Attachments
Introduction: In Times of Trouble
The world is in flux. The New Agenda for Peace describes a world in transition to a new, more multipolar global order in which the “unity of purpose expressed by Member States in the early 1990s has waned.” Instead, competition, disregard for international law and a loss of trust raise questions around how a consensus may be found on future peace operations and multilateral crisis management.
Since their first incarnation in 1948, over 120 UN peace operations have been deployed. They have proven a flexible and effective tool in diverse conflict contexts, and due to their adaptability, have remained relevant as the nature of conflict evolved. Research underscores that peace operations are a cost-efficient and effective multilateral tool for preventing armed conflict, managing and resolving threats to international security, and sustaining peace. Now, in an era of rising global challenges, intensifying geopolitical polarisation and a rapid reconfiguration of the world order, the role of United Nations peace operations is evolving.
At the same time, we are witnessing a marked quantitative and qualitative evolution in the nature of conflict that challenges peace operations and multilateral conflict management overall. Conflict data by the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) indicates a 28% rise in state-based conflicts over the past decade: 2023 saw a record 59 conflicts where at least one party was a state across 34 countries. In terms of battle-related deaths in such conflicts, “2023 was the third most violent year since 1989.”
As global norms erode, civilians become increasingly vulnerable: In mid-2024, over 122 million people were forcibly displaced by violent conflict. An estimated 299 million people were in need of humanitarian aid in 2023, a staggering figure compared to the 81 million covered by humanitarian response plans in 2014. Reports from various conflict zones indicate that conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) has sharply increased.
Clearly, the UN and its Member States need to step up efforts to further develop and improve the collective peace operations toolbox. Concurrently and paradoxically, there is unprecedented political and financial pressure on the UN and the multilateral conflict management system. The UN and the peace operations policy, practice and expert community are under pressure to demonstrate and further enhance the legitimacy, credibility and effectiveness of peace operations.
Member States and partners must seize this moment of transition to reimagine and reform peace operations, without losing the essential features that have ensured its effectiveness in the past.
The Pact for the Future offers a glimpse of hope for reform, adaptation and innovation. Member States created a moment of unity in uncertain times by reaffirming their commitment to multilateral conflict management, prevention and peacebuilding and to peace operations as a pivotal tool. In the past, UN peace operations’ responses to global crises have demonstrated that significant institutional adaptation is possible with sufficient commitment and support. The upcoming UN Peacekeeping Ministerial 2025 provides its Member States with a strategic opportunity to shape the future of peace operations.