National statement at the United Nations Chief of Police Summit (UNCOPS)

Esteemed Chair, Honourable Ministers, Excellencies, Colleagues,

Given today’s evolving threats to international peace and security, it is more important than ever to come together and respond jointly in a coordinated manner. I am therefore pleased to see so many of you here at this summit.

In this day and age, crime does not recognise national borders. Instead, criminal networks often take advantage of poor international coordination and exploit regional conflict zones for their global operations.

In order to remain relevant in combating crime and mitigating security threats, the work of the United Nations needs to change; business as usual is a thing of the past. 

Firstly, the UN needs to become more agile in order to respond effectively to the rapidly evolving security challenges on the ground. 

Large-scale peace operations have played a vital part in bringing stability to conflict regions in the past. Nevertheless, today’s conflicts call for more targeted action and more specialized missions that accommodate local needs.

Secondly, it is crucial for the UN to strengthen its internal coherence and act as ‘One UN’. Armed conflict and transnational organised crime are often interlinked. If we fail to move beyond working in silos, we will also fail to overcome one of the most urgent security challenges of our time.

My third message is that there is a window of opportunity for the UN to strengthen its contribution to law enforcement. Effective policing should be at the centre of all peace operations, given the important role of transparent and fair law enforcement in maintaining sustainable peace and protecting human rights.

The UN Interagency Task Force on Policing is a key effort for bringing together all UN entities working on policing to ensure system-wide coherence. The Swedish Police Authority has supported the work of the task force by seconding a Swedish police officer as one of the co-chairs. 

However, we need to build on this momentum to ensure that the strategic discussions in the Task Force lead to concrete action.

We simply cannot afford to be fragmented in our response. The UN cannot afford to fall behind – the only acceptable option is to deliver as one. Together we can reform UN policing to make it fit for purpose in this new era.