UN Peace Operations: Rethinking Engagement Amid Rising Global Conflicts

UN peace operations have played pivotal roles in facilitating democratic transitions, such as supporting the first democratic elections in Mozambique and Cambodia after brutal civil wars, disarming thousands of child soldiers in Sierra Leone, and aiding Namibia’s independence from South Africa. These examples illustrate how UN missions help countries move from conflict to lasting peace.

With the world confronting the highest number of conflicts since 1945 and escalating war‑related casualties, peace operations are increasingly being used to contain violence rather than to implement comprehensive agreements. Speaking at the General Assembly on Wednesday, UN Secretary‑General António Guterres emphasized that the United Nations and its Member States must adapt to keep these missions relevant.

“UN peace operations are indispensable tools for maintaining international peace and security, but to be more effective, they must adapt to new realities,” Guterres said.

At UN Headquarters in New York, the Secretary‑General presented the first‑ever review of all UN peace‑operation forms, as requested by the landmark Pact for the Future. The review offers Member States recommendations on how the UN’s toolkit can be adapted to address evolving needs and future challenges.

What are UN peace operations?

The Secretary‑General’s review encompasses the full spectrum of UN peace operations, ranging from civilian special political missions and Security Council‑authorised peace‑enforcement operations to modest two‑person offices supporting personal envoys and large, multidimensional peacekeeping missions.

“United Nations peace operations are a critical form of multilateral action,” Guterres affirmed.

“They help defuse crises, stop conflict, sustain ceasefires and protect civilians. In lands scarred by bloodshed, they create space for dialogue and open pathways to peace.”

’Blue Helmet’ landscape

Since 1948, the Security Council has authorised UN peacekeepers to assist conflict parties in reaching political solutions, prevent disputes from escalating into full‑scale conflicts, and reduce armed violence while a political settlement is pursued. Currently, 11 missions are active.

Known colloquially as “Blue Helmets” for their distinctive uniform, UN peacekeepers operate under three core principles: the consent of conflict parties, impartiality, and the non‑use of force except in self‑defence or defence of their mandate.

The work is often dangerous; over 4,500 UN peacekeepers have lost their lives on missions worldwide. Their contributions have earned broad recognition, exemplified by the collective Nobel Peace Prize in 1988 “for preventing armed clashes and creating conditions for negotiations.”

Special political missions

Special political missions consist of civilian personnel deployed under Security Council mandates to prevent conflicts, mediate peace discussions, and support political transitions.

Rather than relying on large military or armed forces, these missions collaborate with governments, conflict parties, regional organizations, and civil society.

Since 1948 the UN has fielded 167 special political missions, with roughly 40 currently active in 2024, according to a review by the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs.

Guterres highlighted the peace efforts in Colombia and the resolution of the Cameroon‑Nigeria border dispute as examples of what peace operations can achieve when conditions are favorable.

Peace enforcement

Peace‑enforcement operations are authorised by the Security Council under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, empowering them to employ a range of measures, including the use of military force.

Unlike peacekeeping and special political missions, peace enforcement does not always require the consent of the parties involved, and UN peacekeepers (“Blue Helmets”) do not directly participate.

In recent operations—such as those in Haiti, Mali, and Somalia—UN peace missions have worked alongside Council‑authorised peace‑enforcement operations conducted by non‑UN forces. These joint efforts focus on supporting national political processes and broader peace‑consolidation tasks.

Council‑mandated peace‑support operations deployed by the African Union also fall within this category.

Current state of affairs

The UN chief warned that the operating environment for peace operations has deteriorated.

Conflicts have grown more complex, comprehensive peace agreements are becoming rarer, and funding has dwindled. Recent cuts have reduced peacekeeping budgets by nearly half a billion dollars and special political missions by $96.3 million, the report notes.

Guterres stressed that peace operations cannot substitute for the political will of the parties involved to end a conflict, even though some current missions operate in contexts of stalled negotiations and high levels of violence.

“No peace operation and no political process supported by the United Nations can succeed without solid and cohesive support from Member States,” he said.

From drones to disinformation

Guterres argued that mission mandates must be narrowly focused with achievable objectives, adaptable, cost‑efficient, accountable—particularly regarding sexual exploitation and abuse—and highly cooperative with Member States and UN offices.

In practice, adaptation goes beyond merely rewriting mandates. The report advocates for lighter, more mobile mission footprints, enhanced data and threat analysis, technologies to counter drones and disinformation, and additional safety measures for peacekeepers.

The Secretary‑General’s review also contains dozens of recommendations to “reset peace operations for a new geopolitical era”—an era characterised by more wars, severe financial constraints, and fragmented support for peacekeeping missions.

Recommendations include:

• Prioritise creating conditions that enable political processes to advance.
• Deploy missions only where there is a credible political purpose.
• Strengthen partnerships with host states.
• Clarify the division of labour among UN agencies.
• Plan exit strategies and transition plans from the outset.

Above all, the future of UN peace operations rests on Member States’ continued belief that, despite their shortcomings, they remain essential instruments for creating the conditions needed to end conflicts, the UN chief concluded.

“Together, we must build a shared vision of what each mission can achieve throughout its life cycle,” Guterres concluded.

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