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Home > Features > Canada,
Peacekeeping, and the World Order |
An International Army?
How peacekeeping operations work
Since international laws and conventions are unlikely to be followed without some method
of enforcement, the United Nations has a limited ability to exercise force with peacekeeping
operations. The United Nations provides a rundown of how these operations work; here
is a summary.
Logistics
- Each peacekeeping operation must be assembled from scratch.
- Peacekeeping operations are tailored to each situation and are therefore only assembled
after the 15-member Security Council authorizes and determines the mandate of a new
operation.
- Such decisions require at least nine favourable votes.
The vote is subject to a veto by the negative vote of any of the Council’s five permanent
members (China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United
States).
- The secretary-general makes recommendations on how the operation should be launched
and carried out, and also reports on its progress.
- The Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) is responsible for day-to-day
executive direction, management and logistical support for United Nation's peacekeeping
operations worldwide.
- The secretary-general chooses the force commander.
- The secretary-general asks Member States to contribute troops, civilian police,
or other personnel. Supplies, equipment, transportation and logistical support must
also be secured from Member States or from private contractors. Civilian support staff
includes personnel assigned from within the UN system, loaned by Member States and
individuals recruited internationally or locally to fill specific jobs.
- Lead-time required to deploy a mission varies, and depends primarily upon the will
of Member States to contribute troops to a particular operation. The timely availability
of financial resources and strategic lift capacity also affects the time necessary
for deployment. In 1973, for example, elements of the second UN Emergency Force (UNEF
II) were deployed in the Middle East within 24 hours. However, for missions with highly
complex mandates or difficult logistics, or where peacekeepers face significant risks,
it may take months to assemble and deploy the necessary elements.
- Intensive negotiations take place among Member States, the Secretariat and the
parties on the ground. Members of the Security Council, particularly the five permanent
members, and countries contributing personnel play a particularly important role.
Regional organizations may also be involved. Consultation begins with the planning
stage of an operation and continues throughout its duration.
Financing
- UN peacekeeping costs are usually shared by all Member States in accordance with
the Charter. The General Assembly apportions these expenses based on a special scale
of assessments applicable to peacekeeping. This scale takes into account the relative
economic wealth of Member States, with the permanent members of the Security Council
required to pay a larger share because of their special responsibility for the maintenance
of international peace and security.
- In response to a request from the secretary-general, countries may volunteer personnel,
equipment, supplies or other support for a peacekeeping mission. Countries providing
these essential elements are reimbursed from the mission budget at agreed rates.
- Contributing personnel to peacekeeping is not obligatory; a troop-contributing
country retains the right to withdraw its personnel from an operation.
- Military and civilian police personnel in peacekeeping operations remain members
of their own national establishments but serve under the operational control of the
United Nations and are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with the exclusively
international character of their mission. In addition, many countries have voluntarily
made additional resources available to support UN peacekeeping efforts on a non-reimbursable
basis in the form of transportation, supplies, personnel and financial contributions,
above and beyond their assessed share of peacekeeping costs.
For more information, visit the United
Nations’ Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) website peacekeeping website.
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