I congratulate all members of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Policing, which is co-chaired by the United Nations Department of Peace Operations and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, as well as all policing professionals around the world, on the occasion of this first International Day of Police Cooperation.
The United Nations Secretary-General envisions a greater role for United Nations policing, which often works in tandem with justice and corrections components and is one of the Organization’s most important tools to provide comprehensive and effective rule of law assistance and thereby strengthen criminal justice chains in some of the most challenging settings.
To this end, the Secretary-General’s Our Common Agenda looks at how our rule of law assistance can support States, communities and people in rebuilding their social contract as a foundation for sustaining peace and promotes a new vision for the rule of law that puts people at the centre of justice systems. The many entities that comprise the Inter-Agency Task Force on Policing are key to helping realize the priority areas of the Common Agenda, from climate action to cyber security, from sustaining peace and preventing conflict, to empowering women and young people.
At the same time, United Nations policing – and notably, women in policing – lies at the heart of the entire 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. In particular, SDG 5 aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls, while SDG 16 promotes peaceful and inclusive societies and effective, accountable and inclusive institutions. On this International Day of Police Cooperation, we recognize the role of women in helping us advance these interconnected goals – as women police, corrections, justice and rule of law officers and leaders – by fostering equal access to justice, enabling women’s greater participation in civic life, building bridges and partnerships, fighting human trafficking, and combatting organized crime and violence.