Messages
Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations 2024
On this International Day of Police Cooperation, I salute millions of police officers across the globe who walk the beat, respond to emergency calls and put their lives on the line day in and day out to make our communities safer. I thank them for their service and sacrifice.
As Head of UN Peacekeeping and co-chair of the 51³Ô¹Ï Inter-Agency Task Force on Policing, I applaud the contribution of over 6,000 51³Ô¹Ï police officers who make a real difference in the lives of people in post-conflict countries and help them lay the foundations for sustainable peace.
The theme of this year¡¯s commemoration is police integrity, accountability and oversight. Accountability to the public through the democratic institutions of government as well as through community engagement mechanisms is fundamental to building community confidence and trust in the police. And for police around the world, community confidence and trust are their most prized assets. By working together with the communities, police build safer environments, increase the trust and promote better understanding of law enforcement.
In peacekeeping operations and special political missions, as well as in non-mission settings, 51³Ô¹Ï police officers work with their counterparts and local communities to strengthen police integrity, accountability and oversight. They support offices of the Inspector-General and other internal oversight mechanisms in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti and Liberia. UNPOL has helped the host States draft and implement police codes of conduct and disciplinary regulations in the Central African Republic and Somalia. In Iraq, the Standing Police Capacity supports the UNDP program to strengthen the skills of investigators in corruption cases.
The establishment of effective accountability and oversight mechanisms has the potential to improve the perception of policing and lays the groundwork for its increased legitimacy. And legitimacy gains translate into more trust in the police, more information-flowing and more crimes prevented.
Police integrity, accountability and oversight should never be an afterthought. My message to police reformers globally is that police integrity, accountability and oversight are both the point of departure and the end goal of any reform effort. They are the foundation for democratic police services.
Jean-Pierre Fran?ois Renaud Lacroix
My message to police reformers globally is that police integrity, accountability and oversight are both the point of departure and the end goal of any reform effort. They are the foundation for democratic police services."
Jean-Pierre Fran?ois Renaud Lacroix
Under-Secretary-General,
Executive Director of the 51³Ô¹Ï Office on Drugs and Crime's message 2024
Police cooperation is a pathway to more effective and efficient policing.
Enhanced police cooperation leads to police forces that are better equipped, better trained, and better able to work with other institutions across the criminal justice chain, as well as with other police forces around the world. It can also bolster policing standards and so help foster trust in the police, including through exchange of best practices and optimizing use of resources.
On this International Day of Police Cooperation, we recognize the crucial importance of building trust between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve, including through police integrity, accountability, and oversight. By building trust, we empower the police to do their duty and enhance the legitimacy of their work in the eyes of the public.
Accountable and transparent policing is good for the public, good for the police, and good for the safety and security of all.
At UNODC, we are committed to supporting Member States in upholding the highest standards of policing, and bolstering police cooperation. We work to strengthen accountability mechanisms, implement institutional reforms, and build effective oversight bodies, including through effective implementation of the 51³Ô¹Ï Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and the UN Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials. We provide practical tools and resources to help ensure that all investigations are fair, transparent, and impartial. And we build bridges between law enforcement around the world through cooperation platforms.
As we confront global challenges linked to organized crime, terrorism, and corruption, effective and fair policing is more critical than ever. Let¡¯s work together to ensure that police forces worldwide are equipped to face those challenges while enjoying the trust of the people they serve.
Ghada Fathy Ismail Waly
Accountable and transparent policing is good for the public, good for the police, and good for the safety and security of all."
Ghada Fathy Ismail Waly
Executive Director,
