The Blue Helmets: the United Nations Peacekeeping
Peacekeeping, a role held by the Department of Peace Operations, is a unique and essential tool available to the United Nations. It was developed by the organization as a way to install stability in conflict-torn countries and provide political and peacebuilding support. The United Nations Security Council monitors the evolution of peacekeeping operations on an ongoing basis and is the main organ that authorizes their deployment by passing resolutions.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC)
The United Nations Security Council is an organ of the UN that deals with international peace and security. It consists of 15 Members in total: five permanent members with veto power (i.e the USA, the UK, France, the Republic of China, and the Russian Federation) and ten non-permanent members. Nevertheless, all Member States have to comply with the decisions of the UNSC as indicated in the UN Charter. Although in most cases, it recommends that conflicts are settled by peaceful methods, it can also authorize the use of military force and impose sanctions.
The UNSC can establish peace operations, their mandate, and size. Before deciding on an operation, it has to take into account many details, such as the safety of UN personnel or whether the parties involved in the conflict have agreed to a ceasefire and are dedicated to reaching a peaceful political settlement.
Additionally, the created mandate has to be precise and have a very clear political purpose (e.g. According to the United Nations Peacekeeping, “to prevent the outbreak of conflict or the spill-over of conflict across borders, to stabilize conflict situations after a ceasefire; to assist in implementing peace measures;”)
Nonetheless, the Secretary-General generally and the Secretariat have control over the missions; sometimes the UN General Assembly becomes involved as well. The Fifth Committee—Administrative and Budgetary—is in charge of the budget for peacekeeping operations.
The three principles
Peacekeeping is centered around three main interrelated and mutually reinforcing principles that ensure its successful implementation.
1. Consent of the parties
Firstly, it is important to note that peacekeeping operations are employed only when both parties of a conflict have given their agreement. Notwithstanding that their presence might be used sometimes by the worrying side to prevent the eventual escalation of a dispute, in the absence of consent from the implicated agents, the UN does not have access to freedom of action, political or physical; thus, risking the missions.
However, at a local level, consent is never guaranteed; and especially in areas in a precarious state determined by the presence of armed groups or lack of governmental control and command.
2. Impartiality
To honor the above-mentioned consent, the United Nations peacekeepers must adopt an impartial stance when dealing with conflict. It should be pointed out that ‘impartiality’ does not equal ‘inactivity’ or ‘neutrality’. In cases that undermine the peacekeeping process or breach international norms and principles and require immediate measures, peacekeepers must not remain indifferent but condemn these actions, whilst keeping at a distance from situations that might compromise their impartial position.
3. Non-use of force except in self-defense and defense of the mandate
With the consent of the concerned parties, the UNSC has given certain “robust” mandates that allow for the “use all necessary means” to assist the local authorities, protect civilians, or impede forceful attempts to destabilize the political and peacekeeping process.
Unless authorized by the Security Council, it is noteworthy to mention that robust peacekeeping is different from peace enforcement which does not function on a consensual basis, and is prohibited for the Member States under Article 2(4) of the Charter.
Considering that the use of peacekeeping operations involves highly sensitive political implications, force should be used only as a last resort.
The Department of Peace Operations (DPO)
Due to the complexity and expansive reach of the peacekeeping missions, the UN created the Department of Peace Operations, which is responsible for their management. It works in close relation with the Security Council and the General Assembly but also troop and financial contributors, non-governmental organizations, world governments, and other involved parties.
The three main offices of DPO are:
Office of Rule of Law and Security Institutions;
Office of Military Affairs;
Policy, Evaluation, and Training Division.
Peacekeepers
Peacekeepers are civilian, military, and police personnel with different cultural backgrounds who work together to protect the most vulnerable, promote human rights and maintain international peace and stability.
The famous blue helmets are military-trained personnel of the UN who protect civilians and secure peace in unstable areas.
First and foremost, they are members of their national armies before working under the command of the UN. Today, all over the world, there are over 70,000 blue helmets recruited from national armies.
History
UN Peacekeeping was first introduced in 1948 when the Security Council authorized the deployment of UN military observer troops in the Middle East to monitor the armistice between Israel and the Arab States.
There are two types of peacekeeping operations: unarmed observers and lightly-armed military forces.
The earliest two peacekeeping missions were UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) and the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP)—they continue to operate even to this day. On the other hand, in 1956, UN Emergency Force (UNEF I) which concerned the Suez Canal Crisis, was among the first armed peacekeeping operations.
In 1960, nearly 20,000 militants joined the UN Operation in the Congo (ONUC) in an attempt to reinstall stability in the conflict-torn regions of the country. Around 250 UN peacekeepers have died during that mission, including Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold. Throughout the years, more than 3,000 UN personnel have died for the United Nations.
Remarkably enough, in 1988, UN peacekeepers won the Nobel Peace Prize.
“the Peacekeeping Forces through their efforts have made important contributions towards the realization of one of the fundamental tenets of the United Nations. Thus, the world organization has come to play a more central part in world affairs and has been invested with increasing trust”.
(the Nobel Committee, 1988)
Criticism
Some critics of the UN peacekeeping troops argue that wealthy countries do not have an interest anymore to provide soldiers (e.g. the US provides only 0.04 of the total UN troops and police), viewing them as failed efforts to establish peace—especially in Africa—, which do not address the root cause of the conflicts. During the Cold War, these operations were favorable for first-world countries because they prevented disputes between world superpowers. Even so, nowadays, these threats no longer exist and world governments have a responsibility to the voters, who are not necessarily concerned with battles fought on foreign, unfamiliar grounds. Consequently, the operations are conducted with soldiers from third-world countries that do not afford to train or equip them.
Maybe one of the most notable failures of the international community—and by association the UN—is the Rwandan genocide from 1994.
The country is divided into Hutus, who comprise 85% of the entire population, and the Tutsi minority. After a plane carrying Juvénal Habyarimana, the Rwandan President, crashed on the evening of April 6, 1994, the Hutus forces started targeting the Tutsi.
The blue helmets were instructed to rescue the foreigners but not intervene in saving the rest from genocide
Final thoughts
Currently, the UN peacekeepers operate mostly in Africa and the Middle East. Some of their missions include the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), and United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP). The UN has deployed over 70 peacekeeping missions over the years, with 14 still ongoing.
By opening this link, you can access a map with all of the UN peacekeeping missions currently in progress.
Although further reform and improvements are required, the UN peacekeeping apparatus is an interesting structure employed by the Security Council to address the issues which impose a security threat in the international community.
Bibliography
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