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.
Author: Jenna Russo
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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.
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The war in Ukraine has demonstrated the solidarity of the international community, yet there is real work to be done to strengthen solidarity across regions.
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While the current crisis is unlikely to be resolved without military force, any hope for success requires that operations remain closely tied to a political process, and that neighboring countries remain accountable to support the security and sovereignty of the DRC.
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Creating an enabling environment for women peacekeepers, including by providing gender-responsive healthcare, is key to the UN achieving its gender parity goals.
