Security Council resolution 2502 (2019) [on extension of the mandate of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) until 20 Dec. 2020]
Symbol: S/RES/2502 (2019)
Date: 2019-12-19
Status: adopted
Agenda: S/74 [104] UN ORGANIZATION STABILIZATION MISSION IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
S/74 [102] DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO SITUATION
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)|PEACEBUILDING|ELECTIONS|HUMAN RIGHTS IN ARMED CONFLICTS|PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS|PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS IN 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: BELGIUM
vote: yes
country: CHINA
vote: yes
country: CÔTE D'IVOIRE
vote: yes
country: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
vote: yes
country: EQUATORIAL GUINEA
vote: yes
country: FRANCE
vote: yes
country: GERMANY
vote: yes
country: INDONESIA
vote: yes
country: KUWAIT
vote: yes
country: PERU
vote: yes
country: POLAND
vote: yes
country: RUSSIAN FEDERATION
vote: yes
country: SOUTH AFRICA
vote: yes
country: UNITED KINGDOM
vote: yes
country: UNITED STATES
vote: yes

               United Nations                                                                       S/RES/2502 (2019)
               Security Council                                                     Distr.: General
                                                                                    19 December 2019




               Resolution 2502 (2019)
               Adopted by the Security Council at its 8692nd meeting, on
               19 December 2019

                    The Security Council,
                     Recalling its previous resolutions and the statements of its President concerning
               the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), especially its resolutions 2478 (2019),
               2463 (2019), 2424 (2018), 2409 (2018), 2389 (2017), and previous resolutions
               regarding the mandate of MONUSCO and the sanctions regime established by
               resolutions 1493 (2003) and 1807 (2008),
                     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 recognising that the mandate of each peace-keeping 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 emphasising 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,
                     Noting that the DRC continues to suffer from recurring and evolving cycles of
               conflict and persistent violence by foreign and domestic armed groups, which
               exacerbate a deeply concerning security, human rights and humanitarian crisis, as well
               as inter-communal and militia violence in areas of the DRC,
                     Recognising the efforts of the Government and the people of the DRC aiming at
               the achievement of peace and national development, further recognising the efforts
               of the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC) and the United Nations Organization
               Stabilisation Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) in addressing the threat posed by
               armed groups in the DRC, encouraging the continuation of efforts by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, his special envoy for the Great Lakes, the African
               Union (AU), the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), the
               Southern African Development Community (SADC) and signatory States of the Peace
               and Security (PSC) Framework for the DRC and the region to restore peace and
               security in the DRC, and encouraging the Government of the DRC to ensure
               continuous close cooperation with these and other international parties,




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                    Recognising the importance of confidence-building, facilitation, mediation, and
               community engagement to achieve peace and security in the DRC, and the need for
               MONUSCO, as appropriate and when possible, to continue to explore how it can use
               these techniques to enhance its ability to support the Mission ’s protection, its
               information gathering and situational awareness, and to implement its mandated tasks,
               including to protect civilians,
                     Reaffirming the important role of women and youth in the prevention and
               resolution of conflicts, and in peacebuilding, stressing the importance of their full,
               effective and meaningful participation in all efforts for the maintenance of and
               promotion of peace and security in the DRC,
                     Expressing great concern over the humanitarian situation that has left at least
               15.6 million Congolese in need of humanitarian assistance, further expressing deep
               concern regarding the growing number of internally displaced persons in the DRC
               with 5.01 million estimated to have been displaced as of December 2019, and the
               538,000 refugees and 10.000 asylum seekers in the DRC, as well as the more than
               865,000 refugees from the DRC in Africa as a result of ongoing hostilities, 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, calling on member States and other
               international partners to scale up funding and contribute to the United Nations
               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 urgently respond to the humanitarian needs in the country, including by addressing
               the protection and assistance needs of internally displaced persons, all survivors of
               sexual and gender-based violence, and other vulnerable communities,
                    Expressing grave concern about the current outbreak of the Ebola virus in the
               DRC, which has affected more than 3,300 people and claimed the lives of more than
               2,100 people to date, highlighting the urgency of the Ebola response and recalling its
               PRST/2019/6 in that regards,
                     Recalling all its relevant resolutions on women, peace and security, on youth,
               peace and security, on children and armed conflict, and on the protection of civilians
               in armed conflict, welcoming efforts of the Government of the DRC in this regard,
               further welcoming efforts by the Government of the DRC to implement resolution
               1325 (2000), also recalling the conclusions on children and armed conflict in the DRC
               (S/AC.51/2018/2) adopted on 7 August 2018 by the Security Council Working Group
               on Children and Armed Conflict pertaining to the parties in armed conflicts of the
               DRC, expressing grave concern over the high number of violations against children,
               in particular sexual and gender-based violence being committed by security forces,
               further calling on all actors to contribute to the rehabilitation and reintegration of
               children formerly associated with armed groups and forces,
                     Welcoming the efforts of MONUSCO and international partners in delivering
               training in human rights, international humanitarian law, gender mainstreaming, child



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           protection and protection from sexual and gender-based violence to Congolese
           security institutions and underlining their importance,
                 Recognising the adverse effects of climate change, ecological changes, natural
           disasters, and lack of energy access, among other factors, on the stability of the DRC,
           including through increasingly frequent and extreme weat her phenomena, flooding,
           forest fires, erratic precipitation and food insecurity, welcoming the leadership of the
           DRC in the development of national strategies to address these issues and in the
           preservation of the Congo basin forest,
                 Commending the commitment of the Troops and Police Contributing Countries
           (T/PCCs) in implementing the Mission’s mandate in a challenging environment,
           highlighting the importance of effective command and control, respect for the chain
           of command, adequate equipment and information in order for timely and effective
           responses to attacks on civilians,
                 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
           emphasising that those responsible for such attacks must be held accountable, and
           encouraging all parties to work together to ensure that all peacekeepers in the field
           are willing, capable and equipped to effectively and safely implement their mandate,
                Welcoming the commitment of the Congolese authorities to closely collaborate
           with MONUSCO and their support to a reconfiguration of the Mission,
                 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
                 1.    Welcomes the efforts of Government of the DRC to respond to the needs
           of the Congolese people above the pursuit of partisan interests and encourages all
           Congolese political stakeholders to put these needs above the pursuit of partisan
           interests, reiterates the importance of delivering on President Tshisekedi and his
           government’s commitments to pursue national unity, strengthen the rule of law and
           respect for human rights, including the respect of freedom of opinion and expression,
           freedom of the press and the right of peaceful assembly, fight against corruption,
           launch domestic development programmes to significantly reduce poverty, and
           further political inclusiveness and peacebuilding;
                  2.   Welcomes the efforts of President Tshisekedi and his government towards
           reconciliation and peace and stability in the DRC and to promote regional cooperation
           and integration, notes that political stability and security as well as increased State
           presence in areas of conflict are critical for the consolidation of the curre nt political
           transition and sustainable peace in the DRC, calls upon the DRC authorities to work
           towards the stabilisation and strengthening of the capacity of State institutions, with
           the support of MONUSCO, in order to fulfil the rights and needs of all Congolese
           people, further calls upon all political stakeholders to work toward a climate of peace,
           transparency, inclusion and credibility during preparations for the holding of future
           elections, including local elections in accordance with the Constitutio n and the
           Electoral law, and to ensure the full, effective and meaningful participation of women
           at all stages;


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                     3.    Requests the Secretary-General and calls upon regional organisations to
               provide political support to the strengthening of State institutions in the DRC and the
               restoration of trust among the different parties, including through their good offices,
               in order to consolidate peace and security, tackle the root causes of conflict in priority
               areas, as well as foster a broad national consensus around key governance and security
               reforms, the fight against illegal exploitations of natural resources, and support to
               current reform and other electoral processes, in line with the government of DRC ’s
               national priorities;

               Human Rights
                    4.    Welcomes the commitments and actions of President Tshisekedi towards
               ensuring that the Government of the DRC protects and respects human rights and
               fundamental freedoms, as well as to combat impunity in all areas, and calls upon the
               government of the DRC to uphold these commitments;
                     5.   Remains however deeply concerned by high levels of violations and abuses
               of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law in parts of the
               country, committed by all parties, as well as the persistently high level of v iolence
               and the intensification of intercommunal violence fuelled by hate speech, and
               recognises their deleterious effect on the stabilisation, community reconciliation,
               reconstruction and development efforts in the DRC, recalls in that regard 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;
                     6.    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, including those involving targeted attacks against civilians,
               widespread sexual and gender-based violence, recruitment and use of children, the
               forced displacement of significant numbers of civilians, extrajudicial executions and
               arbitrary arrests, and in particular those that may amount to genocide, war crimes and
               crimes against humanity, and stresses both regional cooperation and the DRC’s
               cooperation with the International Criminal Court following the DRC ’s referral of the
               situation in the DRC in 2004, as well as cooperation with the African Court of Human
               and People’s Rights;
                      7.    Welcomes the cooperation of the Government of the DRC with the team of
               international experts on the situation in the Kasai regions mandated by the Human
               Rights Council in its resolution 35/33, recognises the improvements in the
               cooperation since President Tshisekedi’s election, requests the Government of the
               DRC to implement all the recommendations made by the team of international experts
               in its report, and to cooperate with the team of two international human rights experts,
               charged with monitoring, evaluating, providing support and reporting on the
               implementation by the DRC of those recommendations, further welcomes the
               Government of the DRC’s continued cooperation 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 calls on them to ensure all perpetrators are
               brought to justice and held accountable;
                    8.     Welcomes the steps taken by President Tshisekedi and his government to
               hold security forces accountable for violations of human rights and fight impunity
               within their ranks, release political prisoners, and close irregular detention centres, as



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           well as to investigate and prosecute violations of human rights by State agents, further
           welcomes investigations by the Congolese authorities on any disproportionate use of
           force by security forces on peaceful protesters and calls on the Congolese authorities
           to ensure that those responsible for these acts are brought to justice, calls 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 (UNJHRO) to all
           detention centres, hospitals and morgues and all other premises required for
           documenting human rights violations, as applicable, stresses the need for the
           Government of the DRC to continue to ensure the increased professionalism of its
           security forces, including vetting, training and capacity building of security personnel
           to fully respect domestic and international human rights law, as well as international
           humanitarian law, and underlines the importance of observing the rule of law;
                 9.    Strongly condemns sexual violence in conflict perpetrated by all parties in
           the DRC, 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, victims and witnesses, 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 its zero-tolerance policy and, as appropriate,
           to prosecute those responsible, further encourages the government to take all measures
           to support the psychological and medical support of survivors of sexual violence in
           conflict to facilitate their reintegration into their communities and to provide all
           necessary services, including legal, and protection to survivors;
                 10. 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, and to ensure
           adequate funding is allocated to the implementation of these commitments, and
           recalls the importance of cooperation with the SRSG for sexual violence in conflicts;
                 11. Welcomes the progress made by the Government of the DRC to consolidate
           the gains of the Action Plan to End and Prevent the Recruitment and Use of Children
           and expedite its implementation, including aspects of the plan related to sexual
           violence against children, and to take all necessary steps to end and prevent all
           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, and calls upon the Government of the DRC to continue its
           efforts, in particular by prosecuting perpetrators within security forces for child
           recruitment and use and by ensuring that perpetrators of all violations and abuses are
           held accountable, and recalls the importance of cooperating with the SRSG for
           children in armed conflicts;

           Armed Groups
                 12. Strongly condemns all armed groups operating in the DRC and their
           violations of international humanitarian law as well as other applicable internatio nal


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               law, and abuses of human rights, reiterates its condemnation of the violence witnessed
               in the DRC, especially those involving attacks on the civilian population, United
               Nations and associated personnel and humanitarian actors, as well as medical person nel
               and facilities, summary executions and maiming, 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 by ar med
               groups and militias, the use of civilians as human shields, the forced displacement of
               significant numbers of civilians, extrajudicial executions and arbitrary arrests, and
               further reiterates that those responsible must be held accountable;
                     13. Demands that all armed groups cease immediately all forms of violence
               and other destabilising activities, the illegal exploitation and trafficking of natural
               resources, and further demands that their members immediately and permanently
               disband, lay down their arms, reject violence, end and prevent violations perpetrated
               against children and release children from their ranks, recalls in this regard that
               recruitment and use of children in armed conflict in the DRC may lead to sanctions
               under paragraph 7(d) of resolution 2293 (2016);
                      14. Notes that the elimination of the threat posed by armed groups requires an
               integrated regional approach and strong political engagement by the governments of
               DRC and the region to further seize on the positive regional momentum, in close
               coordination with MONUSCO and the Special Envoy for the Great Lakes,
               underscores that there can be no purely military solutions to these problems, calls
               upon the Government of the DRC to appoint a senior coordinator to address
               Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) and to establish a strategy
               for DDR focused on returning ex-combatants to peaceful civilian life, including a
               focus on the specific needs of female and male ex-combatants, welcomes the renewed
               commitments of the DRC and its neighbours to work together to tackle insecurity in
               Eastern DRC and to promote long lasting regional development, bearing in mind the
               need to address the root causes of conflict, including the illicit explo itation and
               trafficking of natural resources and put an end to recurring cycles of violence, as
               outlined in the PSC Framework, reaffirms that the PSC Framework remains an
               essential mechanism to achieve durable peace and stability in the DRC and the Region
               recalls the commitments undertaken by the region under the PSC Framework not to
               tolerate nor provide assistance or support of any kind to armed groups, urges the
               signatory States, with the support of the PSC Framework Guarantors, to strengthen
               their collaboration in addressing appropriately and holistically the threat of all
               remaining foreign armed groups in the DRC and the illicit flow of weapons in the
               region, fully supports the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes
               in fulfilling his mandate to address the remaining challenges in implementation of the
               PSC Framework and to promote peace and stability in the region, including through
               good offices, coordinated strategies and shared information with MONUSCO,
               UNOCA and other UN entities, and stresses the need for coordination and cooperation
               between the Government of the DRC and other national authorities, United Nations
               entities, civil society organisations and development actors to build and sustain peace,
               stabilise, improve the security situation and assist in restoration of State authority;
                     15. Welcomes the repatriation of FDLR disarmed combatants and some former
               M23 combatants, calls on the signatory States of the PSC Framework to complete
               without precondition the repatriation of the remaining former M23 combatants, as
               well as other combatants seeking voluntary return to their country of origin, within
               the shortest time frame possible;



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                 16. Expresses concern at the illegal exploitation and trafficking of natural
           resources, particularly timber, so-called “conflict minerals” like tin, tantalum,
           tungsten and gold, as well as diamonds, cobalt, charcoal and wildlife, by armed
           groups and criminal networks supporting them, the negative impact of armed conflict
           on protected natural areas, which undermines lasting peace and development for the
           DRC, and encourages the Government of the DRC to strengthen efforts to safeguard
           those areas, calls on member States of ICGLR and regional economic communities
           to jointly fight illegal exploitation and trade of natura l resources, and encourages
           them to promote the transparent and lawful management of natural resources,
           including the adoption of government revenue targets to finance development,
           sustainable regulatory and customs frameworks, and responsible mineral sour cing
           supply chain due diligence, and recalls in this regard its resolutions 2457 (2019) and
           2389 (2017);
                  17. Notes that drivers behind different armed groups’ activities and militia
           violence are varied, internal and external, and that there is no purely military solution
           to these problems, underlines the need for tailored responses in addressing the threat
           posed by armed groups, calls on the Government of the DRC to take further action in
           this respect, combining military and non-military approaches in accordance with
           international law, including international humanitarian law and international human
           rights law, and including through tailored Disarmament, Demobilisation and
           Reintegration (DDR) of ex-combatants into civilian life and local peacebuilding
           initiatives which are sensitive to the needs and experiences of women and girls, in
           coordination and with the support of MONUSCO in accordance with its manda te;
                 18. 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 Human Rights Due Diligence Policy (HRDDP), to ensure all
           efforts possible are being made to prevent, deter and stop armed groups and stresses
           the need to carry out all operations, joint or unilateral, in strict compliance with
           international law, including international humanitarian law and international human
           rights law, as applicable;
                  19. Welcomes the expression of readiness by some armed groups to lay down
           their weapons and, in that regard, calls upon the Government of the DRC and its
           partners to urgently provide adequate and timely support for the DDR of eligible
           former combatants, through tailored, community-based and context specific DDR
           initiatives with sustainable economic alternatives and opportunities in order to
           effectively attract combatants willing to demobilise and transition into a peaceful
           civilian life, learning lessons from previous approaches, and ensuring that
           accountability and the protection of children ’s rights is an integral part of those
           processes, acknowledges that the absence of a credible DDR process adjusted to
           current armed groups dynamics is preventing armed elements from laying down their
           weapons;
                20. Welcomes the preliminary commitments and actions taken by President
           Tshisekedi and his government to advance security sector reform (SSR), promote the
           consolidation of State authority, reconciliation, toleran ce and democracy, encourages
           the Congolese authorities to swiftly implement the troop rotations announced by
           President Tshisekedi, and calls on the Government of the DRC to remain fully
           committed to protecting the civilian population through the swift esta blishment of
           professional, accountable and sustainable security forces, the deployment of an
           accountable Congolese civil administration, in particular the police, judiciary, prison


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               and territorial administration, and the consolidation of rule of law and pr omotion and
               protection of human rights, further calls upon the Government of the DRC to uphold
               its national commitments to SSR, including by allocating the necessary financial
               resources, and taking into account women’s full and effective participation and safety,
               and notes with concern the limited progress in those fields essential for the DRC ’s
               stabilisation to date;
                     21. Calls for continued national efforts to address the threat posed by the illicit
               transfer, destabilising 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;

               MONUSCO’s mandate
                    22. Decides to extend until 20 December 2020 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;
                     23. Decides that MONUSCO’s authorised troop ceiling will comprise 14,000
               military personnel, 660 military observers and staff officers, 591 police personnel,
               and 1,050 personnel of formed police units, further agrees to a temporary deployment
               of an additional 360 personnel of formed police units provided they are deployed in
               replacement of military personnel, as proposed by the Secretary-General in his report
               S/2019/905, and invites the Secretariat to consider further reduction of MONUSCO ’s
               level of military deployment and area of operations based on the positive evolution
               of the situation on the ground, in particular in the regions where the threat posed by
               armed groups is no longer significant;
                    24. Decides that the strategic priorities of MONUSCO are to contribute to the
               following objectives:
                    (a)   Protection of civilians, as described in paragraph 29(i) of this resolution;
                     (b) Support to the stabilisation and strengthening of State institutions in the
               DRC and key governance and security reforms, as described in paragraph 29(ii) of
               this resolution;
                     25. Stresses that MONUSCO’s mandate should be implemented based on a
               prioritization of tasks established in paragraphs 29 to 39 of this resolution and, in this
               regard, reaffirms that the protection of civilians must be given priority in decisions
               about the use of available capacity and resources;
                    26. Urges MONUSCO to work with the Office of the Special Envoy for the
               Great Lakes to seek political solutions to stop the cross-border flows of armed
               combatants, arms and conflict minerals that threaten peace and stability in the DRC,
               by aligning strategies and conducting information-sharing and coordinating their
               respective reporting;
                    27. Authorises 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 MONUSCO fail to do so;
                    28. Requests MONUSCO to ensure that any support provided to operations
               conducted by national security forces, including in the form of rations and fuel, should
               be only for joint operations, jointly planned and executed, and subject to appropriate


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                 oversight and scrutiny, in strict compliance with the United Nations HRDDP, failing
                 which that support should be suspended;
                       29. Decides that the mandate of MONUSCO shall include the following
                 priority tasks, and that all MONUSCO ’s tasks should be implemented in a manner
                 consistent with respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms:

           (i)   Protection of civilians
                       (a) Take all necessary measures to ensure effective, timely, dynamic and
                 integrated protection of civilians under threat of physical violence within its provinces
                 of current deployment, with a specific focus on Eastern DRC whilst retaining a
                 capacity to intervene elsewhere in case of major deterioration of the situation, through
                 a comprehensive approach and in consultation with local communities, including by
                 preventing, deterring, and stopping all armed groups and local militias from inflicting
                 violence on the populations, by disarming them, 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, while ensuring the risk to civilians are mitigated before, during and
                 after any military or police operation, including by tracking, preventing, minimising
                 and addressing civilian harm resulting from the mission’s operations, including when
                 in support of national security forces;
                       (b) Maintain a proactive deployment and a mobile, flexible and robust posture,
                 including by conducting active patrolling by foot and by vehicle, in particular in high
                 risk areas;
                       (c) Work with the Government of the DRC and humanitarian workers to
                 identify threats to civilians and implement joint prevention and response plans and
                 strengthen civil-military cooperation, 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;
                       (d) Enhance its community engagement with civilians, including by the troops
                 and police, to raise awareness and understanding about its mandate and activities, to
                 strengthen its early warning mechanism, and to increase its efforts to monitor and
                 document violations of international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of
                 human rights, and continue and strengthen local community engagement and
                 empowerment, as well as strengthening protection of civilians through early warning
                 and response, including prevention, as appropriate, to lay out a strategy with the
                 government of the DRC containing concrete measures to build trust and
                 understanding among the population regarding MONUSCO’s efforts in the DRC and
                 to prevent disinformation campaigns aimed at undermining the mission’s credibility
                 and hindering its performance, and by ensuring mobility of the mission;
                       (e) in support of the authorities of the DRC, and on the basis of information
                 collection and analysis, carry out targeted offensive operations in the DRC t o
                 neutralise armed groups and 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 stabilisation activities, either unilaterally or jointly with the FARDC, throug h an
                 expanded Intervention Brigade with enhanced effectiveness, as determined by the
                 Force Commander, with a view to enabling it to execute its mandate, that includes


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                additional units with appropriate training, capabilities and equipment, which operates
                with unity of command of the FIB under the FIB Headquarters, which falls under the
                authority, command and control of MONUSCO Force Commander and with the
                support of the whole of MONUSCO, in a robust, highly mobile and versatile manner
                and in strict compliance with international law, including international humanitarian
                law, and with the United Nations HRDDP and in accordance with the standing
                operating procedures applicable to persons who are captured or who surrender, and
                underlines that the entire MONUSCO force, including the Intervention Brigade, must
                prioritise the implementation of its protection of civilians mandate;
                      (f) Work with the authorities of the DRC, leveraging the capacities and
                expertise of the UN Police, MONUSCO justice and corrections capacities including
                the UN Prosecution Support Cell, UNJHRO and other MONUSCO Justice
                components, to strengthen and support the DRC judicial system in order to investigate
                and prosecute 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, following the decision made by the Prosecutor of the ICC in
                June 2004 to open, following the request of the Government of the DRC, an
                investigation into alleged crimes committed in the context of armed conflict in the
                DRC since 2002;
                      (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 peace;

         (ii)   Support to stabilisation and the strengthening of State institutions in the DRC,
                and key governance and security reforms, in order to establish functional,
                professional, and accountable state institutions, including security and
                judicial institutions,
                Stabilisation
                     (a) Provide coordination between the Government of the DRC, international
                partners and United Nations agencies in a targeted, sequenced and coordinated
                approach to stabilisation 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;
                      (b) Provide technical advice to the Government of the DRC in the
                consolidation of an effective national civilian structure that controls key mining
                activities and manages in an equitable manner the extraction, transport, and trade of
                natural resources in eastern DRC, in coordination with the Special Envoy for the Great
                Lakes Region’s technical assistance efforts;

                Root causes of conflict
                     (c) Provide good offices and technical support, in coordination with regional
                and international partners, with a view to furthering reconciliation, democratisation
                and inclusion, addressing the root causes of conflict and promoting intercommunal
                reconciliation, including through political support and engagement with interlocutors


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           across the political spectrum, including the Government, opposition parties, local
           authorities, women and civil society;
                (d) Provide good offices, advice and assistance to enable the Government of
           the DRC to prevent, mitigate, and resolve intercommunal conflicts through, inter alia,
           mediation and community engagement, by undertaking local dialogues on community
           security, local conflict resolution, promotion of justice and reconciliation initiatives,
           and 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 stabilisation efforts;
                 (e) 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 context 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;

           Security Sector Reform (SSR)
                 (f) Provide strategic and technical advice to the Government of the DRC and
           play a leading role in coordinating the support provided by international and bilateral
           partners and the United Nations system, in consultation with the Government of DRC,
           to:
              – accelerate national ownership of SSR by the Government of the DRC, including
                through supporting the development of a common national plan, as well as a
                clear and comprehensive SSR implementation roadmap including benchmarks
                and timelines;
              – encourage inclusive SSR which delivers security and justice to all through
                independent, accountable and functioning justice and security institutions which
                take into account women’s participation and safety, underlines in that regard
                that progress in the fight against impunity is critical for the security forces to no
                longer be perceived as a threat to civilians;
              – promote and facilitate military, police, justice and prison sector reforms to
                enhance the justice and security sector’s accountability and effectiveness; in that
                regard, provide expertise, advice and training to the Congolese security forces
                to strengthen their capacity, in particular through human rights training and
                through continued implementation of the Integrated Operational Strategy for the
                Fight Against Insecurity, developed by MONUSCO police, in compliance with
                the United Nations HRDDP;

           Disarmament, demobilisation, reintegration (DDR)
                 (g) Provide good offices, advice and assistance to the Government of the DRC,
           in close cooperation with other international partners, for the DDR of Congolese and
           foreign combatants not suspected of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity
           or abuses of human rights, into a peaceful civilian life that can be complemented by
           a Community Violence Reduction (CVR) approach through community-based
           security and stabilisation measures and a flexible disarmament and demobilisation
           approach, coordinated under the framework of the ISSSS, while paying specific
           attention to the needs of children formerly associated with armed fo rces and groups;


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                     (h) Coordinate with civil society, donor partners and government officials,
               including local and provincial leaders, to support DDR efforts, especially regarding
               reintegration into civilian life;
                     (i) Provide support to the disarmament, demobilisation, 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;
                     (j) Advise and support the DRC authorities in the disposal of weapons and
               ammunitions of disarmed Congolese and foreign combatants in compliance with
               resolution 2424 (2018) as well as applicable international arms control treaties,
               including the Nairobi Protocol of which the DRC is signatory party and the Kinshasa
               Convention;
                     (k) Continue to collaborate with the Government of the DRC to consolidate
               the gains of the Action Plan to Prevent and End the Recruitment and Use of Children
               and expedite its implementation, including on the aspects related to 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;

               Protection of the United Nations
                    30. Ensure the protection of United Nations personnel, facilities, installations
               and equipment and the security and freedom of movement of United Nations and
               associated personnel;

               Child protection
                     31. Requests MONUSCO to take fully into account child protection as a cross -
               cutting 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, and acknowledges the crucial role of United Nations Child
               Protection Advisers deployed as a standalone capacity in MONUSCO in that regard,
               requests MONUSCO to continue to ensure the effectiveness of the monitoring and
               reporting mechanisms on children and armed conflict;

               Gender, Sexual Violence
                     32. Requests MONUSCO to take fully into account gender co nsiderations as
               a crosscutting issue throughout its mandate and to assist the Government of the DRC
               and other relevant stakeholders in creating a legal, political and socio -economic
               environment conducive to ensuring the full, effective and meaningful parti cipation
               and full involvement and representation of women at all levels, and survivors of
               sexual and gender-based violence, for the maintenance and promotion of peace and
               security, protection of civilians, including by engaging women ’s networks as partners
               in protection, support to DDR and SSR efforts, and support to stabilisation efforts
               through, inter alia, the provision of civilian and uniformed gender and women
               protection advisers and focal points at headquarters and field levels, participation of


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           women civil society leaders and organization members with regards to conflict
           prevention and resolution, public institutions and decision -making, requests
           MONUSCO support the government in advancing women’s political participation, in
           particular achieving the 30% constitutional quota and further requests enhanced
           reporting by MONUSCO to the Council on this issue;
                 33. Acknowledges the important 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;
                34. Reiterates the urgent and imperative need to hold accountable all
           perpetrators of violations of international humanitarian law, requests MONUSCO to
           accelerate the coordinated implementation of monitoring, analysis and reporting
           arrangements on sexual violence in conflict;

           Humanitarian Access
                 35. Recalls all its relevant resolutions on the protection of humanitarian and
           medical personnel, including resolutions 2439 (2018) and 2286 (2016), and expresses
           serious concern at increased attacks on humanitarian personnel and medical personnel
           exclusively engaged in medical duties, as well as impediments to humanitarian access
           in eastern DRC, including in particular those against humanitarian workers and
           medical personnel responding to the Ebola outbreak, which risk jeopardising the
           response, 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;
                 36. Calls on MONUSCO to strengthen its collaboration with humanitarian
           actors and streamline coordination mechanisms with humanitarian agencies to ensure
           information sharing and an effective response, in line with their respective mandates,
           to protection risks to the population;
                 37. Emphasises the importance of maintaining international support and
           engagement – financially, technically and in-kind – to bring the Ebola outbreak
           successfully to an end, requests all relevant parts of the United Nations System to
           effectively coordinate their activities in response to the Ebola outbreak, and notes the
           positive role of MONUSCO in that regard, recognises that Ebola is one of many
           serious humanitarian and health challenges in Eastern DRC that need sustainable
           solutions, including sustained strengthened healthcare systems to contain future
           epidemics;

           Sanctions regime
                 38. Requests MONUSCO to 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,


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               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;
                     39. 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
                     40. Recognises that the effective implementation of peacekeeping mandates is
               the responsibility of all stakeholders 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, planning, and
               operational guidelines, and training and equipment;
                      41. Welcomes the initiatives undertaken by the Secretary-General to
               standardise a culture of performance in UN peacekeeping, recalls its requests in
               resolution 2378 (2017) and resolution 2436 (2018) that the Secretary-General ensure
               that performance data related to the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations is used
               to improve mission operations, including decisions such as those regarding
               deployment, remediation, repatriation and incentives, and reaffirms its support for the
               development of a comprehensive and integrated performance policy framework that
               identifies clear standards of performance for evaluating all United Nations civilian
               and uniformed personnel working in and supporting peacekeeping operations that
               facilitates effective and full implementation of mandates, and includes comprehensive
               and objective methodologies based on clear and well-defined benchmarks to ensure
               accountability for underperformance and incentives and recognition for outstanding
               performance, and calls on the United Nations to apply this framework to MONU SCO,
               as described in resolution 2436 (2018), in particular by investigating and taking
               immediate action following significant performance failures to implement the
               protection of civilians strategy, to include the rotation, repatriation, replacement or
               dismissal of the under-performing MONUSCO uniformed or civilian personnel,
               including mission leadership and mission support personnel, consistent with
               resolution 2436 (2018), notes the efforts of the Secretary-General to develop a
               comprehensive performance assessment system and requests the Secretary-General
               and the troop- and police-contributing countries to seek to increase the number of
               women in MONUSCO, as well as to ensure the full, effective and meaningful
               participation of women in all aspects of operations;
                     42. Underlines the need to further improve the effectiveness of the Force
               Intervention Brigade to ensure effective, timely, dynamic and integrated protection of
               civilians and the neutralisation of armed groups by, inter alia, completing
               implementation of past assessments to reinvigorate the Intervention Brigade ’s
               operational effectiveness, attaching additional staff officers, as deemed appropriate
               by MONUSCO Force Headquarters, and undertaking the action set out in paragraph


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           29(i)(e) of this resolution, welcomes in this regard the Secretary-General’s decision
           to send an evaluation mission to assess the ability of MONUSCO ’s Force to
           effectively deliver on its protection of civilians mandate, identity operational
           deficiencies and gaps and make practical recommendations on how to improve the
           Force’s performance in these domains, and looks forward to its results;
                 43. Requests the Secretary-General to take all possible steps, including
           through the full use of existing authorities and at his discretion, to maximise
           MONUSCO’s operational capacity and ability to discharge its mandate, with a
           specific focus on priority areas, including through enhancing MONUSCO ’s
           personnel, mobility assets and capabilities for gathering timely, reliable and
           actionable information on threats to civilians, especially the linkages between armed
           groups and local communities, while continuing to strengthen the performance of the
           Mission;
                 44. Requests MONUSCO to consider the environmental impacts of its
           operations when fulfilling its mandated tasks and, in this context, to manage them as
           appropriate and in accordance with applicable and relevant General Assembly
           resolutions and United Nations rules and regulations;
                  45. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to implement a zero-tolerance
           policy on serious misconduct, sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment,
           fraud, corruption, trafficking in natural resources or wildlif e, 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, recalls its presidential
           statement S/PRST/2015/22 and its resolution 2272 (2016), welcomes the commitment
           of the Secretary-General to enforce strictly his zero-tolerance policy on sexual
           exploitation and abuse (SEA), further requests the Secretary-General to take all
           necessary measures to ensure full compliance of all personnel in MONUSCO, civilian
           and uniformed, including mission leadership and mission support personnel, 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 Mission ’s
           progress in this regard, stresses the need to prevent such exploitation and abuse and
           to improve how these allegations are addressed in line with resoluti on 2272 (2016),
           and urges T/PCCs to continue taking appropriate preventative action including vetting
           of all personnel, predeployment and in-mission awareness training, and to ensure full
           accountability in cases of such conduct involving their personnel, including through
           timely investigation of allegations by T/PCCs and MONUSCO, and 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 and abuse or other serious misconduct by
           those units;

           Exit strategy
                 46. Takes note of the independent strategic review and the conditions it
           highlights for a successful, gradual transition and a responsible exit of MONUSCO,
           in particular the importance of meaningful action by the people and Government of
           the DRC to address the drivers of instability and violence, the need for a whole -ofgovernment transformative strategy to lay the foundations for durable peace and
           inclusive development and the importance of tangible regional cooperation initiatives,
           further notes the assessment made by the review that an absolute minimum transition
           period of three years is required, that the achievement of this timeline would require


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               the implementation of the Government of the DRC ’s announced reforms to address
               the structural drivers of conflict, and that this tentative timeline would have to remain
               flexible and to take into account the security situation based on ongoing assessments,
               as well as the red lines set out in the review justifying a pause in the transition;
                     47. Stresses that MONUSCO’s activities should be conducted in such a
               manner as to facilitate progress towards sustainable and inclusive peace and
               development and address the root causes of conflict, to reduce the threat posed by
               domestic and foreign armed groups to a level that can be managed by the DRC ’s
               security forces and enables MONUSCO’s exit based on the improvement of the
               situation on the ground, with a particular focus on reduction of the threat to civilians;
                     48. Underscores the need to progressively transfer MONUSCO’s tasks to the
               Government of the DRC, the UNCT and other relevant stakeholders in order to enab le
               the responsible and sustainable exit of MONUSCO, in this regard emphasises the need
               for joint analysis and effective strategic planning with the Government of the DRC,
               the UNCT, humanitarian actors and other partners, and recognises the important role
               of strategic planning officers and field-level coordinators in supporting these efforts,
               requests the Secretary-General to proceed with the gradual transfer of MONUSCO ’s
               programmatic activities to the relevant partners based on such analysis and planning;
                     49. Stresses the importance of a comprehensive dialogue between the
               government of the DRC and MONUSCO on the progress of the political and security
               reform agenda, also with a view towards transition, and in that regards further
               requests the Secretary-General to engage with the Government of the DRC to
               articulate a joint strategy and identify a set of measurable benchmarks, to be proposed
               to the Security Council no later than 20 October 2020, that would allow for a
               progressive transfer of MONUSCO’s tasks to the Congolese authorities, UNCT and
               other stakeholders, and a further reduction of MONUSCO ’s level of deployment and
               area of operations by focusing its military presence in the regions most affected by
               persistent high levels of insecurity and shifting towards a UN police and civilian
               presence in more stable regions;
                     50. Recalls the commitments made by the Government of the DRC,
               encourages the government to swiftly address the following key issues in order to
               make the support and technical assistance of MONUSCO and oth er partners more
               efficient, not precluding other priorities jointly identified between the government of
               the DRC and MONUSCO ahead of the elaboration of the joint strategy as outlined
               above:
                     (a) Appoint, empower, and resource a senior coordinator to lead DRC
               government efforts on disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration (DDR)
               programs and a DDR strategy to transition eligible former combatants into peaceful
               civilian life;
                     (b) Initiate disciplinary and judicial procedures, in accordance with the DRC
               legislation, against DRC officials who have been found to have engaged in corruption,
               ordered violence against civilians or engaged in commercial relations with armed
               groups;
                     (c) Initiate appropriate disciplinary and judicial procedures against
               individuals responsible for human rights violations and abuses, including crimes
               against children and sexual and gender-based violence, and work towards eliminating
               human rights violations committed by Congolese security forces;



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                (d) Conduct information-sharing with regional security forces to interdict
           cross-border flows of arms, combatants, and conflict minerals;

           Reports by the Secretary-General
                 51. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Council every three months
           on the situation in the DRC, including progress towards the strengthening of State
           institutions, key governance and security reforms, and on the implementation of
           MONUSCO’s mandate, including its protection of civilian tasks, as per the
           requirements set out in paragraph 46 of resolution 2463 (2019), as well as on progress
           made towards the progressive transfer of tasks to the Government of the DRC, the
           UNCT and other relevant stakeholders, cooperation among regional security forces,
           and information on police and force generation and the implementation of the
           measures taken to improve MONUSCO’s performance, including to ensure force
           effectiveness as outlined in paragraphs 40 to 45, further requests the Secretary-General to include gender analysis in all reports to the Security Council;
                52. 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;
                53.   Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.




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