Vanuatu government receives report on misconduct of peacekeepers in UN missions

The United Nations Peacekeeping Operations has completed its report on several Vanuatu peacekeepers involvement in actions prohibited by the contractual agreement between Vanuatu and UNPKO.

A UNPKO report has singled out misconduct behavior of a Vanuatu Peacekeeper who had served in East Timor, Corporal George Japheth and it also sighted the failure of his three colleagues, Corporal Glen Nicholson Mahina, Corporal Kapsam Willie and Commander North, Willie Samuel, to report the alien behavior to the relevant authorities.

Meanwhile, Corporal Glen Mahina who heads the Vanuatu Professional Standards Unit of the Vanuatu Police Force has confirmed he was cleared by the police disciplinary hearing last week.

He explained the reported misconduct behavior by one of his colleagues occurred in East Timor’s capital district, Dili, where his other colleagues were initially posted.

According to Corporal Glen Mahina, his two ni-Vanuatu colleagues asked him as then personal officer of Maliana District to facilitate their transfer to where he was posted and he did.

He denied any knowledge of the misconduct behavior until at the end of their term or only two days before their departure from East Timor, and he immediately reported the matter to their contingent commander Willie Samuel. He said they were already packing and gearing up for their return home when they were interviewed by the Conduct and Discipline Team of the UNPKO.

The fifth peace keeper who served in Haiti, Corporal Gerald Malare, was reported to have been involved in arson attacks while serving his term there in 2010. He was repatriated immediately after the incident.

According to UN peacekeeping rules, misconduct is defined as failure by a staff member to comply with his or her obligations under the Charter of the United Nations, the Staff Regulations and Staff Rules or other relevant administrative issuances or to observe the standards of conduct expected of an international civil servant. Misconduct may lead to the institution of a disciplinary process and the imposition of disciplinary measures. Similar provisions apply to all other categories of UN peacekeeping personnel. Within these rules sexual exploitation and sexual abuse are misconducts.

Vanuatu authorities have confirmed that the actions of the five ni-Vanuatu police officers, as contained the UNPKO Report, had resulted in Vanuatu being enlisted under a shaming list and that the UNKPO recommends that all five face disciplinary measures under the Vanuatu context.

Under the UNKPO, the rule of law is the legal and political framework under which all persons and institutions, including the State itself, are accountable.  Establishing respect for the rule of law is fundamental to achieving a durable peace in the aftermath of conflict.

Vanuatu Authorities confirmed the UNKPO report was sent to the Vanuatu government immediately after investigations and findings of the Conduct and Discipline Team of the UNPKO which also recommends disciplinary hearing and action. Corporal Gerald Malere who was repatriated for his involvement in the arson attack, underwent the Vanuatu Police Force Disciplinary Hearing and it was only until last week that the four who served in East Timor in 2004 had their cases heard.

Authorities also confirmed that the long delay to act on the report was a contributing factor to the delay in deploying more Vanuatu Police officers to UN peacekeeping missions abroad.

Once this is cleared, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will have to put this on the table as a matter of discussion with UNPKO to clear Vanuatu.

Fourteen Vanuatu police personnel are on standby for the UN Peacekeeping mission so it makes this a matter of urgency for the government to negotiate and remove Vanuatu from the shaming list.

     

Author: 
Harold Obed