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Heads of Police Components to gather virtually to discuss current priorities and challenges during the annual United Nations Police Week

 

From 8 to 12 November 2021, the Police Division will convene the 16th United Nations Police Week. Heads of Police Components in peacekeeping operations, special political missions and regional offices, as well as senior leaders from the Department of Peace Operations (DPO) and other departments and offices of the United Nations system, will gather to discuss key developments, priorities, and challenges for United Nations policing.

This year, within the context of Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) and A4P+ priorities, sessions will focus on enhancing partnerships and fostering greater integration and coherence in United Nations policing; strengthening UNPOL’s impact in the protection of civilians and prevention of transnational threats; improving performance, capabilities, and mindsets; reinforcing good practices and lessons learned to mitigate the impact of COVID-19; and ensuring gender- and environmentally responsive policing within field missions. In addition, participants will discuss how the recently established United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on Policing co-chaired by DPO and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and the Organization’s ongoing digital transformation can advance these discussions and efforts. 

 

Highlights of the week will include briefings by Under-Secretary-General Jean-Pierre Lacroix, United Nations Police Adviser Luis Carrilho, and police commissioners from the field to the Security Council on the role of UN Police in advancing the Women, Peace and Security agenda and to the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (C-34) of the General Assembly. 

 

In addition, the 2021 United Nations Woman Police Officer of the Year Award will be presented to recognize the contributions of an outstanding officer to the implementation of United Nations Police mandates. Since its establishment in 2010, the award has helped showcase the varied and diverse work of women police officers serving with the United Nations across the full spectrum of policing functions.

 

The briefings to the Security Council and C-34 and the award ceremony will be broadcast on UN WebTV and on the UNPOL website and social media.