Key Highlights:
- India has created a technological platform in collaboration with the United Nations to safeguard peacekeepers.
- Eternal Affairs Minister stated that consistent training and capacity building of peacekeepers in the field of technology also requires attention and money.
- UNITE Aware is a software tool that would use contemporary surveillance technology to analyze real-time threats to peacekeepers.
Safeguarding peacekeepers
India has created a technological platform in collaboration with the United Nations to safeguard the safety and security of peacekeepers operating in increasingly complicated and dangerous situations throughout the world.
The UNITE AWARE platform was launched when India took the 15-nation UN Security Council Presidency for the month of August. However, the project was launched in the presence of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar here at the UN headquarters, for which India has donated $1.64 million.
Later, in his address to the UN Security Council’s open debate on Technology and Peacekeeping, Jaishankar states that UN peacekeeping “simply cannot” afford to cede the information advantage to actors determined to sabotage prospects for peace by employing modern technology to further their violent agenda.
Anchored in a strong ecosystem of technology
Jaishankar states, “21st-century peacekeeping must be anchored in a strong ecosystem of technology and innovation that can facilitate UN peacekeeping operations in implementing their mandates in complex environments.”
He goes on to say that the international community should focus on technologies that are operationally proven, cost-effective, widely available, dependable, and field-serviceable, and that prioritize mobility, both in terms of mission asset agility and the utilization of mobile digital/IT platforms.
He urged everyone to help ensure that technological advancements are ongoing and accessible on the ground, in peacekeepers’ clothing, weapons, and equipment, to increase their mobility, performance, endurance, range, and load-carrying capacities while ensuring their safety and security.
Consistent training and capacity building of peacekeepers in the field of technology, he added, also requires attention and money.
UNITE Aware
After the open discussion, Jaishankar told reporters at the Protection Council stakeout that UNITE Aware is a situational awareness software tool that would use contemporary surveillance technology to analyze real-time threats to peacekeepers and assist them to improve their security. This will provide peacekeepers access to live video and satellite imagery, as well as provide early warnings in highly hazardous situations. It can also keep track of everyday operating tasks and collect data on key occurrences and events.
The software allows for real-time visualization, coordination, and monitoring of the whole peacekeeping mission. In collaboration with the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department of Operational Support, India built the technological platform.
The goal of this research is to show how contemporary surveillance technologies might help detect asymmetric threats. According to the Ministry of Affairs in New Delhi, the project seeks to improve camp security for UN soldiers, the general security situation, and the level of situational awareness.
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