Peacekeeping and accountability

Bruce C. Rashkow, formerly of the UN Office of Legal Affairs, has a timely article on United Nations Peacekeeping: Strengthening Accountability for Injuries to Third Parties in the Winter 2018 issue of the ABA's International Law News. His bottom line:

It remains to be seen whether and to what extent the General Assembly, and in particular the Member States who provide military contingents to UN peacekeeping operations, will accept and act on proposals to strengthen the accountability for SEA [sexual exploitation and abuse] within UN peacekeeping operations and more generally throughout the UN system, and whether and to what extent it will implement its special regime for harms caused to third parties in the peacekeeping context.

The UN needs to correct its past failures and must act in a timely and conscientious manner to implement existing policies and enact new policies to end a culture of impunity. It is clear that further concrete actions will be needed to achieve accountability and justice.