United Nations Peacekeeping- Role in Maintenance of World Peace

The United Nations engages in peacekeeping as part of its Department of Peace Operations. This role is described as an "instrument developed by the organization" to assist nations grappling with conflict in establishing conditions for enduring peace. While peacekeeping is distinct from activities such as peacebuilding, peacemaking, and peace enforcement, the United Nations recognizes that these efforts are interconnected and often overlap in practice.

This topic is significant for UPSC IAS, UPSC Prelims Syllabus and GS Paper 2 of the UPSC Mains curriculum. In this article, we shall study in detail about background, role of UN peacekeeping and Indias contribution.

Recent Update

• On May 29th, the world celebrates the International Day of UN (United Nations) Peacekeepers.
• “Peace Begins With Me" was the theme for 2022.

संयुक्त राष्ट्र शांति स्थापना के बारे में हिंदी में जानें!

About United Nations (UN) Peacekeeping

• The United Nations Peacekeeping mission is a collaborative effort between the Departments of Peace Operations and Operational Support that strives to help host nations in transitioning from war to peace.
• The United Nations began its peacekeeping efforts in 1948 when military monitors were sent to West Asia. The role of the Peacekeeping mission was to oversee the Armistice Agreement between Israel and its Arab neighbors.
• The three fundamental principles that underlie the United Nations’ peacekeeping deployments are as follows:
  • The parties’ agreement
  • Impartiality
  • Except in self-defense and defense of the mandate, no use of force is permitted.

Read about International Organizations here.

Background on United Nations Peacekeeping

• The United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) was established in May 1948 when the United Nations Security Council authorized the deployment of a small number of UN military observers to the Middle East to monitor the Armistice Agreement between Israel and its Arab neighbors.
• In the last 70 years, over 1 million men and women have served under the UN banner in over 70 UN peacekeeping missions.
• In 14 peacekeeping missions, over 100,000 military, police, and civilian people from 125 nations are actively serving. For many years, UN peacekeepers have provided the best hope for peace for some of the world’s most vulnerable people.

What are the UN peacekeepers?

• UN peacekeepers are soldiers and military officers, police officers, and civilian people from various countries.
• They monitor and supervise post-conflict peace processes and aid ex-combatants in carrying out the peace accords they signed.
• Peacekeepers protect civilians, actively avoid conflict, minimize violence, increase security, and delegate these obligations to national authorities.
• This needs well-coordinated security and peacebuilding plan that complements the political agenda.

Role of UN Peacekeepers in Maintaining World Peace

• The World Organization employs United Nations Peacekeeping Forces to preserve or restore peace in areas of armed conflict.
• The United Nations may intervene in both interstate and intrastate disputes. The UN functions as an unbiased third party to provide the groundwork for resolving the causes that have sparked armed conflict.
• If a peaceful settlement is not feasible, the deployment of UN soldiers may help to reduce the degree of fighting.
• UN Peacekeeping Forces may only be used if both sides of a dispute agree to their presence. As a result, they may be employed by fighting parties to prevent a dispute grow and, in the case, to have a confrontation.
• UN Peacekeepers can be tasked with:
  • Protecting civilians and other U.N. personnel
  • Monitoring disputed borders
  • Observing peace processes in post-conflict areas
  • Providing security in conflict zones
  • Providing security during elections
  • Assisting ex-combatants in implementing the peace agreements

Also learn about the BIMSTEC here!

Women In United Nations peacekeeping

• In 2007, when a civil war destroyed the African nation, India dispatched an all-female Formed Police Unit (FPU) to Liberia for the first time in UN peacekeeping history.
• At the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), Indian authorities recently urged more female engagement in public life and the abolition of violence against women as a requirement for promoting global peace.
• Significance: In a profession still dominated by men, and in a country ravaged by gender violence, these female police officers from India are defying preconceptions to represent their country in the global arena.

7 Key Facts About UN Peacekeeping

• As of May 2019, 14 United Nations peacekeeping missions were deployed across five continents: seven in Africa, three in the Middle East, two in Europe, one in the Americas, and one in Asia.
• UN Peacekeeping has nearly 100,000 field personnel in total, with 125 nations supplying army, police, and civilian employees, including several dozen US peacekeepers.
• According to research by the US Government Accountability Office, financially supporting a UN Peacekeeping operation is eight times more cost-effective than deploying US armed soldiers.
• The UN Peacekeeping budget is roughly $7 billion, and it assists over 125 million people worldwide. This is less than the budget of the city of Chicago.
• Women make up 30% of civilians, 10% of police officers, and 3% of military peacekeepers. Currently, three women are in charge of peacekeeping efforts in Haiti, Cyprus, and the Middle East.
• The United Nations peacekeeping budget is roughly $7 billion, and it assists over 125 million people worldwide. This is less than the budget of the city of Chicago.
• Women make up 30% of civilians, 10% of police officers, and 3% of military peacekeepers. Currently, three women are in charge of peacekeeping efforts in Haiti, Cyprus, and the Middle East.
• Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has made reforming UN Peacekeeping a top goal in order to make the organization more effective and efficient in the future. He has launched Action for Peacekeeping (A4P), which holds the Security Council, Troop Contributing Countries, Financial Contributors, Host Countries, and regional partners accountable for ensuring the success of UN Peacekeeping by providing the necessary mandates, partnerships, and resources on the ground.

India’s Contribution to UN Peacekeeping

• India has been a major contributor of troops to United Nations peacekeeping missions.
• India is the second-largest military (1,888) and fifth-largest (139) police-contributing country to the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo(MONUSCO) as of November 2021.
• A top United Nations (U.N.) official recently praised Blue Helmet troops from India and other nations for stopping an armed group’s attack in the Congo.
• India was the first country to send an all-female troop to a United Nations peacekeeping deployment in 2007.
• Despite its involvement in numerous countries as part of peacekeeping missions, India has often expressed its dissatisfaction with a comparable mission based in Srinagar and Islamabad.
• On January 24, 1949, the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) was created to monitor the truce between India and Pakistan. UNMOGIP has stayed in the region to monitor neighboring nations’ wars and report ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC).
• Following the signing of the Simla Agreement in July 1972 and the formation of the LoC, India has said that the mission has “outlived its significance.”

Timeline Of United Nations peacekeeping

Conclusion

For many years, UN peacekeepers have provided the best hope for peace for some of the world’s most vulnerable people. Their devotion and sacrifice, sometimes in hard and dangerous situations, have turned the Blue Helmet into a symbol of hope for millions of people. UN Peacekeeping has evolved throughout time to suit the demands of various wars and a shifting political landscape. Today’s multifaceted peacekeeping operations are tasked with not just maintaining peace and security, but also facilitating political processes, protecting civilians, disarming combatants, supporting elections, defending and promoting human rights, and restoring the rule of law.

Also Read about the OECD Organisation here!

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