Page 10 - Coespu Magazine 2018-2

supervised by one of the Deputy Special Representatives of the Secretary-General and involve, in addition to
substantive components, Directors of Administration or Field Support, planners and other staff.
In many UN Missions’ military components, CIMIC is an established military function in support of the Force
Commander. Also, some operations have special Humanitarian-Civil-Military coordination mechanisms
designated to maintain dialogue, interaction among UN and other partners as well to uphold respective
principles. For this, a special function/position on the ground could be established staffed by an OCHA Officer.
Another vital area of coordination and cooperation in any UN Mission are Joint Operation Centers and Joint
Mission Analysis Centers, the latter producing special research based on information received from various UN
elements. In most Missions, these joint entities support the wide spectrum of integrated situational awareness, as
well as facilitate forecasting for both routine and crisis situations. Ideally, they allow UN leadership to identify,
prevent and mitigate threats
to mandate implementation.
However, in my view, the
tragic events that occurred
during the street riots in
Gao, Mali, in recent years,
demonstrated that much
needs to be done to improve
the coordination and
management of police,
civilian and military
operations in times of crisis.
With the advent of the UN
intelligence-based
operations, this practice also
involves the creation of the
All Sources Information Fusion Unit in the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali,
which has recently been merged with the U2 Force structure. United Nations police plays an increasingly vital
and unique role in these joint endeavors through community‑oriented and intelligence‑led activities, i.e.
interacting with the local communities, establishing trust and, for example, collecting information on early
warning signs. It would be important to more actively involve civilian participants in this important endeavor.
Furthermore, mutually supportive tactical operations require much better pre-deployment and in-theater training,
especially between the military and police components in emergency situations. On the other hand, tactical
intelligence implies new technology, skills and, most importantly, new attitude with regard to the situational and
strategic awareness.
The designated military, police and civilian affairs officers mentioned above also contribute to the liaison and
information exchange between the UN and national actors on the ground, thus creating a stronger bond and
multiplying effect among them. The UN police components (currently totalling 13 000 officers globally)
represent an indispensable ingredient in this activity, being in direct contact with the population. Altogether,
police, justice, corrections, DDR, weapon management, SSR and other vital UN components not only train,

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