The Future of UN Peace Operations

Peacekeeping has long been viewed as an example of effective multilateralism and a testament to the international community’s capacity to innovate. Today, however, UN peace operations – which span peacekeeping operations to special political missions, good offices and mediation initiatives – are facing mounting challenges. Expectations of peacekeeping missions have dramatically risen, and in recent years, the UN’s four largest multidimensional peace operations – in Mali, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, and South Sudan – all faced significant challenges in seeking to implement their mandates.

The Pact for the Future, recently adopted by UN Member States at the General Assembly on 22 September 2024, requests the Secretary-General to, “undertake a review of all forms of United Nations’ peace operations" and provide recommendations on "how the United Nations’ toolbox can be adapted to meet evolving needs, to allow for more agile, tailored responses to existing, emerging, and future challenges.” This Roundtable, moderated by Professor Jennifer Welsh (Canada 150 Research Chair in Global Governance and Security at the Max Bell School of Public Policy) and featuring academic and UN experts on peacekeeping, will discuss the future of UN peace operations in an era of geopolitical turbulence, increasingly volatile conflict contexts, and intensifying protection crises.

Panelists:

• Victoria Holt, Norman E. McCulloch Jr. Director of the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding, Dartmouth University
• Teohna Williams, Senior POC Adviser in MONUSCO
• Oliver Ulich, Head of Performance and Protection Pillar, Policy and Best Practices Service, Policy, Evaluation and Training Division, UN Department of Peace Operations

The Centre for International Peace and Security Studies researches international peace and security at McGill University.