Security Council resolution 2272 (2016) [on sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations peacekeepers and personnel]
Symbol: S/RES/2272 (2016)
Date: 2016-03-11
Status: adopted
Agenda: S/71 [18] PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS
S/ X United Nations peacekeeping operations.
Subjects: PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS|MILITARY PERSONNEL|SEX CRIMES|CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION|PROSECUTION|TROOP-CONTRIBUTING STATES|CRIME PREVENTION|ACCOUNTABILITY|CRIME VICTIMS
Votes in favour: 14
Votes against: 0
Abstentions: 1
Voting record:
country: ANGOLA
vote: yes
country: CHINA
vote: yes
country: EGYPT
vote: abstention
country: FRANCE
vote: yes
country: JAPAN
vote: yes
country: MALAYSIA
vote: yes
country: NEW ZEALAND
vote: yes
country: RUSSIAN FEDERATION
vote: yes
country: SENEGAL
vote: yes
country: SPAIN
vote: yes
country: UKRAINE
vote: yes
country: UNITED KINGDOM
vote: yes
country: UNITED STATES
vote: yes
country: URUGUAY
vote: yes
country: VENEZUELA (BOLIVARIAN REPUBLIC OF)
vote: yes

               United Nations                                                                   S/RES/2272 (2016)
               Security Council                                               Distr.: General
                                                                              11 March 2016




               Resolution 2272 (2016)
               Adopted by the Security Council at its 7643rd meeting, on
               11 March 2016

                    The Security Council,
                     Recalling the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and
               bearing in mind its primary responsibility under the Charter for the maintenance of
               international peace and security,
                     Recalling the Statements by its President of 31 May 2005 ( S/PRST/2005/21),
               25 November 2015 (S/PRST/2015/22) and 31 December 2015 (S/PRST/2015/26), as
               well as its resolution 2242 (2015) and press statement of 18 August 2015,
                    Reaffirming that proper conduct by, and discipline over, all personnel deployed
               in United Nations peace operations are crucial to their effectiveness,
                     Stressing that sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations peacekeepers
               undermines the implementation of peacekeeping mandates, as well as the credibility
               of United Nations peacekeeping, and reaffirming its support for the United Nations
               zero tolerance policy on all forms of sexual exploitation a nd abuse,
                     Expressing deep concern about the serious and continuous allegations and
               under-reporting of sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations peacekeepers
               and non-United Nations forces, including military, civilian and police personnel,
               and underscoring that sexual exploitation and abuse, among other crimes and forms
               of serious misconduct, by any such personnel is unacceptable,
                    Recalling the primary responsibility of troop-contributing countries to
               investigate allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse by their personnel and of
               troop- and police-contributing countries to hold accountable, including through
               prosecution, where appropriate, their personnel for acts of sexual exploitation and
               abuse, taking into account due process,
                     Honouring the heroic work of tens of thousands of United Nations
               peacekeepers, underscoring that the United Nations should not let the actions of a
               few tarnish the achievements of the whole and commending the troop- and policecontributing countries that have taken steps to prevent, investigate and hold
               accountable their personnel for acts of sexual exploitation and abuse,
                     Welcoming the Secretary-General’s continued efforts to implement and
               reinforce the United Nations zero tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse,

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               in particular to strengthen the Organisation’s prevention, reporting, enforcement and
               remedial action in order to promote greater accountability,
                    Welcoming the appointment by the Secretary-General of Jane Holl Lute as his
               Special Coordinator on Improving the United Nations Response to Sexual
               Exploitation and Abuse,
                    Taking note of the report of the High-level Independent Panel on Peace
               Operations (S/2015/446), the report of the Secretary-General entitled ‘The Future of
               United Nations Peace Operations: Implementation of the Recommendations of the
               High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations’ (A/70/357-S/2015/682), the
               report of the External Independent Review of the United Nations Response to
               Allegations of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in the Central African Republic
               submitted on 17 December 2015 to the Secretary-General, the report of the
               Secretary-General of 17 September 2015 submitting the results of the Global Study
               on the implementation of resolution 1325 (S/2015/716), as well as the report of
               4 March 2016 of the Secretary-General on Special measures for protection and
               prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse ( A/70/729), and taking note of the
               recommendations contained therein related to the prevention and combating of
               sexual exploitation and abuse,
                     1.   Endorses the decision of the Secretary-General to repatriate a particular
               military unit or formed police unit of a contingent when there is credible evidence
               of widespread or systemic sexual exploitation and abuse by that unit and requests
               the Secretary-General to give immediate and ongoing effect to this decision,
               including by urgently finalising his guidance to United Nations peacekeeping
               operations to implement this decision;
                     2.   Requests the Secretary-General, when a particular troop-contributing
               country whose personnel are the subject of an allegation or allegations of sexual
               exploitation and abuse has not taken appropriate steps to investigate the allegation
               and/or when the particular troop- or police-contributing country has not held the
               perpetrators accountable or informed the Secretary-General of the progress of its
               investigations and/or actions taken, to replace all military units and/or formed police
               units of the troop- or police-contributing country in the United Nations
               peacekeeping operation where the allegation or allegations arose with uniformed
               personnel from a different troop- or police-contributing country, as applicable and
               further requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the replacement troop- or
               police-contributing country has upheld standards of conduct and discipline and
               appropriately addressed allegations against or confirmed acts, if any, of sexual
               exploitation and abuse by its personnel;
                     3.   Consistent with paragraph 2 above regarding repatriation, requests the
               Secretary-General to assess whether a Member State has taken the appropriate steps
               to investigate, hold accountable and inform him of the progress of its investigations
               when determining whether that Member State should participate in other current or
               future United Nations peacekeeping operations;
                    4.    Requests the Secretary-General to gather and preserve evidence ahead of
               investigations of sexual exploitation and abuse in United Nations peace oper ations
               with due consideration for the safety, security and confidentiality of victims, to
               ensure that the concerned United Nations peace operation takes immediate steps to
               prevent, including through risk assessments, future incidents of sexual exploitation



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           and abuse, to strengthen the accessibility, coordination and independence of
           processes for complaint receipt and management and to assist victims, including by
           maintaining confidentiality, helping to minimize trauma and facilitating access, as
           appropriate, to immediate care, medical and psychological support;
                5.    Welcomes the efforts of the Secretary-General to expand vetting of all
           United Nations peacekeeping personnel to ensure that they do not have a history of
           sexual misconduct in service with the United Nations and reiterates its support for
           the United Nations Human Rights Screening Policy;
                6.    Expresses deep concern over the continuing and serious allegations of
           sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations peacekeepers in the United Nations
           Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic
           (MINUSCA), as well as in other United Nations peacekeeping operations and by
           non-United Nations forces;
                7.    Urges all non-United Nations forces authorised under a Security Council
           mandate to take adequate measures to prevent and combat impunity for sexual
           exploitation and abuse by their personnel;
                 8.   Calls upon Member States deploying non-United Nations forces
           authorized under a Security Council mandate to take appropriate steps to investigate
           allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse, hold perpetrators accountable and
           repatriate units when there is credible evidence of widespread or systemic sexual
           exploitation or abuse by those units;
                9.   Urges all Member States to take concrete steps aimed at preventing and
           combating impunity for sexual exploitation and abuse by members of United
           Nations peace operations;
                 10. Welcomes the ongoing efforts by Member States to strengthen sexual
           exploitation and abuse pre-deployment training of troop and police contributors to
           United Nations peace operations, urges further efforts by all troop- and policecontributing countries to deliver robust sexual exploitation and abuse
           pre-deployment training in accordance with the terms of their memoranda of
           understanding and other agreements with the United Nations, encourages further
           assistance by Member States and multilateral partners to troop - and policecontributing countries in this regard and welcomes the decision of the Secretary-General to require certificates of compliance by troop- and police-contributors to
           this effect;
                 11. Urges all troop-contributing countries to take the steps necessary to
           conduct investigations of allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse by their
           personnel and to conclude such investigations as expeditiously as possible, in line
           with the Secretary-General’s request, further urges all troop- and police-contributing
           countries to take appropriate steps to hold accountable those personnel responsible
           for sexual exploitation and abuse and to report to the United Nations fully and
           promptly on actions undertaken and welcomes the request by the Secretary-General
           for troop- and police-contributing countries to deploy national investigation officers
           in their contingents to support these efforts;
                12. Underscores the critical importance that civilians, in particular women
           and children, in internally-displaced persons and refugee sites are protected from
           any form of abuse or exploitation, requests the Secretary-General, where applicable,



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               to continue to take steps to enhance measures in United Nations peace operations
               against all forms of abuse and exploitation of civilians by any member of the United
               Nations peace operation and encourages the Secretary-General to ensure that United
               Nations peace operations, as applicable, facilitate the identification of possible
               abuses and mitigate against the stigmatization of victims;
                     13. Encourages the appropriate United Nations mechanisms, including those
               related to Children and Armed Conflict, Women, Peace and Security and the Office
               of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, to continue to include allegations of
               sexual exploitation and abuse in their regular reporting to the Secretary -General and
               calls upon the Secretary-General to immediately inform the concerned Member
               State about any such allegations and to take steps to improve internal information -
               sharing within the United Nations regarding allegations of sexual exploitation and
               abuse.




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