What does CDS stand for?

The Conduct and Discipline Service (CDS) is one of the sections in MONUSCO. Its mandate consists in providing guidance to the Mission leadership and management on quality standards of behavior that every personnel should uphold. Its objective is to ensure that peacekeepers be knowledgeable and compliant to UN system rules and regulations, mission specific instructions including SOPs, Force Commander and Police Commissioner directives, as well as local laws and culture.

What does CDS do?

Under the general jurisdiction of the Head of the Mission and within the office of her Director of Cabinet, senior and junior conduct and discipline officers are led by a Chief conduct and discipline and work as team members to implement the three following programs:

Prevention: Inspired by the common humanitarian and social care principle, “Prevention is better than cure”, the conduct and discipline personnel undertake programmatic activities aimed at raising awareness of all categories of mission personnel on the UN Zero tolerance policy against all types of misconduct including Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) and other prohibited conduct at the workplace. They achieve this task through Risk assessment visit, training needs, delivery of mandatory induction training, workshop training of trainers and refresher training sessions. In addition, CDS carries out projects in coordination with the UNCT network, the Community based complaint network (CBCN) as well as PID to sensitize the local community on protection from SEA, the reporting mechanism, and the referee of victims of misconduct to existing entities as required.

Enforcement:  This program intends to enforce the reporting framework. It consists in receiving, reviewing reported allegations of misconduct and advise if further investigation is warranted.  CDS implements this program in liaison with the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), the Military Police (MP), the Board of Enquiry (BOI), the Force Provost Marshall (FPM) or the NIO to ensure that prima facea fundings are collected from involved persons and protected by investigators to avoid disappearance of facts. After all CDT follows up and monitors through MTS the result of investigation and recommends appropriate action to be taken against alleged perpetrator.

Remedial action: The remedial action program stands for provision of immediate or indirect assistance to the victims. It is the implementation of the 2017 UN Secretary general strategy to improve and prioritize victims in our (VAT) response to SEA cases worldwide. This response is provided in two folds:

• Referee and indirect assistance (medical, financial, security, legal) to victims through existing local entities. Children are referred to UNICEF while adults to UNFPA. CDS always collaborates with the VRAO in this aspect.
• Implementation of the UN Trust Fund project in coordination with local implementing partner (SYAM).

From 2017 to present CDT has monitored the implementation of three (3) projects for around $360 dollars per year in various locations such as Kavumu, Bukavu, Uvira, Sake, Beni, Bunia and Kalemie. During the period of 2021-2022, the project targeted 453 beneficiaries including 381 adults and 72 children.

Note that all the programmatic activities have been carried out in timely manner and reported as required by field offices to the main CDS HQ.

To contact Monusco CDS: monusco-cdt-inbox@un.org

Tel.: +243818907744 / +243997058000