Why in News?

• At a high-level Group of Friends (GoF) meeting held at UN Headquarters, India reaffirmed its strong commitment to ensuring justice for crimes against UN peacekeepers, referring to accountability as a strategic necessity.

Concerning the Group of Friends (GoF) for Accountability of Crimes Against Peacekeepers:

• An unofficial forum of UN members dedicated to enhancing international peacekeeping standards and bringing justice to crimes against UN peacekeepers.

• Launched in December 2022, when India was the UN Security Council’s president.

Membership:

• Consists of about 40 UN members, with India serving as co-chair and supporting nations from Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Goals:

• Advance legislative and policy frameworks for the prosecution of offences against peacekeepers.

• Address impunity to ensure deterrence.

• Maintain the integrity and legitimacy of UN peacekeeping efforts.

Essential Roles:

• Encourage communication between governments, UN agencies, and specialists.

• Encourage legal reforms and investigative procedures.

• Monitor the application of UNSC Resolution 2589 (2021), which requires that those responsible for attacks on peacekeepers be held accountable.

• Encourage the UN Secretary-General to provide updates on the progress that has been made.

Significance:

• Essential for ensuring UN peacekeepers’ safety during dangerous missions.

• Strengthens faith in India’s leadership in peacekeeping and multilateralism.

• Corresponds with India’s history of providing the most peacekeepers—more than 300,000—of any nation.

• Protects the legal rights and operational morale of employees from the Global South.

Results of the High-Level Meeting in July 2025:

• Strategic Accountability Framing: Accountability, according to India, is not only a legal obligation but also a strategic necessity that is critical to the mission’s success and peacekeepers’ safety.

• Fighting Impunity: The GoF reiterated that the absence of sanctions encourages additional assaults on peacekeepers, undermining international peace initiatives.

• Reaffirming India’s Role: With the deaths of 182 peacekeepers, India demonstrated its historic leadership and promised to continue supporting the cause legally, diplomatically, and morally.