UN Peacekeeping
Canada and UN Peacekeeping
Background on UN Peacekeeping
Although it was never envisioned in the UN Charter, peacekeeping has become an integral and high profile component of UN operations. The United Nations defines peacekeeping as “the deployment of international military and civilian personnel to a conflict area with the consent of the parties to the conflict in order to: stop or contain hostilities or supervise the carrying out of a peace agreement.” While this definition serves as a useful reference point, no single definition of peacekeeping exists. Peacekeeping continues to evolve as new conflicts arise and demands to resolve them are increasingly placed on the UN.
A Canadian Initiative
It was a Canadian who first proposed a UN mission along the lines of what we have come to know as peacekeeping. Prior to 1956, UN operations had (with the exception of the Korean War) been confined to unarmed observation and supervision. In 1956, Canada won worldwide recognition for its diplomatic efforts when Britain, France, and Israel attempted to prevent Egypt from seizing control of the Suez Canal. Canada's Minister for External Affairs at the time, Lester B. Pearson, proposed the formation and deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping force to “secure and supervise the cessation of hostilities.” A Canadian General, E.L.M. Burns, who had been commanding the UN Truce Supervision Organization in Palestine, was named commander of the first United Nations peacekeeping force. Pearson was awarded the 1957 Nobel Peace Prize for his innovative thinking and long-term commitment to peace.
Evolving Role of UN Peacekeepers
Traditionally, peacekeepers supervise cease-fires and observe the movements of the opposing forces in an attempt to bring calm to an area and to facilitate a negotiated settlement to disputes. Peacekeepers seldom have the capability to enforce the terms of a cease-fire or agreement. The peacekeepers’ main powers are the moral authority of the UN and the legitimacy awarded by the support of the international community. The success of a peacekeeping mission depends on the cooperation of the parties in conflict. A peacekeeping mandate does not include imposing a ‘solution’ on unwilling parties.
Increasingly, peacekeepers are being deployed to hostile situations where there is often no peace to keep. As a result, peacekeepers are now asked to do much more than they were in previous missions. The peacekeepers’ responsibilities now include such elements as disarming military forces, providing security to the population, organizing elections, forestalling conflicts, encouraging peace settlements, training and leading local de-mining teams, protecting humanitarian aid convoys, and performing civil functions. The evolution of peacekeeping has led to numerous debates concerning the use of peacekeeping and peacebuilding as tools to deal with conflicts in the international community.
Canada as Leader in UN Peacekeeping: A Commitment Sustained?
Canada has always been a strong supporter of the United Nations and of peacekeeping, and has participated in almost every mission since its inception. The Canadian Forces are recognized worldwide as being among the finest peacekeepers. However, much to the surprise of most Canadians, as of August 30, 2006, Canada contributed 126 military observers, UN police and troops to UN peacekeeping missions. 55 of these are military personnel. This ranks Canada 55th out of 108 troop contributing countries. While a growing number of states are recognizing what Canada has long acknowledged, that peacekeeping is beneficial to the international community, Canada’s financial contribution to the UN peacekeeping budget is minimal. Canada contributed 3% of the 2006 assessed contributions to UN Peacekeeping Budget of about $4.75 billion.
While the Canadian Forces have played a leading role in international peacekeeping, many Canadian civilians have also made significant contributions. Politicians and diplomats, for example, have been active in negotiating peace in a number of countries. Members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and other Canadian police forces have performed policing functions in countries including the former Yugoslavia and Haiti, helping to improve the stability in those countries. Canadian police have also provided training for police forces, encouraging respect for human rights in the administration of justice and closer ties between the officers and the community. Other Canadian civilians have played an important role in extending democracy around the world by preparing and monitoring elections in countries like Cambodia, El Salvador, and Angola.
The commitment to peacekeeping has not been without sacrifice. Since peacekeeping first began in 1956, over 2,298 peacekeepers have died, 114 of which were Canadians.
Canada has an exemplary record in UN peacekeeping, yet, the extent of contribution, both in terms of peacekeeping personnel and percentage of cost of peacekeeping missions, are on a clear decline. As an increasing number of states are becoming more involved in UN peacekeeping, and as the cost of peacekeeping is falling, Canada is contributing less. The extent to which Canada’s future commitment to UN Peacekeeping will be sustained or increased remains to be seen.
Important Canadians at the UN related to Peacekeeping
- Lester B. Pearson – Nobel Peace Prize, Suez 1956
- Maj. Gen. (ret’d) Lewis MacKenzie – Chief of Staff for the United Nations Protection Force in Yugoslavia (UNPROFOR) in 1992.
- General Maurice Baril – Senior military advisor to UNSG Boutros-Boutros Gali and head of the Military Division of the UN DPKO from 1992 to 1997.
- Lt. Gen. Roméo Dallaire – Commander of the UN Observer Mission Uganda-Rwanda (UNOMUR) and the UN Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) between 1993 and 1994.
- Justice Louise Arbour – Chief Prosecutor of War Crimes before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda from 1996 to 1999, now UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
- Louise Fréchette – Former Canadian Permanent Representative to the UN, first Deputy SG of the UN from 1997 to 2005.
- Carolyn McAskie – Head of Peacebuilding Commission since May 2006.
- Brig. Gen. (ret’d) Gregory Mitchell – Former Commander of the multinational Stand-by High-Readiness Brigade (SHIRBRIG) in Sudan and Deputy Force Commander for the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) between 2004 and 2006.