Last week, I was invited to conduct a 4-day training for the UN Standing Police Capacity (SPC) personnel on the individual criminal accountability of UN Police personnel.
A few participants were also from the Standing Justice and Corrections Capacity.
After the first half-day, following the expectations and wishes of the participants, I modified the content and mode of the training to more practical, case-oriented approach. Training is a living thing, so, the same design can not be applied without modification to different groups of participants, even when the theme is the same.
The first theme covered was the analysis of the data of alleged criminal conduct by UN Peace Operations personnel, where I analyzed, from my 554 recorded cases, the trend of alleged criminal conduct by UN Peace Operations personnel. Comparison was made among alleged criminal conduct by various types of personnel, over time, by mission and by types of criminal conduct. The second theme covered was various codes that UN Peace Operations personnel are bound by – from international law, national laws to internal rules and regulations. The third subject was the analysis of various mechanisms that deal with alleged criminal conduct inside the UN and how it liaise with relevant States. This theme was very interesting with all kinds of professional experiences that the participants have had. Our discussion on mission specific mechanisms, focal points, new rules and obligations, contradicting instructions, developments and shortcomings was very informative and interesting. Next, the analysis on criminal jurisdiction under international law and national laws of major Police Contributing States triggered interesting discussion. The biggest and most active sessions were on immunity – theory, evolution, practice and cases. My analysis on different cases was found to be thought provoking for many participants, and in return, concerns, questions and comments by the participants were much more than expected. The first and last sessions were on the situation in the Central African Republic, where a lot of issues and difficulties were found and solutions were sought.
Overall, the training went very well, and we enjoyed it a lot. Very happy that the SPC initiated this training and that I could contribute to their effort to improve accountability. I am very ready to assist any follow-up or similar initiatives.
aikiharahunt 