NEW YORK ? The United Nations in March refreshed its public peacekeeping framework on security sector reform, underscoring a renewed emphasis on prevention, accountable institutions and women's participation in national security systems.

In its updated UN Peacekeeping security sector reform page, the organization said reform of armed forces, police, border and justice institutions remains central to sustaining peace, particularly in fragile states where abusive or ineffective security systems can deepen conflict and drive away investment.

The framework leans heavily on existing Security Council mandates. UN guidance on security sector reform and women, peace and security says resolutions 2151 and 2553 call on member states to remove legal and institutional barriers to women's equal participation in security institutions.

That emphasis was reinforced in a broader UN Peacekeeping report marking 25 years of the Women, Peace and Security agenda, which argued that women's full and meaningful participation remains a strategic requirement for inclusive and sustainable peace, not a peripheral issue.

The update was not a new Security Council resolution, but it showed where peacekeeping leadership wants reform efforts to concentrate as missions face pressure to prove they can help countries move from crisis management to durable governance.