013;
                     17. Welcomes the progress made in the implementation of the Action Plan to
               prevent and end the recruitment and use of children by the FARDC and the subsequent
               delisting of the FARDC for child recruitment and use, and calls upon the Government
               of the DRC to urgently ensure the gains of this Action plan are sustained and to take
               all necessary steps to end and prevent violations and abuses against children, and to
               ensure that children are not detained for their alleged association with armed groups
               and are handed over to child protection actors, in line with the Ministry of Defence
               and the National Intelligence Agency Directives issued in 2013;

               Armed Groups
                     18. Condemns the increased activity of armed groups in the DRC and shifting
               conflict dynamics, including a recent increase in violence against local communities
               and politically motivated violence, attacks against UN forces and the DRC armed
               forces, escalating ethnic tensions and intercommunal viole nce, and an increase in
               displacement, and reiterates its strong condemnation of attacks against MONUSCO
               peacekeepers, in particular the attack on 7 December 2017;
                     19. Strongly condemns all armed groups operating in the DRC and their
               violations of international humanitarian law as well as other applicable international
               law, and abuses of human rights especially those involving attacks on the civilian
               population, United Nations and associated personnel and humanitarian actors,
               summary executions, sexual and gender based violence and recruitment and use of
               children, abductions of children and humanitarian personnel, attacks on schools and
               hospitals in violation of applicable international law, and reiterates that those
               responsible must be held accountable;
                    20. Demands that all armed groups cease immediately all forms of violence,
               including violations and abuses against children and other destabilizing activities, the

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           illegal exploitation and trafficking of natural resources, and further demands that their
           members immediately and permanently disband, lay down their arms, reject violence
           and release children from their ranks, recalls in this regard its resolution 2360 (2017)
           renewing the sanctions regime established by its resolution 1807 (2008), and further
           welcomes the commitment of the signatory states of the PSC Framework to complete
           without precondition the repatriation of the FDLR disarmed combatants and former
           M23 combatants within the shortest time frame possible, urges the Governments of
           the region, with the support of the PSC Guarantors, to strengthen their collaboration
           to meet the agreed timeframe, and recalls in this regard its resolution 2389 (2017);
                 21. Calls for joint operations by the FARDC and MONUSCO, that include
           joint planning and tactical cooperation, in accordance with MONUSCO ’s mandate
           and the United Nations HRDDP, to ensure all efforts possible are being made to
           neutralize armed groups and stresses the need to carry out operations in strict
           compliance with international law, including international humanitarian law and
           international human rights law, as applicable;
                 22. Calls on the Government of the DRC to take further military action, in
           accordance with international law, including international humanitarian law and
           international human rights law, as applicable, in coordination and with the support of
           MONUSCO in accordance with its mandate, to end the threat posed by armed groups
           operating in eastern DRC, further calls on the Government of the DRC and other
           signatories to implement the provisions of the PSC Framework related to the root
           causes of conflict in order to put an end to the recurring cycle of violence;
                 23. Welcomes the renewed commitment of all the signatory states of the PSC
           Framework towards its full implementation, as expressed in the Communique of the
           Eighth High-Level Meeting of the Regional Oversight Mechanism, held in
           Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, on 19 October 2017, reaffirms that the PSC
           Framework remains an essential mechanism to achieve durable peace and stability in
           the DRC and the Region, and stresses in this regard the importance of the signatory
           States fully implementing their national and regional commitments under the PSC
           Framework, including not interfering in the internal affairs of neighbouring countries,
           neither tolerating nor providing assistance or support of any kind to armed groups,
           and neither harbouring nor providing protection of any kind to persons accused of
           war crimes, crimes against humanity or acts of genocide;
                 24. Calls for a suitable solution for the relocation of elements of the Sudan
           People’s Liberation Movement/Army-in Opposition (SPLM/A-iO) currently present
           in the DRC, with the support of the Government of the DRC, the wider region,
           international partners and the Secretary-General through his good offices, welcomes
           the establishment of a joint working group, and supports the efforts of the United
           Nations in that regard;
                 25. Calls on the Government of the DRC, which has the primary responsibility
           for safeguarding the DRC’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, to make further
           meaningful progress in implementing its commitments under the PSC Framework, in
           particular as regards the consolidation of State authority, reconciliation, tolerance a nd
           democracy, and to remain fully committed to protecting the civilian population
           through the swift establishment of professional, accountable and sustainable security
           forces, the deployment of an accountable Congolese civil administration, in particular
           the police, judiciary, prison and territorial administration and the consolidation of rule
           of law and promotion and protection of human rights;
                 26. Notes with deep concern the limited progress in those fields essential for
           the DRC’s stabilization and reiterates its call to the Government of the DRC to take
           further steps in particular to uphold its national commitments to Security Sector
           Reform (SSR), and to readjust and implement fully and immediately the national

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               Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) programme, ensuring the
               protection of children’s rights is an integral part of those processes;
                     27. Calls for continued national efforts to address the threat posed by the illicit
               transfer, destabilizing accumulation and misuse of small arms and light weapons,
               including inter alia through ensuring the safe and effective management, storage and
               security of their stockpiles of weapons and ammunition, with the continued support
               of MONUSCO, as appropriate and within existing resources;
                    28. Encourages the Government of the DRC to fully implement its DDR plan
               and provide appropriate funding, and initiate a strategic shift away from static
               demobilization to a more flexible approach, in order to effectively attract former
               combatants into joining the DDR programme, acknowledges that the absence of a
               credible DDR process adjusted to current armed groups dynamics is preventing armed
               elements from laying down their weapons, further demands that the government
               conduct any integration of former combatants into the security sector in a transparent
               manner and in line with international DDR and SSR standards;

               MONUSCO’s mandate
                    29. Decides to extend until 31 March 2019 the mandate of MONUSCO in the
               DRC, including, on an exceptional basis and without creating a precedent or any
               prejudice to the agreed principles of peacekeeping, its Intervention Brigade;
                    30. Decides that MONUSCO’s authorized troop ceiling will be comprised of
               16,215 military personnel, 660 military observers and staff officers, 391 police
               personnel, and 1,050 personnel of formed police units;
                    31. Decides that the strategic priorities of MONUSCO are to contribute to the
               following objectives:
                    (a)   Protection of civilians, as described in paragraph 36 (i) of this resolution;
                     (b) Support to the implementation of the 31 December 2016 agreement and
               the electoral process, as described in paragraph 36 (ii) of this resolution, i n order to
               hold credible elections, thus contributing to the stabilization of the DRC;
                     32. Stresses that MONUSCO’s mandate should be implemented based on a
               prioritization of tasks established in paragraphs 36 to 37 of this resolution, and further
               requests the Secretary-General to reflect this prioritization in the deployment of the
               mission and to align budgetary resources according to the prioritization of mandate
               tasks as set out in this resolution, while ensuring appropriate resources for the
               implementation of the mandate, and, in this regard, reaffirms that the protection of
               civilians must be given priority in decisions about the use of available capacity and
               resources,
                     33. Notes that drivers behind different armed groups’ activities and militia
               violence are varied and that there is no purely military solution to these problems,
               underlines the importance of enhanced political and conflict analysis to inform
               comprehensive military and civil responses to these threats across MONUSCO,
               including through collecting, analysing and exchanging information at the proper
               levels on the criminal networks which support these armed groups and further
               underlines the need for tailored responses in tackling armed groups;
                    34. Stresses the need for coordination and cooperation between the
               Government of the DRC and other national authorities, United Nations entities and
               development actors to build and sustain peace, stabilize, improve security situation
               and assist in restoration of State authority;



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                 35. Authorizes MONUSCO, in pursuit of its mandated tasks, to take all
           necessary measures to carry out its mandate and requests the Secretary-General to
           immediately inform the Security Council should the MONUSCO Force or Police fail
           to do so;
                 36. Decides that the mandate of MONUSCO shall include the following
           priority tasks, bearing in mind that these tasks as well as those in paragraph 37 below
           are mutually reinforcing:

           (i)   Protection of civilians
                 (a) Ensure effective, dynamic and integrated protection of civilians under
           threat of physical violence through a comprehensive approach, including by
           preventing, deterring, and stopping all armed groups and local militias from inflicting
           violence on the populations, and by supporting and undertaking local mediation
           efforts to prevent escalation of violence, paying particular attention to civilians
           gathered in displaced persons and refugee camps, peaceful demonstrators,
           humanitarian personnel and human rights defenders, in line with the basic principles
           of peacekeeping and with a focus on violence emerging from any of the parties
           engaged in the conflict, outbreaks of violence between ethnic or religious rival groups
           or communities in identified territories, as well as in the context of elections, and
           mitigating the risk to civilians before, during and after any military operation;
                 (b) Work with the Government of the DRC to identify threats to civilians and
           implement existing prevention and response plans and strengthen civil -military
           cooperation, including joint planning, to ensure the protection of civilians from
           abuses and violations of human rights and violations of international humanitarian
           law, including all forms of sexual and gender-based violence and violations and
           abuses committed against children and persons with disabilities, and requests
           MONUSCO to accelerate the coordinated implementation of monitoring, analysis and
           reporting arrangements on sexual violence in conflict and to continue to ensure the
           effectiveness of the monitoring and reporting mechanism on children and armed
           conflict;
                 (c) Enhance its interaction with civilians, including by the troops, to raise
           awareness and understanding about its mandate and activities, to strengthen its early
           warning mechanism, and to increase its efforts to monitor and documen t violations of
           international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of human rights, including
           in the context of elections; and continue and strengthen local community engagement
           and empowerment, as well as strengthening protection of civilians throug h early
           warning and response, including prevention, as appropriate, and by ensuring mobility
           of the mission;
                 (d) Neutralize armed groups through the Intervention Brigade under direct
           command of MONUSCO Force commander: in support of the authorities of th e DRC,
           on the basis of information collection and analysis, and taking full account of the need
           to protect civilians and mitigate risk before, during and after any military operation,
           carry out targeted offensive operations in the DRC through the Intervent ion Brigade
           with the support of the whole of MONUSCO, either unilaterally or jointly with the
           FARDC, in a robust, highly mobile and versatile manner and in strict compliance with
           international law, including international humanitarian law, and in accordanc e with
           the standing operating procedures applicable to persons who are captured or who
           surrender, and with the United Nations HRDDP, prevent the expansion of all armed
           groups, neutralize these groups, and disarm them in order to contribute to the
           objective of reducing the threat posed by armed groups to state authority and civilian
           security in the DRC and to make space for stabilization activities, and for the whole
           of MONUSCO force component to guarantee effective protection of civilians,

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               including in support of operations conducted by the Intervention Brigade to neutralize
               armed groups and in areas where armed groups have been neutralized;
                    (e) Provide good offices, advice and assistance to the Government of the DRC
               to ensure actions against armed groups are supported by civilian and police
               components as part of consolidated planning which provides a comprehensive
               response to area-based stabilization efforts;
                     (f) Work with the authorities of the DRC, leveraging UN Police investigation
               capacities and expertise, to arrest and bring to justice all those allegedly responsible
               for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity and violations of international
               humanitarian law and violations or abuses of human rights in the country, including
               through cooperation with States of the region and the ICC;
                     (g) Provide good offices, advice and support to the Government of the DRC
               to promote human rights, in particular civil and political rights, and to fight impunity,
               including through the implementation of the Government’s “zero tolerance policy”
               with respect to discipline and human rights and international humanitarian law
               violations, committed by elements of the security sector, and to engage and facilitate
               mediation efforts at local level to advance sustainable p eace;

               (ii)   Implementation of the 31 December 2016 agreement and support to the
                      electoral process
                     (a) Provide technical and political support to the implementation of the
               31 December 2016 agreement and the electoral process, including through good
               offices and engagement with interlocutors across the political spectrum, including the
               Government, opposition parties and civil society, in coordination with regional and
               international partners, and using an integrated approach throughout the United
               Nations making full use of the existing capacities of the Secretary-General’s Special
               Envoy for the Great lakes, the United Nations Office to the African Union and the
               United Nations Office for Central Africa, with a view to furthering reconciliation and
               democratization, paving the way for holding the elections on 23 December 2018,
               consistent with paragraphs 1 to 10 above;
                     (b) Provide technical assistance and logistical support for the electoral
               process, as appropriate and in coordination with Congolese authorit ies, the UNCT,
               regional and international actors, in order to facilitate the electoral cycle, in particular
               by engaging in a regular and substantial dialogue with the CENI, and decides that this
               support will be continually assessed and reviewed according t o the progress made by
               the Congolese authorities in the steering of the electoral process, particularly on
               presidential and legislative elections, in accordance with paragraphs 1 to 10 above;
                    (c) Contribute to the provision of training to the PNC in relation to elections
               security, and to this purpose provide expertise and advice in order to coordinate all
               relevant planning and security support to a smooth progress towards the elections,
               including through human rights training, in compliance with the United Nations
               HRDDP;
                     (d) Monitor, report immediately to the Security Council, and follow-up on
               human rights violations and abuses and violations of international humanitarian law
               to report on restrictions on political space and violence, including in the cont ext of
               the elections, and support the United Nations system in-country to ensure that any
               support provided by the United Nations shall be consistent with international
               humanitarian law and human rights law and refugee law as applicable;




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           (iii) Protection of the United Nations
                Ensure the protection of United Nations personnel, facilities, installations and
           equipment and the security and freedom of movement of United Nations and
           associated personnel;
                37. Further authorizes MONUSCO to pursue the following tasks, in a
           streamlined and sequenced manner, and in support of the strategic priorities identified
           above:

           (i)    Stabilization and DDR
                 (a) Provide coordination between the Government of the DRC, international
           partners and United Nations agencies in a targeted, sequenced and coordinated
           approach to stabilization informed by up to date conflict analysis, through the
           implementation of the International Security and Stabilisation Support Strategy
           (ISSSS) and adoption of a conflict-sensitive approach across the Mission, in order to
           establish functional, professional, and accountable state institutions, including
           security and judicial institutions;
                 (b) Continue to collaborate with the Government of the DRC in the swift and
           vigorous implementation of the Action Plan to Prevent and end the Recruitment and
           Use of Children and Sexual Violence by the FARDC, and continue dialogue with all
           listed parties to obtain further commitments and work towards the development and
           implementation of action plans to prevent and end violations and abuses against
           children;
                 (c) Provide good offices, advice and assistance to the Government of the
           DRC, in close cooperation with other international partners, in the DDR of Congolese
           combatants not suspected of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity or abuses
           of human rights, into a peaceful civilian life in line with a Community Violence
           Reduction (CVR) approach through community-based security and stabilization
           measures and flexible disarmament and demobilization approach, coordinated under
           the framework of the ISSSS, while paying specific attention to the needs of children
           formerly associated with armed forces and groups;
                 (d) Provide support to the disarmament, demobilization, repatriation,
           resettlement and reintegration (DDRRR) process to return and reintegrate foreign
           combatants not suspected of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity or abuses
           of human rights and their dependants to a peaceful civilian life in their country of
           origin, or a receptive third country while paying specific attention to the needs of
           children formerly associated with armed forces and groups, including through the
           follow-up mechanism under the PSC Framework on the repatriation of FDLR
           disarmed combatants and their dependents that are in the transit camps of
           Kanyabayonga, Kisangani and Walungu;

           (ii)   Security Sector Reform (SSR)
                  Work with the Government of the DRC:
                 (a) In the reform of the police, including by assisting the Comité de réforme
           de la police, and by advocating for the establishment of the Secrétariat Général à la
           sécurité et à l’ordre public that will coordinate security institutions with a law
           enforcement mission;
                 (b) To encourage inclusive SSR, which delivers security, law enforcement and
           justice to all, including to women and children, and persons in vulnerable situation,
           and accelerate national ownership of SSR by the Government of the DRC, including
           through the development of a common national vision, to be encapsulated in a

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               national security policy, as well as a clear and comprehensive SSR implementation
               roadmap including benchmarks and timelines, and play a leading role in coordinating
               the support for SSR provided by international and bilateral partners and the United
               Nations system;
                     (c) In compliance with the United Nations HRDDP, for army reform that
               would enhance its accountability, efficiency, self-sustainability, training, vetting and
               effectiveness, while noting that any support provided by the United Nations,
               including in the form of rations and fuel, should be only for joint operations, jointly
               planned and executed, and subject to appropriate oversight and scrutiny, failing which
               that support should be suspended;
                      (d) For the implementation of any appropriate recommendations for justice
               and prison sector reforms as contained in the National Justice Reform Plan and the
               final report of the Etats généraux de la Justice, including on the fight against impunit y,
               for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, in order to develop
               independent, accountable and functioning justice and security institutions;

               (iii) Sanctions regime
                     Monitor the implementation of the arms embargo as described in paragraph 1 of
               resolution 2293 (2016) in cooperation with the Group of Experts established by
               resolution 1533 (2004), and in particular observe and report on flows of military
               personnel, arms or related materiel across the eastern border of the DRC, including
               by using, as specified in the letter of the Council dated 22 January 2013 ( S/2013/44),
               surveillance capabilities provided by unmanned aerial systems, seize, collect, record
               and dispose of arms or related materiel brought into the DRC in violation of the
               measures imposed by paragraph 1 of resolution 2293 (2016), and exchange relevant
               information with the Group of Experts;

               Child protection
                     38. Requests MONUSCO to take fully into account child protection as a crosscutting issue throughout its mandate and to assist the Government of the DRC in
               ensuring that the protection of children’s rights is taken into account, inter alia, in
               DDR processes and in SSR as well as during interventions leading to the separation
               of children from armed groups in order to end and prevent violations and abuses
               against children;

               Gender, Sexual Violence, Sexual Exploitation and Abuse
                      39. Requests MONUSCO to take fully into account gender considerations as
               a crosscutting issue throughout its mandate and to assist the Government of the DRC
               and other relevant stakeholders in ensuring the participation, involvement and
               representation of women at all levels, including in the creation of conditions
               conducive to the holding of elections, protection of civilians and support to
               stabilization efforts through, inter alia, the provision of gen der and women protection
               advisers, and further requests enhanced reporting by MONUSCO to the Council on
               this issue;
                     40. Recalls its Presidential statement S/PRST/2015/22 and its resolution 2272
               (2016), reiterates the urgent and imperative need to hold accountable all perpetrators
               of violations of international humanitarian law and violations and sexual exploitation
               and abuse, requests the Secretary-General to take the necessary measures to ensure
               full compliance of all personnel in MONUSCO with the United Nations zero -
               tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse and to keep the Council fully
               informed through his reports to the Council about the Missio n’s progress in this
               regard, and urges T/PCCs to take appropriate preventative action including vetting of

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           all personnel, predeployment and in-mission awareness training, and to ensure full
           accountability in cases of such conduct involving their personnel through timely
           investigation of allegations by T/PCCs and MONUSCO, as appropriate;
                 41. Acknowledges the crucial role of United Nations Women Protection
           Advisers deployed in MONUSCO in supporting the Government of the DRC to
           implement its commitments on addressing sexual violence in conflict and calls on
           MONUSCO to ensure they continue to work closely with the Government of the DRC
           at both strategic and operational levels;
                42. Requests MONUSCO to ensure that any support provided to national
           security forces is in strict compliance with the United Nations HRDDP, and calls upon
           the Government of the DRC to work with MONUSCO to support the promotion of
           DRC security service personnel with reputable human rights records;

           Humanitarian Access
                 43. Demands that all parties allow and facilitate the full, safe, immediate and
           unhindered access of humanitarian personnel, equipment and supplies and the timely
           delivery of humanitarian assistance to populations in need, in particular to internally
           displaced persons, throughout the territory of the DRC, respecting the United Nations
           guiding principles of humanitarian assistance, including humanity, impartiality,
           neutrality and independence, and relevant provisions of international law;
                 44. Calls on MONUSCO to strengthen its collaboration with humanitarian
           actors and streamline coordination mechanisms with humanitarian agencies to ensure
           information sharing on protection risks to the population;
                45. Calls on all Member States to generously contribute to the United N ations
           humanitarian appeals for the DRC and the region to help ensure that United Nations
           humanitarian agencies and other international organizations are fully funded and able
           to address the protection and assistance needs of internally displaced persons,
           survivors of sexual violence, and other vulnerable communities;

           Support to the Group of Experts
                  46. Expresses its full support to the United Nations Group of Experts
           established by resolution 1533 (2004), calls for enhanced cooperation between all
           States, particularly those in the region, MONUSCO and the Group of Experts,
           encourages timely information exchange between MONUSCO and the Group of
           Experts, further encourages all parties and all States to ensure cooperation with the
           Group of Experts by individuals and entities within their jurisdiction or under their
           control and reiterates its demand that all parties and all States ensure the safety of its
           members and its support staff, and unhindered and immediate access, in particular to
           persons, documents and sites the Group of Experts deems relevant to the execution
           of its mandate;

           Mission effectiveness
                 47. Requests that mechanisms for intra-Mission coordination should be
           strengthened to enable “whole-of-mission” efforts, particularly on priority issues such
           as protection of civilians, requests in that regard that all components of the
           MONUSCO Force as well as its police and the civilian components to work together
           in an integrated way, and encourages MONUSCO and the United Nations system incountry to strengthen integration through shared information and joint analysis, as
           well as joint planning and joint operational activities, based on coordinated
           knowledge management, comparative advantages and joint implementation
           arrangements;

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                     48. Urges the United Nations to continuously incorporate lessons learned to
               conduct reforms across MONUSCO to better enable its offices and contingents to
               implement its mandate, in particular regarding the protection o f civilians, and to
               improve Mission chain of command, increase the effectiveness of MONUSCO
               operations, strengthen safety and security of personnel, and enhance MONUSCO ’s
               ability to manage complex situations, including the risk posed by improvised
               explosive devices and other explosive hazards;
                     49. Demands that all relevant parties cooperate fully in the deployment,
               operations, and monitoring, verification, and reporting functions of MONUSCO, in
               particular by guaranteeing the safety, security, and unrestricted freedom of movement
               of United Nations and associated personnel, throughout the territory of the DRC;
                     50. Requests MONUSCO to continue to maximise Force interoperability,
               flexibility, mobility and effectiveness in the implementation of the entirety of
               MONUSCO’s mandate, including by deploying rapidly deployable units, specialized
               capabilities, including enhanced information-gathering assets and analysis,
               specialized infantry, key enablers such as medical evacuation and air assets, and by
               continuing to modernise and to strengthen the performance of the Force, bearing in
               mind the safety and security of all military contingents, police officers, military
               observers, and especially unarmed observers, calls on MONUSCO to streamline
               overall command and control of the Force, in order to increase efficiencies and to
               improve coordination between all elements of the Force and the police component in
               priority areas, and reminds the Secretary-General of the necessity to keep Memoranda
               of Understanding (MoUs) and Statements of Unit Requirements (SURs) between the
               T/PCCs and the United Nations up to date;
                     51. Commends the commitment of the T/PCCs in implementing the Mission’s
               mandate in a challenging environment, further encourages T/PCCs to increase the
               percentage of women military and police in deployments to MONUSCO, highlights
               that undeclared national caveats, lack of effective command and control, refusal to
               obey orders, failure to respond to attacks on civilians, and inadequate equipment and
               information may adversely affect effective mandate implementation, stressing that
               any national caveat that negatively affects the implementation of mandate
               effectiveness should not be accepted by the Secretary-General;
                     52. Recognizes that the effective implementation of MONUSCO mandate is a
               shared responsibility and is contingent upon several critical factors, including well
               defined, realistic, and achievable mandates; political will, leadership, performance
               and accountability at all levels; adequate resources; policy, plan ning and operational
               guidelines and training; further recognizes that measuring and monitoring
               peacekeeping performance should be based on comprehensive and objective policy
               with clear and well defined benchmarks; and, in this regard, welcomes the initiatives
               undertaken by the Secretary-General to standardize a culture of performance in UN
               peacekeeping that operationalizes the Operational Readiness Assurance and
               Performance Improvement Policy, and conducts mission performance reviews of
               troop and police contingent performance, and leverages the Peacekeeping
               Capabilities and Readiness System (PCRS) to ensure performance data informs
               decisions regarding peacekeepers deployment, and calls on him to continue his efforts
               in this regard;
                    53. Calls upon the Secretary-General and police contributing countries to
               ensure that adequate administrative arrangements are in place to enable timely
               deployment of Formed Police Units where they are most needed;
                    54. Requests MONUSCO to consider the environmental impacts of its
               operations when fulfilling its mandated tasks and, in this context, to manage them as


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           appropriate and in accordance with applicable and relevant General Assembly
           resolutions and United Nations rules and regulations;
                55. Requests the Secretary-General to carry out contingency planning in order
           to consider temporarily reinforcing MONUSCO, looking at all options including
           through inter-mission cooperation, with the sole purpose of implementing its
           mandate, and requests the Secretary-General to inform the Security Council of these
           proposed plans within 90 days from the adoption of this resolution;

           Exit strategy
                 56. Requests the Secretary-General to continue his efforts to articulate a
           phased, progressive and comprehensive exit strategy, working with t he Government
           of the DRC, the UN Country Team and other relevant stakeholders with a view to
           increasing national ownership and progressively transferring tasks for a smooth exit
           of MONUSCO, and to keep under constant review the Secretary-General’s findings
           relating to adjustments following the successful holding of elections and sustainable
           progress towards reducing the threat posed by armed groups;

           Strategic review
                 57. Takes note of the strategic review presented by the Secretary-General
           (S/2017/826) and endorses the recommendations relating to proposed adjustments to
           MONUSCO in the pre-electoral phase, requests the Secretary-General to implement
           changes in the mission leadership and mission support, and to implement a zerotolerance policy on serious misconduct, sexual exploitation and abuse, fraud,
           corruption, trafficking in natural resources or wildlife, including by making full use
           of the existing authority of the SRSG to ensure accountability of the Mission’s staff
           and through effective mission support arrangement;
                 58. Requests the Secretary-General to take full consideration of the evolution
           of the security situation in implementing changes to the Force, especially when
           considering the deployment of additional Rapid Deployment Battalions, further
           requests the Secretary-General to continue its work towards improving the efficiency
           of the Intervention Brigade;

           Reports by the Secretary-General
                 59. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Council every three months
           on the implementation of MONUSCO’s mandate, including its Intervention Brigade,
           as set out in this resolution, including on:
                 (i) Progress made by the DRC on the implementation of the 31 December
           2016 agreement and the electoral process, including on the provisions of paragraphs
           1 to 10 above, as well as on the ways in which MONUSCO will be best prepared to
           address security risks and to monitor and report on human rights violations and abuses
           in the context of the elections, including in terms of deployment of the Force in areas
           identified as potential zones of instability and configuration of civilian and police
           component of MONUSCO, sexual violence and the impact of conflict on women and
           children using disaggregated data, and any gender considerations made;
                 (ii) The situation on the ground, including updates on operations to neutralize
           armed groups, in accordance with paragraph 36.i.d, and any instances where the
           Mission is not effectively fulfilling its protection of civilians mandate, and the
           circumstances surrounding these instances, including, as appropriate, incidents where
           units assert undeclared national caveats, lack effective command and control, refuse
           to obey orders, fail to respond to attacks on civilians, and have inadequate equipment;



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                     (iii) Progress made by the DRC on protecting human rights and in the
               implementation of its commitments under the PSC Framework, including through the
               establishment and implementation of a national SSR roadmap, its provincial
               stabilization plan supported by the ISSSS and on the implementation of the DDR and
               DDRRR plans;
                     (iv) Progress in the implementation of the measures taken to transform
               MONUSCO and improve its performance, including measures to ensure Mission
               effectiveness as outlined in paragraphs 47 to 55, steps taken to prevent and redress
               performance failures, the deployment of rapidly deployable battalions and
               employment of the Intervention Brigade’s capabilities, implementation of the
               comprehensive approach to protection of civilians, to become more mobile, efficient
               and effective in implementing its mandate and associated requirements, and on the
               definition of an exit strategy for MONUSCO, including the Intervention Brigade;
                     (v) The risks and their implications for the safety and the security for the
               United Nations personnel and facilities as a result of the possible military operations
               as well as all instances of threats against MONUSCO personnel, and measures taken
               to strengthen their security and mitigate risks;
                     60. Requests the Secretary-General to conduct a comprehensive performance
               review of all MONUSCO units in accordance with the Operational Readiness
               Assurance and Performance Improvement Policy and the Secretary-General zerotolerance policy on Sexual violence and abuse by September 2018 and further report
               to the Council every three months, as part of its regular reporting, on the percentage
               of MONUSCO contingents who have satisfied the requirements of the these reviews,
               the status of any remediation action to address contingents who have not satisfied
               requirements, and detailing plans to address contingents where remediation is not
               deemed appropriate, as certified by the Force Commander;
                     61. Requests the Secretary-General to update the Security Council in writing
               every 30 days on political and technical progress towards 23 December 2018
               elections, including benchmarks laid out in paragraph 7 above and obstacles to the
               implementation of the 31 December 2016 agreement, when no regular reports are due;
                    62. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Security Council every six
               months, in coordination with the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Great
               Lakes Region and the SRSG for the DRC on the implementation of the commitments
               under the PSC Framework and its linkages with the broader security situation in the
               Great Lakes Region;
                    63.   Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.




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