Statement by Latvia at the Security Council Briefing “United Nations peacekeeping operations: Police Commissioners”
New York, 5 February 2026
Thank you, Mr President,
I also thank USG Lacroix, Police Adviser Shahkar, and Police Commissioners Ouedraogo and Schlotmann for their insightful briefings. And I wish to express gratitude to all UN police personnel their service and sacrifice.
UN police contingents constitute an integral part of UN peacekeeping operations and efforts to maintain international peace and security. They help address a wide spectrum of conflict-related security challenges and associated fragility, particularly with regard to upholding the rule of law.
I would like to underscore three points that, in our view, merit closer attention as we seek to further strengthen the UN police activities, while managing resource constraints.
First, we need to equip police contingents with the necessary skills and tools to operate effectively in volatile environments. From uncrewed aerial vehicles to AI-enabled data platforms, technologies can play a crucial role as a force multiplier. The aim is not to replace the functions of police personnel - particularly community engagement - but to help shift their work from reactive to predictive. Also, challenges related to misinformation and disinformation can disrupt peace efforts and fuel security risks for mission personnel and local populations. Latvia will engage in the work of the newly established Advisory Group on strengthening information integrity in UN Peacekeeping. We welcome the group’s focus on producing concrete deliverables, including training packages for police officers performing strategic communications functions in missions.
Second, we are convinced that the full, equal and meaningful participation of women is key to effective work of UN police components. Women personnel bring their own experiences and perspectives to peacekeeping efforts, helping to build trusted relationships with local communities. Latvia supports the work of the High-Level Network on Gender-Responsive Policing, which focuses both on promoting gender diversity in police forces and on improving the prevention of and response to sexual and gender-based violence. Our national experience, with women constituting nearly forty‑seven percent of Latvia’s police force, demonstrates that inclusive institutions which mirror the societies they serve are the ones that work best.
Third, for the UN missions to deliver consistent results across the peace continuum, police components must be fully in sync with civilian and military components. We should avoid siloed approaches with each component pursuing misaligned objectives, leading to fragmented outcomes. Together with more than forty troop and police contributing countries, Latvia has joined the initiative by Denmark and Austria on a letter outlining concrete steps to advance integrated planning across UN peace operations. Their aim is to ensure that Security Council mandates are translated into actionable, whole-of-mission plans. The outcome of the UN peace operations review, as well as the next iteration of Action for Peacekeeping Plus strategy should guide efforts toward such approach for current and future deployments.
In conclusion, we welcome today’s discussion and recognize the importance of sustained attention to matters related to UN policing. We look forward to the upcoming UN Chiefs of Police Summit in July, which will provide an opportunity for more in-depth discussions on enhancing the capacities and role of UN Police.
I thank you.