UN Peacekeeping
Expected Council Action
In April, the Security Council will receive its briefing from the heads of military components of UN peacekeeping operations. The anticipated briefers are Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix and the heads of military components of two UN peacekeeping operations: Force Commander of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) Lieutenant General Ulisses de Mesquita Gomes and Head of Mission and Force Commander of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Major General Aroldo Lázaro Sáenz.
Key Recent Developments
These force commander briefings, which have been held since 2010, focus on the operational challenges of implementing mission mandates. In July 2023, the UK convened the most recent of these briefings during its Security Council presidency. That meeting focused on the protection of civilians (PoC) and the role of the military components in preventing and responding to threats of physical violence. It featured briefings by Lacroix and the heads of military components of three UN peacekeeping operations: Force Commander of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) Lieutenant General Mohan Subramanian, then Force Commander of MONUSCO Lieutenant General Otávio Rodrigues de Miranda Filho, and Lázaro Sáenz. (For more, see our 27 July 2023 What’s in Blue story.)
The Congolese government and MONUSCO agreed on a disengagement plan in November 2023. As part of this plan, the mission began to drawdown in June 2024 from South Kivu, one of the three provinces in the eastern Democratic of the Congo (DRC) where it had been operating. However, with the dramatic deterioration of the security situation in eastern DRC since January, the mission is under significant strain, with restrictions on its freedom of movement, among other difficulties.
On 21 February, the Security Council adopted resolution 2773, demanding the immediate cessation of further military advances by the Mouvement du 23 Mars (M23) rebel group in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces of eastern DRC and calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. In this context, the Security Council urged the regional mechanisms actively involved in addressing the security situation in eastern DRC—the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC)—to cooperate closely with MONUSCO, given the mission’s potential role in monitoring and implementing any future ceasefire agreement. Additionally, the EAC and SADC Council of Ministers, who met on 17 March in Harare, Zimbabwe, called on the UN to enhance MONUSCO’s capacity to support the implementation of a “securitisation plan” for North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. (For more, see the Great Lakes brief in the April 2025 Monthly Forecast.)
Some of the more traditional and long-standing UN peacekeeping missions, such as the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), are also facing enormous difficulties in fulfilling their mandates in the face of active hostilities in their areas of operation. The US and France brokered a cessation of hostilities agreement between Israel and Lebanon, which came into effect on 27 November 2024, following more than 13 months of hostilities primarily between Israel and Hezbollah. UNIFIL has adjusted its posture within its existing mandate to support the implementation of the cessation of hostilities arrangement. Resolution 1701 of 11 August 2006, which called for a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, outlines the mission’s mandate.
UNIFIL is working closely with the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) in the context of its deployment in southern Lebanon. However, its peacekeepers continue to operate at significant risk to their safety and security, and the mission remains restricted in its freedom of movement and access within its area of operations. Additionally, it continues to face resource constraints in carrying out its mandate. (For more, see our 17 January What’s in Blue story.)
Another intractable crisis is the Sudan crisis. Council members have most recently reiterated their call on the parties to the conflict to seek an immediate cessation of hostilities and engage, in good faith, in political dialogue and diplomatic efforts towards a durable ceasefire through a 4 March press statement. Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Sudan Ramtane Lamamra has been engaging the parties in the search for a sustainable solution to the conflict through dialogue, although no tangible progress has yet been achieved. If and when that happens, however, there might be a need for a third-party force to monitor the implementation of a ceasefire or cessation of hostilities.
Key Issues and Options
An overarching issue for Council members is how UN peacekeeping operations can support ceasefires or cessations of hostilities. For example, in light of ongoing efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine and Gaza, members may be interested in an assessment of what role the UN could play in monitoring the implementation of a ceasefire or cessation of hostilities agreement. While the potential agreement in both situations appears distant, members may wish to draw on the experience of the force commanders in order to better understand what sort of mandate a mission would need to monitor ceasefires.
It appears that the Secretariat is quietly exploring various scenarios in anticipation of these and other developments. A possible option for Council members is to hold an expert-level briefing on some of these anticipated scenarios ahead of the meeting with the force commanders in order to have a more robust discussion about what lies ahead. This briefing is a public meeting but is usually held in an interactive format to allow the force commanders to supplement their briefings with responses to questions and issues raised by Council members. If members wish to have a closed discussion, they could meet with the force commanders in a private meeting format.
Another key issue is the multiple challenges confronting UN peacekeeping operations in carrying out their mandated tasks, including the risks to their safety and security and restrictions to their freedom of movement in violation of status of force agreements, among others. Council members could ask the heads of military components for information about how they are tackling these challenges.
The future of UN peacekeeping remains a major issue for Council members. It was a topic of discussion at the 24 March open debate convened by the Danish Security Council presidency. (For more, see our 21 March What’s in Blue story.) UN peacekeeping operations are facing significant challenges. They are adversely affected by a growing number of complex operating environments and divisions among the major powers. Over the past decade, several missions have departed, including large multidimensional operations in Mali and Sudan, and a drawdown process has been initiated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). (For more, see our “In Hindsight” in the April 2025 Monthly Forecast.) As the appetite for larger, multidimensional peacekeeping operations has waned in recent years, there appears to be a growing interest in smaller, more nimble missions with narrow mandates to implement ceasefire or cessation of hostilities agreements.
As the Secretariat engages in efforts to conduct a review on peace operations, Council members could draw lessons from the force commanders on strategic objectives for peace operations, designing mandates, and monitoring the capacity to achieve them. They could also make a more concerted effort to receive military advice and operational information from force commanders, for example, by having them brief the Council alongside heads of missions.
Council Dynamics
UN peacekeeping is attracting attention in the Council in light of the 2025 UN Peacekeeping Ministerial, which will be held in Berlin on 13 and 14 May, and the review of UN peace operations requested by the Pact for the Future (the outcome document of the 2024 Summit of the Future), which is expected to begin soon and is intended to be finalised by August 2026.
Three elected members—Denmark, Pakistan, and the Republic of Korea (ROK)—are also working together this year as part of a “Peacekeeping Trio Initiative”. The three Council members intend to coordinate their efforts in support of peacekeeping. Following the 24 March open debate, Pakistan and the ROK are expected to convene meetings focused on peacekeeping during their upcoming presidencies in July and September, respectively. Additionally, Pakistan will be hosting a preparatory meeting in Islamabad on 15-16 April ahead of the Peacekeeping Ministerial. The ROK convened an informal dialogue between the Security Council and Peacebuilding Commission members on 27 March, which among other things, sought to emphasise the synergy between peacekeeping and peacebuilding, both of which are key priorities for the country.
There are indications that the new US administration may call for greater cost efficiency and effectiveness in peacekeeping. There could be growing pressure to cut the peacekeeping budget and have some missions begin a drawdown process. During closed consultations on the DRC on 11 March, the US apparently requested a strategic review of options for MONUSCO, which could signal its intention to consider cuts to this mission.
| Security Council Resolutions | |
| 21 February 2025S/RES/2773 | This resolution, acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, strongly condemns the ongoing offensive and advances of the M23 in the North Kivu and South Kivu provinces of the DRC–calling on the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) to cease support to M23 and immediately withdraw from DRC territory without preconditions. The resolution also reiterates an urgent call for all parties to conclude an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. |
| 28 August 2024S/RES/2749 | This resolution extended the mandate of UNIFIL for another year until 31 August 2025. |
| Security Council Meeting Records | |
| 28 July 2023S/PV.9389 | This was a briefing by heads of military components of UN peacekeeping operations. |
