This report provides a brief update on the recent trends related to mercenaries and private military and security companies (PMSCs). The report notes that the activities of private military and security companies have continued to evolve, with contractors involved worldwide in an expanding range of activities. Such activities include the continued expansion of the PMSC industry in countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq, maritime security, and the use of PMSCs by the United Nations. The report also reviews efforts made by States to regulate PMSCs and introduces its conclusions related to the first phase of the national legislation survey.

NEW YORK (26 July 2013) – The United Nations Working Group on the use of mercenaries will discuss the use of private military and security companies (PMSCs) in UN peace and humanitarian operations in...

GENEVA (18 March 2013) – The United Nations Working Group on the use of mercenaries today announced the start of a study on the use of private military and security companies (PMSCs) by the UN bodies...

TEGUCIGALPA / GENEVA (25 February 2013) – The United Nations Working Group on the use of mercenaries today urged the Honduran Government to reinforce the overseeing role of the Control Unit of Private...

GENEVA (18 December 2012) – “As Somalia rebuilds its security institutions, the Government should ensure that private security forces are properly regulated and do not become a substitute for...

GENEVA (14 December 2012) – This past year the United Nations Human Rights Council has created new monitoring and reporting mechanisms on the situation of human rights in Syria, Eritrea and Belarus...

GENEVA (22 October 2012) – Eleven United Nations human rights experts have called on the Government and the Congress of Colombia to reconsider the proposed reform of the country’s Political...

In our capacities as Special Procedures mandate-holders of the Human Rights Council, we would like to express our concern at the possible adoption by the Congress of the Republic of a project to...

MORNING 27 September 2012 Adopts Guiding Principles on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, Asks Advisory Committee to Finalize Study on Traditional Values and Human Rights The Human Rights Council this...

Opinion piece by Ms. Faiza Patel, UN Working Group on the use of mercenaries 25 September 2012 As the U.S. winds down its nine-year military presence in Iraq, the world risks forgetting a critical...