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| Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security | |
|---|---|
| Name | Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security |
| Department | United Nations Secretariat |
| Reports to | United Nations Secretary-General |
| Seat | United Nations Headquarters |
Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security is the senior United Nations official responsible for the overall safety, security and risk management of United Nations personnel, premises and operations worldwide. The office interacts with a broad array of international actors, including the United Nations Security Council, United Nations General Assembly, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, United Nations Development Programme, and regional organizations such as the African Union, European Union, and Organization of American States. It operates amid complex crises involving entities like United Nations peacekeeping operations, United Nations Missions in South Sudan, United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, and humanitarian responses in contexts such as Syria, Yemen, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Under-Secretary-General leads the Department of Safety and Security to set policy on protection of United Nations personnel, United Nations premises, and United Nations assets across field missions and headquarters, coordinating with actors including the Secretary-General of the United Nations, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, International Committee of the Red Cross, World Health Organization, United Nations Children's Fund, and the International Organization for Migration. Responsibilities include threat assessments, security risk management, crisis response, evacuation planning, and liaison with host states such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, and Mali as well as international partners like the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Interpol, International Criminal Court, and national authorities of France, United States, United Kingdom, China, and Russia. The post issues directives on force protection for United Nations peacekeepers, coordinates with Department of Peace Operations and Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, and implements mandates from bodies like the Security Council and the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations.
The position emerged from evolving security needs after major incidents affecting United Nations staff, including high-profile attacks linked to events such as the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, and the 2003 Baghdad attacks, prompting institutional reforms influenced by reports from panels like the Brahimi Report and the A/RES deliberations of the General Assembly. Establishment and reform of the office reflect precedents in organizational responses to crises seen in entities such as the United Nations Office at Geneva, United Nations Office at Nairobi, and the restructuring that followed major operations including United Nations Protection Force and United Nations Assistance Mission in Rwanda. The office’s mandate has been shaped by interactions with international legal frameworks such as the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and security guidelines influenced by cases like Haiti 1994 and Somalia 1992–1995.
The Under-Secretary-General is appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General with approval processes involving informal consultations among permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and broader endorsement by the United Nations General Assembly through administrative channels. Appointments have been influenced by considerations involving member states such as Brazil, India, South Africa, Japan, and regional balances across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe, and Oceania. Terms vary per appointment and are subject to renewal or replacement aligned with initiatives led by secretaries-general including Kofi Annan, Ban Ki-moon, and António Guterres.
The Under-Secretary-General heads the Department of Safety and Security with divisions managing operations like security policy, field security coordination, protective services, and training, working closely with administrators at United Nations Headquarters, UN field missions, and regional offices such as UNIFIL, MONUSCO, and MINUSMA. The office reports directly to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and coordinates with principal organs including the Security Council, General Assembly, and the Office of Internal Oversight Services, while liaising with external partners like Interpol, Europol, the World Bank, and bilateral partners from countries including Germany and Canada. It supervises specialist units dealing with crisis management, information security, and physical security in cooperation with entities like the International Civil Aviation Organization for aviation safety and United Nations Office for Project Services for infrastructure projects.
Key initiatives include development of the Security Risk Management framework, implementation of duty of care policies for staff in hazardous environments, training programs in collaboration with institutions such as Harvard Kennedy School, Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance, and regional training centers, and technology investments for surveillance, communications, and tracking in partnership with vendors and agencies linked to NATO and Interpol. Programs also emphasize compliance with mandates from the Security Council on protection of civilians, integration with Humanitarian Response Plans coordinated by OCHA, and enhancements to protective measures in contexts like Mali, South Sudan, and Afghanistan. The office advances protocols for medical evacuation and post-incident support involving organizations such as Médecins Sans Frontières and International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
Notable officials who have served in equivalent senior security roles at the United Nations or in related multilateral institutions include senior figures from member states such as Peter D. Yost (as an example of senior security advisers), diplomats and officials who worked with secretaries-general like Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, and advisers connected to Dag Hammarskjöld precedents. Senior security professionals have often had careers spanning posts at the United Nations Department of Peace Operations, national foreign services of countries such as United States, United Kingdom, France, India, and roles within Interpol and Europol.
The office faces scrutiny over resource constraints, coordination with host states including Somalia, DR Congo, and Syria, incidents such as attacks on facilities comparable to the 1994 Kigali massacre or assaults on humanitarian convoys, and tensions with mandates from the Security Council versus operational realities in conflict zones like Afghanistan and Iraq. Criticisms have focused on accountability, transparency, and effectiveness, with calls for reforms paralleling recommendations from panels including the Brahimi Report and oversight from the Office of Internal Oversight Services. Balancing confidentiality with member-state oversight has provoked debates involving capitals such as Washington, D.C., London, Beijing, and Moscow over intelligence sharing, evacuation decisions, and protective rules of engagement.
Category:United Nations officials