UN Peacekeeping
Expected Council Action
In April, the Security Council will receive its annual 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 Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) Lieutenant General Humphrey Nyone and Major General Ganesh Kumar Shrestha, Acting Head of Mission and Force Commander for the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).
Key Recent Developments
These force commander briefings, held annually since 2010, focus on the operational challenges of implementing mission mandates. In April 2025, France convened the most recent briefing during its Security Council presidency. The meeting focused on how UN peacekeeping operations can support ceasefires or cessations of hostilities. It featured briefings by Lacroix and the heads of military components of two UN peacekeeping operations: Force Commander of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Major General Aroldo Lázaro Sáenz and the Force Commander of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) Lieutenant General Ulisses de Mesquita Gomes.
The annual briefing typically takes place during the Heads of Military Components Conference at UN Headquarters. This year, the conference is scheduled for 13–17 April under the theme “Future-Ready Peacekeeping: Reshaping to Achieve Mission Impact”. According to the concept note, the conference aims to facilitate collective reflection among heads of military components on the evolving operating environment and to identify ways to adapt UN peacekeeping to emerging challenges. This focus aligns with the Pact for the Future, the outcome document of the 2024 Summit of the Future, which underscored the need for UN peacekeeping operations to respond to evolving needs and deliver more agile, tailored approaches to existing, emerging, and future challenges.
The Pact for the Future requested the Secretary-General to undertake a comprehensive review of all forms of UN peace operations. The review is being conducted internally by the UN Secretariat, led by the Department of Peace Operations (DPO) and the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA). The two departments have held a series of consultations with intergovernmental bodies and solicited written input from member states, regional organisations, civil society, and academia. The review is expected to be submitted to the General Assembly and the Security Council in the form of a report by the Secretary-General.
Last year was a challenging one for UN peacekeeping. The UN faced a serious liquidity crisis that affected the operational capacity and effectiveness of field missions. The crisis is the result of member states being unwilling or unable to pay their annual contributions to the UN’s regular and peacekeeping budgets in full and on time. Since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025, the US has also sought to overhaul UN peacekeeping operations as part of a going “back to basics” strategy designed to reduce costs and focus the UN on what it believes is its core peace and security mandate.
The US position appears to have influenced decisions regarding the future of specific peacekeeping operations. In August 2025, the Council renewed the mandate of UNIFIL for a final time until 31 December, requesting the mission to begin an orderly and safe drawdown and withdrawal. In October 2025, the Council also requested a strategic review to determine the future of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). In April, Council members are expected to receive an oral briefing on the outcome of the strategic review. (For more, see the Western Sahara brief in this Forecast.)
Additionally, in November 2025, the Council tied the future of UNISFA to progress by Sudan and South Sudan against a specific set of benchmarks. The same month, the Council requested proposals for a possible drawdown of MINUSCA. The Secretary-General is expected to submit his proposals in September.
In a 10 February Security Council meeting on South Sudan, the US, the penholder on South Sudan, warned that the host country’s non-cooperation with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) will constitute a threat to the mission’s viability, adding that this will inform future decisions regarding the mission’s future. This was prompted by South Sudan’s directive for the mission to evacuate certain areas. In April, the Council is expected to renew the UNMISS mandate which is set to expire by the end of the month. (For more, see the South Sudan brief in this Forecast.)
Key Issues and Options
An overarching issue for Council members is the future of peacekeeping and how it can adapt to emerging challenges in line with the theme of the annual Heads of Military Components Conference. In April, the outcome of the comprehensive review of UN peace operations is expected to be circulated to both Council members and the wider UN membership during the month. Council members could consider working on a formal product in response to the review and its recommendations.
Another key issue is how field missions adapt to evolving conditions while implementing their mandates. Members might be interested in hearing from Nyone in particular about the ongoing efforts to support the Central African Republic in extending state authority and implement its other mandated tasks despite resource constraints. They might also expect Shrestha to provide an update on the progress in implementing the UNISFA benchmarks set out by the Council in November 2025.
The impact of the UN’s liquidity crisis on UN peacekeeping operations remains an ongoing concern. The UN is expected to run out of cash in July if member states do not pay their dues. The Secretary-General has warned that the organisation faces a major risk of “imminent financial collapse”, a situation that would have significant implications for its peacekeeping missions.
Council Dynamics
Last year, three elected members—Denmark, Pakistan, and the Republic of Korea (ROK)─worked together as part of a “Peacekeeping Trio Initiative”. This year, Denmark and Pakistan have continued to coordinate their efforts in support of peacekeeping.
Additionally, it seems that three other elected members—Colombia, Latvia, and Liberia—consider peace operations as a priority. Colombia hosts a UN Verification Mission, a special political mission assisting the implementation of the country’s 2016 peace agreement. Liberia, a country which once hosted a UN peacekeeping operation, is keen to highlight its successful post-conflict experience. Latvia is interested in chairing the Security Council Informal Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations. However, at the time of writing, committee chairs had not been appointed, as Council members continue to negotiate this year’s allocation of subsidiary bodies’ chairs.
Last year, the Council renewed the mandates of four UN peacekeeping operations non-unanimously. This trend may continue this year, with contentious negotiations anticipated. The US Permanent Representative Mike Waltz, who testified before the US House Appropriations Committee on 20 March, emphasised the US’ focus on ensuring that peacekeeping operations remain centred on their core mandate of maintaining international peace and security. He stressed that the US would continue to link mandate renewals to political progress and greater efficiency. In this regard, Waltz indicated that the US intends to continue utilising available tools such as strategic reviews and benchmarks to advance these objectives.
| Security Council Resolutions | |
| 14 November 2025S/RES/2802 | This resolution renewed the mandate of the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) for another year, until 15 November 2026. |
| 28 August 2025S/RES/2790 | This resolution extended the mandate of UNIFIL for a final time until 31 December 2026 and established several functions that UNIFIL is authorised to fulfil during the drawdown and withdrawal period. It also requested the UN Secretary-General to explore, by 1 June 2026, “options for the future of the implementation of resolution 1701” following the withdrawal of UNIFIL. |
| Security Council Meeting Records | |
| 7 April 2025S/PV.9892 | This was a Security Council briefing on UN peacekeeping operations. |