UN Peace Operations
Expected Council Action
In July, Pakistan plans to convene a briefing on UN peace operations. A senior UN official is expected to brief.
Key Recent Developments
At the Summit of the Future in September 2024, member states adopted the Pact for the Future which, among other things, requested the Secretary-General to “undertake a review of the future of all forms of United Nations peace operations, taking into account lessons learned from previous and ongoing reform processes, and provide strategic and action-oriented recommendations for the consideration of Member States on how the United Nations toolbox can be adapted to meet evolving needs, allowing for more agile, tailored responses to existing, emerging, and future challenges”.
In a 24 March open debate convened by the Danish Security Council presidency on “Advancing Adaptability in UN Peace Operations—Responding to New Realities”, Secretary-General António Guterres briefed Council members on plans to conduct extensive consultations as part of the comprehensive review of UN peace operations. According to the Secretary-General, these consultations will involve member states, host countries, troop- and police-contributing countries, financial contributors, regional organisations, civil society, and academia. The Secretary-General emphasised that the review will contribute to the broader UN80 initiative, which he announced on 12 March in response to persistent funding challenges facing the UN. The initiative is aimed at implementing “deeper, more structural changes and program alignment within the UN system”, including UN peacekeeping, to find efficiencies and improvements in its work.
The Department of Peace Operations (DPO) and the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) are jointly conducting the review which is expected to build on A New Agenda for Peace—the Secretary-General’s July 2023 report providing his vision for the future of multilateral engagement on peace and security issues—and the comprehensive studies that the two departments have carried out on the future of peacekeeping operations and special political missions, respectively. Last year, DPO commissioned an independent study on The Future of Peacekeeping, New Models, and Related Capabilities, which was published in November 2024 and was designed to inform the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial held in Berlin in May. DPPA has also been working on a comprehensive compendium of the history and evolution of Special Political Missions (SPMs) that is expected to be released soon.
The two departments have already conducted internal consultations across the UN system, gathering input from all Special Representatives and Envoys leading UN peace operations for the ongoing review. Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix and Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo also briefed member states during an informal meeting of the General Assembly held on 27 May.
The two departments intend to convene a series of discussions with the other intergovernmental bodies, including the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee), the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (C34), the Administrative and Budgetary Committee (Fifth Committee), the Security Council, and the Peacebuilding Commission. They also plan to hold consultations with regional groups and to formally request member states to provide written inputs.
This series of consultations is expected to support the two departments in developing a coherent analysis and set of recommendations for the review, while ensuring sufficient space for dedicated discussions on issues specific to both peacekeeping operations and SPMs. The two departments plan to conduct another round of consultations on the draft recommendations before finalising the review in early 2026. The outcome will be presented in the form of a report by the Secretary-General, to be submitted to both the Security Council and the General Assembly.
In May, Berlin hosted the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial, which focused on the future of peacekeeping and brought together representatives from 134 UN Member States, including 51 at the ministerial level. The meeting also included participation from the UN, regional organisations, civil society, academia, and think tanks. The Berlin Ministerial also offered member states an opportunity to reaffirm their political commitment to UN peacekeeping. During the meeting, 74 member states made pledges to help address critical capability gaps and support efforts to adapt UN peacekeeping operations to evolving challenges and new global realities. The meeting provided an opportunity for member states to show support for UN peacekeeping in the face of shifting geopolitics and the likelihood of cuts to the UN peacekeeping budget.
In recent years, there has been growing interest in the role of regional peace support operations in conducting peace enforcement and counter-terrorism activities. The adoption of resolution 2719 on 21 December 2023, which addresses the financing of African Union-led Peace Support Operations (AUPSOs), has given renewed momentum to this emerging trend. Although implementation of the resolution recently faced a setback—when the Council failed to agree on its application in the case of Somalia to support the AU Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM)—there appears to be continued interest in identifying other potential cases for consideration under resolution 2719. (For more on the Somalia discussion, see our 10 May What’s In Blue story.) At the time of writing, a delegation from the UN Secretariat was preparing to travel to Addis Ababa to meet with AU counterparts to discuss ideas for the resolution’s implementation.
Key Issues and Options
A key issue for Council members is how to reaffirm their commitment and show support to UN peacekeeping at a time when it is facing serious challenges. In this regard, as the convener of the meeting, Pakistan may wish to use this meeting to build on the outcome of the recent Berlin Peacekeeping Ministerial.
Another immediate issue is the impact of the UN liquidity crisis on UN peace operations. At the time of writing, the Fifth Committee was negotiating the proposed $5.5 billion peacekeeping budget for the period of 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026. In a recent briefing to member states, Lacroix and Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support Atul Khare apparently said that there will be a 20 percent cut across UN peacekeeping operations in the context of the UN80 initiative. The Council could seek an informal briefing from DPPO to obtain a better understanding of their assessment of the impact of these cuts on peace operations.
Council members may also be keen to receive updates on the ongoing review of peace operations. The July briefing could provide an opportunity for Council members to share their views and perspectives on the review. Drawing from previous experience, a possible option for Pakistan would be to propose a draft presidential statement reflecting the input from Council members to inform the review process.
A related issue is the 2025 Review of the UN Peacebuilding Architecture (PBAR). Some Council members, particularly those belonging to the peacebuilding caucus within the Security Council, might want to see enhanced synergy and complementarity between the PBAR and the peace operations review.
Council and Wider Dynamics
Three elected members─Denmark, Pakistan, and the Republic of Korea (ROK)─are working together this year as part of a “Peacekeeping Trio Initiative”. Pakistan seems to have coordinated with Denmark and the ROK in planning to convene the July briefing. Denmark, Pakistan and the ROK organised an informal roundtable on “Evolving Thinking Around the Future of UN Peace Operations” ahead of the 24 March open debate. ROK convened an informal dialogue between the Security Council and members of the Peacebuilding Commission 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. Pakistan also hosted a preparatory meeting in Islamabad on 15-16 April ahead of the Berlin Peacekeeping Ministerial.
The US, the largest financial contributor to the UN peacekeeping budget, currently has arrears amounting to approximately $1.5 billion. For the 2025 fiscal year, the US Congress approved $1.2 billion in funding for UN peacekeeping operations. However, the Trump administration has proposed eliminating this contribution entirely in the 2026 fiscal year, citing concerns about the high levels of assessment and the alleged failure of certain missions. The US Congress is yet to approve the proposed budget.
According to the UN Controller, as of 9 May, China had arrears amounting to $587 million for the 2025 fiscal year. While Russia has attempted to pay its outstanding contributions—totalling $123 million—it appears that there have been some issues with having the payment processed. The ongoing liquidity crisis, driven by unpaid contributions from member states, is apparently having a significant impact on UN peacekeeping missions, including by affecting their cash flow and hindering their operational effectiveness.
| Security Council Meeting Records | |
| 7 April 2025S/PV.9892 | This was a Security Council briefing on UN peacekeeping operations. |
| 24 March 2025S/PV.9884 | This was the Security Council’s open debate on UN peace operations. |
