Fourth Committee of the General Assembly

Comprehensive review of the whole question of peacekeeping operations in all their aspects

Maintaining international peace and security is one of the purposes of the United Nations enshrined in its Charter. Guided by such a purpose, the peoples of the United Nations determined to settle disputes through pacific means as stated in Chapter Six of the Charter. In addition, when threats and breaches of the peace occur, Member States may carry out collective security measures observing Chapter Seven of the Charter. While the provisions regarding these measures seem comprehensive, the Security Council often fails to adopt or authorize these measures, especially during the Cold War. Witnessing this phenomenon, the United Nations and its Member States developed peacekeeping operations to compensate for the ineffectiveness of collective security measures. Peacekeeping operations are deemed alternatives for balancing peaceful settlement of disputes and collective security measures. It significantly contributes to preventing armed conflicts and fostering negotiation and was thus awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1988.

A notable success is the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia, UNTAC. After decades of civil war, the Cambodian government requested the UN to assist it in the political and peaceful settlement of the Cambodian conflict. The UNTAC assisted the Cambodian government in monitoring the ceasefire, rebuilding state capacity, safeguarding human rights, and running elections. In terms of its mandate, goals, and resources, the UNTAC is generally a success. However, not all peacekeeping operations end as a success. United Nations Operation in Somalia II (UNOSOM II) was established given the deteriorating situation in Somalia. Compared with the United Nations Operation in Somalia I (UNOSOM I), UNOSOM II was larger in scale and emphasized peace enforcement. The enlarged and strengthened efforts did not end well and the UN eventually decided to remove peace enforcement from the mandate of UNOSOM II.

Determining whether a peacekeeping operation is successful or not is somewhat complicated. For instance, some peacekeeping operations may seem successful at first as their original mandate is fulfilled but may turn out to be only a partial success as conflict may reoccur and long-term stability is not reached. Factors leading to failure include fundamental changes in the local or regional political environment and weak or inactive institutional efforts. Additional obstacles have also been identified in recent decades. These challenges include the lack of funding, the cultural difference between peacekeepers and the local community, delayed actions toward violence, and accountability issues in peacekeeping operations. To address and tackle these challenges, peacekeeping operations have experienced essential transformations throughout the years, but some challenges remain.

One of the most noted transformations is that peacekeeping operations have gradually extended from traditional peacekeeping to post-conflict peacebuilding. Traditional peacekeeping generally refers to monitoring of ceasefire and controlling buffer zones in order to separate the conflicting parties and to foster lasting peace. In contrast, peacebuilding is measures used to build or strengthen state capacity, aiming to serve as a foundation for sustainable peace. These measures deal with not only the tension at the moment but also the fundamental structure and composition of society that may affect the functioning of the state, thus taking more time.

Besides the extended coverage of peacekeeping operations, in 2018, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres launched the Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) initiative, aiming to address both longstanding and new challenges to peacekeeping. The initiative addressed 8 thematic areas with 45 commitments. These thematic areas include political solutions to conflicts, strengthening protection provided, and enhancing its influence on sustaining peace.

Being more flexible when compared with Charter-mandated collective security measures, peacekeeping operations undoubtedly play an indispensable and crucial role in maintaining international peace and security. Partnerships and cooperation at all levels are required to strengthen peacekeeping operations.