The Future of UN Peacekeeping and Parallel Operations 10 pages, pdf  Download Back

The Future of UN Peacekeeping and Parallel Operations

Publisher: International peace institute

Volume: 10 pages, pdf

Description:

The UN has long recognized the value of partnerships to reinforce the effectiveness of peace operations.2 Since the end of the Cold War, UN missions have increasingly operated alongside operations deployed by regional and subregional organizations, alliances, and coalitions, the vast majority of which have had a mandate from the Security Council. Some forty parallel deployments have been authorized or welcomed by the council since 1992, compared to fewer than ten that the council has not approved or endorsed. 

At their best, parallel operations are based on complementarity and comparative advantage, including rapid deployment, regional political influence and legitimacy, or greater willingness—if not always capability—to engage in peace enforcement. At their worst, they can result in competition, conflicting strategic goals, partiality, and operational confusion. As a result of changes in the nature of armed conflict and shifting global and regional geopolitics, the field of peacekeeping and peacemaking is likely to remain crowded, and new actors may emerge, with consequences for how the UN conducts future operations.