Commentary on Sections Section 2: Amendments of the United Nations Personnel Act 1997
6.This section amends the United Nations Personnel Act 1997 to give effect to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel, also adopted on 8 December 2005. This Optional Protocol extends the scope of legal protection to United Nations and associated personnel engaged in United Nations operations for delivering humanitarian, political or development assistance in peacebuilding, or for delivering emergency humanitarian assistance. The amendments made by the section will ensure that the offences under the 1997 Act (for example, an offence under section 1 relating to attacks on United Nations workers) will apply to United Nations workers engaged in such operations.