The UN80 initiative was launched in March 2025 by the secretary-general with the objective of creating a more “agile, integrated, and equipped” organization able to respond to today’s challenges amid tightening resources. Over the last several weeks, the secretary-general has released reports under each of the three workstreams: efficiency and effectiveness, mandate implementation, and structural […]
Author: Jenna Russo
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Armed conflict has been on the rise over the past decade. There has been an increase not only in the number of conflicts—more than 120 globally this year—but also the number of individuals affected by conflict-related violence. In contexts like Gaza, Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Myanmar, Ethiopia, and elsewhere, civilians and […]
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The United Nations Peacekeeping Ministerial took place in Berlin earlier this month, bringing together one of the largest numbers of delegations of any ministerial. The UN is grappling with challenges not only from changes in the peace and security landscape, but also due to broader geopolitical shifts, major funding shortages. Against this backdrop, this article outlines three major themes from the ministerial that may continue to influence policymaking and peace operations in the near future.
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After nearly two decades of effort and intense negotiations, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2719 on December 21, 2023. The resolution represents a major step forward in the partnership between the United Nations (UN) and African Union (AU), and provides a framework for AU-led peace support operations (PSOs) to access UN assessed contributions on a case-by-case basis. While the importance of the resolution should not be understated, much of the real work to operationalize it is still ongoing. This article outlines the key challenges and critical steps needed to ensure the resolution’s successful implementation.
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A UN independent fact-finding mission to Sudan cited grave human rights violations and called for the immediate deployment of an independent and impartial force to protect civilians. Jenna Russo looks at the feasibility of a peacekeeping force.
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Over the past two decades, the UN Security Council and Secretariat have attempted to increase the links between the CRSV agenda and sanctions regimes. The Secretary-General has also consistently recommended increasing the links between the annual reports and sanctions. Based on our research, we found that overlap between the two remains limited, and there are opportunities to enhance their complementarity. We also found constraints on the panels of experts collecting evidence on SGBV cases as mandated by the UN Security Council, in addition to political barriers within sanctions committees.
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Centered on the theme of Lose-Lose?, this year’s conference focused on the vicious circle of zero-sum thinking, relative gains, and the unequal sharing of the proverbial pie. While many of the topics discussed this year were typical for the MSC, including the value of strengthened cooperation and the need to bolster international law and order, the mood was gloomier than a year ago. A consensus seemed to emerge among participants that international peace and security is likely to worsen before it gets better.
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At first glance, this year’s Ministerial was nothing out of the ordinary. Yet, given policy discussions over the past year, this in itself is significant. Less than a year ago, many stakeholders were questioning whether we had reached the end of UN peacekeeping.
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Asif R. Khan, Director of UNDPPA’s Policy and Mediation Division and a lead penholder of the New Agenda for Peace, reflects on the policy brief and next steps ahead of the Summit of the Future.
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This spring marks 75 years since the UN first deployed a peacekeeping mission. Here are some of the challenges peacekeeping is facing, and opportunities for the future.
