Countries must ensure that no rights violators deployed in UN missions

Contributing countries must ensure that no individual deployed in UN peacekeeping missions is involved with human rights violations, said Jean-Pierre Lacroix, United Nations under secretary general for Peacekeeping Operations.

He said this in a statement to the families of victims of enforced disappearance yesterday.

"All troops and police contributing countries are required by the UN to certify upon deployment or rotation of personnel that no individual being deployed has committed or been alleged to have committed violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law," said the email sent to Maayer Daak, a platform of families of enforced disappearance victims.

The UN peacekeeping chief's response comes after the group sent a letter to him.

The letter urged Lacroix to "adhere to the universal principles of human rights and accountability in respect of selecting the personnel for the UN Peacekeeping Operations and take a clear stance regarding the perpetrators of gross human rights violations."

The families also organised a human chain on Sunday to convey their message.

"For our engagement with communities to be successful, a prerequisite of almost all that we do, it remains imperative that all peacekeepers uphold the highest levels of conduct as well as the highest standards of integrity, competency and efficiency," Lacroix's response added.

Lacroix also conveyed the same message during her speech at the opening of the two-day UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Preparatory meeting on Sunday, which was attended by the inspector general of the Bangladesh Police, and the foreign secretary, among others.