UN Peacekeeping

What is UN Peacekeeping?

The Need for Peacekeeping

The United Nations (UN) was established on 24 October 1945 in the aftermath of two World Wars and was dedicated to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.” Since its creation, the UN has been called upon to prevent disputes from escalating into war by persuading opposing parties to use dialogue rather than violence to bring about a peaceful solution to conflict. Over the decades, the UN has played a role in containing or ending many conflicts, in some cases through peacekeeping operations.

UN peacekeeping operations are a crucial instrument at the disposal of the international community to advance international peace and security. The role of peacekeeping was internationally recognized in 1988, when the United Nations peacekeeping forces received the Nobel Peace Prize.

United Nations operations, because of their universality, offer unique advantages as a means to address conflicts. Their universality adds to their legitimacy and limits the implications for the host country’s sovereignty. Peacekeepers from outside a conflict can foster discussion among warring parties while focusing global attention upon local concerns, opening doors that would otherwise remain closed for collective peace efforts.

Pioneering Peacekeeping: A Canadian Initiative

While not specifically envisaged in the United Nations Charter, the UN pioneered military observation and supervision in 1948 with the establishment of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization in the Middle East. However, it was not until 1956, that a Canadian, 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, 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. Since 1948 over 750,000 military, police and civilian personnel from some 110 countries have served in these operations; more than 2,298 of them have lost their lives.

Establishing a UN Peacekeeping Mission

Peacekeeping operations and their deployment are authorized by the Security Council, with the consent of the host government and usually of the other parties involved. The military personnel of peacekeeping operations are voluntarily provided by Member States and are financed by the international community. Participating countries are compensated at a standard rate from a special peacekeeping budget. The budget and troops come from many countries: this “burden-sharing” can offer extraordinary efficiency in human, financial and political terms.

Certain prerequisites for the success of an operation have become increasingly clear. These include a genuine desire on the part of combatants to resolve their differences peacefully; a clear mandate; strong political support by the international community; and the provision of the resources necessary to achieve the operation’s objectives.

The degree of UN involvement depends upon factors such as the requests received from governments, provisions of peace agreements, or mandates from the Security Council.

Since 1956, the number and scope of peacekeeping operations have increased exponentially. As of August 30, 2006, 74,561 military troops and civilian police from around the world, as well as thousands more civilians, are serving as peacekeepers. UN peacekeepers have undertaken 60 field missions and negotiated 172 peaceful settlements that have ended regional conflicts, and enabled people in more than 45 countries to participate in free and fair elections. Currently 18 peace operations are directed and supported by the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations.

The Evolution of Peacekeeping

Initially developed to deal with conflicts between two countries, today conflicts are a complex mix: their roots may be essentially internal, but they are complicated by cross-border involvement, either by states or by economic interests and other non-state actors. As a result, the structure of peacekeeping missions has also changed.

Operations can take many forms, and are constantly evolving in the light of changing circumstances. Operations may include military and police personnel, together with civilian staff, and may involve military observer missions, peacekeeping forces or a combination of both. Among the tasks discharged by peacekeeping operations over the years are: maintenance of ceasefires and separation of forces; preventive deployment; protection of humanitarian operations; and implementation of a comprehensive peace settlement. Increasingly, UN peacekeeping operations are multidimensional, including military, civilian police, political, civil affairs, rule of law and elections monitoring, human rights, humanitarian, reconstruction, public information and gender affairs. Some of these UN operations do not have a military component but carry out their mandates alongside a non-UN regional or multinational peacekeeping force.

The roles for peacekeepers are not set in stone, and can change depending on the situation. Future conflicts are likely to continue to present complex challenges to the international community. An effective response will require courageous and imaginative use of the tools for peace. There is no “one-size-fits-all” model.

Challenges to UN Peacekeeping

The international community has drawn lessons from the past operations and is working to strengthen the United Nations peacekeeping capacity in a number of areas. A blueprint for reform was provided by the Secretary-General’s Panel on Peace Operations, chaired by Ambassador Lakhdar Brahimi, which issued its report in 2000.

Some of the challenges that are being tackled by the Security Council and other bodies include:

  • enhancing preparedness;
  • speeding up deployment;
  • strengthening the deterrent capacities of peacekeepers; and
  • ensuring full political and financial support by Member States.

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