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INTRODUCTION TO CONTEMPORARY PEACE SUPPORT OPERATIONS (PSO) Lt Col ( Rtd ) F Kiriago. AIM. To appraise participants on the complexities of contemporary peacekeeping operations. Obective.
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INTRODUCTION TO CONTEMPORARY PEACE SUPPORT OPERATIONS (PSO)Lt Col (Rtd) F Kiriago
AIM To appraise participants on the complexities of contemporary peacekeeping operations
Obective At the end of the module participants should be able to demonstrate an enhanced understanding of the contemporary peace support operations.
Outline • Evolution of Peace Support Operations. • Concept and types of peace operations • Fundamental Principles of PKO • Linkages and Overlaps of activities in PSO • Contemporary challenges • African Peace and Security Architecture
EVOLUTION OF PEACE SUPPORT OPERATIONS • The spectrum of contemporary PSO has become broad and complex. • Special focus is to recognize the need for articulation of doctrinal foundations of the United Nations peace operations • New challenges posed by the shifting nature of conflict from interstate to intrastate conflict
League of Nations • League of Nations established 1919 during the First World War under Treaty of Versailles • Purpose: “to promote international cooperation and to achieve peace and security.” • The League of Nation ceased its activities after failing to prevent the Second World War.
United Nations • The United Nation was conceived on 26th June 1945 in similar circumstances as League of Nations • Purpose: To “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war” maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, and promote social progress, better living standards and human rights.
The United Nations is made up of 193 Member States. • Member States come together to discuss common problems and make decisions by voting on major issues. • The UN is an impartial organization • Member States are equal. • The impartiality and universality of the United Nations are key elements of its legitimacy.
Public Affairs Office of the Under-Secretary-General Situation Centre Executive Office Office of ROL and Security Institutions Office of Military Affairs Policy, Evaluation and Training Division Office of Operations Africa I Division Peacekeeping Best Practices Police Division Military Planning Service Africa II Division Criminal Law and Judicial Advisory Integrated Training Service Current Military Operations Europe and Latin America Division DDR Section Force Generation Service Asia and Middle East Division Mine Action Service Department of Peacekeeping Operations
UN Charter • Ratified on 26 June 1945. • Currently has 111 articles and 19 chapters. • Describes the purposes, principles, membership, and organs and scope of UN activities. • Member States are bound together by the principles of the Charter. • Is an international treaty that spells out the Member States’ rights and duties. • Is the foundational document that guides all the United Nations work • Gives the UN SC primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security
Key principles of the UN charter • Sovereign equality of all member states • Peaceful settlement of disputes • Restraint from use of force • Non – intervention in the domestic affairs of nations (except for enforcement measures under chapter VII)
Legal Basis of the SC for PSO • Chapters VI- Pacific settlement of disputes • Chapter VII – Action with respect to threats to the peace, breaches of the peace, and acts of aggression. • Chapter VIII – Regional arrangements.
Main UN bodies • General Assembly • Security Council • Economic and Social Council • International Court of Justice • Secretariat & Secretary General • Trusteeship Council
History of peacekeeping • UN Peacekeeping began in 1948 - UN military observers to the Middle East. • Role was to monitor the Armistice between Israel and its Arab neighbours – UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO)
The early years • Cold War rivalries frequently paralyzed the SC. • Peacekeeping limited to maintaining ceasefires and stabilizing situations on the ground, providing support for political efforts to resolve conflict by peaceful means. • Unarmed MILOBs, lightly armed tps with monitoring, reporting and confidence-building roles. • Earliest armed PKO was UNEFI in 1956 to address the Suez Crisis. • 1988, UN peacekeepers were awarded Nobel Peace Prize.
Post Cold-War surge • The nature of conflicts changed from inter-State to intra-State. • The UN shifted and expanded from “traditional” missions to complex “multidimensional” missions. • Roles changed to building sustainable institutions of governance, human rights monitoring, security sector reform and DDR.
1989 - 1994 • Rapid increase in number of PKO. • SC authorized 20 new operations between 1989 and 1994, number of peacekeepers rose from 11,000 to 75,000. • Deployed to: - Help implement complex peace agreements. - Stabilize the security situation. - Re-organize military and police. - Elect new governments and build democratic institutions.
The mid-1990s • A period of reassessment. • Missions were established in hostile situations - former Yugoslavia, Rwanda and Somalia - there was no peace to keep. • Warring parties failed to adhere to peace agreements. • Peacekeepers lacked adequate resources. • Lack of political support. • Civilian casualties rose. • UN Peacekeeping reputation suffered.
1999 - SG commissioned independent inquiry into UN actions in 1994 Rwanda genocide, 1993-1995 events in Srebrenica, and circumstances that led to the UN withdrawal from Somalia.
Towards the 21st century • New operations, new challenges. • UN introduced reform to strengthen capacity to effectively manage and sustain field operations. • UN performed more complex tasks. • 1999 UN served as the administrator of both Kosovo and in East Timor. • Assessment of UN’s ability to conduct PSO effectively - Lakhdar Brahimi (2000) • SC established large and complex PKO in a number of African countries.
The present • By 2010, UN PKO had more than 124,000 military, police and civilian staff. • Numbers started declining - the reduction of troops in MONUSCO and the withdrawal of MINURCAT end of 2010. • Today's PKO will continue to facilitate the political process, protect civilians, assist in DDR, support elections, protect and promote human rights, and assist in restoring rule of law.
CONCEPT AND TYPES OF PEACE PEACEKEEPING • Since 1948 the UN has conducted a large number of peacekeeping operations under its charter • The process of responding to threats to international order has evolved after the Cold War. • Different types of UN PKO evolved in response to a changing international political environment and conflicts in which the SC engaged.
68 Peacekeeping operations deployed by UN. • 55 of the 68 since 1988. • Hundreds of thousands of military personnel, tens of thousands of UN police and other civilians from more than 120 countries participated. • More than 3,100 fatalities from 120 countries.
Different Types of UN Peacekeeping Operations • Traditional Peacekeeping • Multi-dimensional Peacekeeping • Transitional Authority
FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF UN PEACEKEEPING These principles have developed over time through experience and lessons learned: • Consent • Impartiality • Non-use of force except in self-defence and defence of the mandate
Consent • All UN peacekeeping operations require the consent of the main parties to the conflict • Without consent for the mandate, the operation is peace enforcement. • The UNPKO’s role is to move the peace process forward while maintaining consent of all the parties to the conflict
Impartiality • UN peacekeeping operations must implement their mandate without favour or prejudice to any of the parties to the conflict (like a good referee). • A peacekeeping operation cannot condone actions by parties if they violate the norms and principles the UNPKO upholds. • Reasons for the action must be clearly communicated to all.
Non use of force except in self defense and defense of the mandate • Use of force permitted in self-defense & defense of mandate. • SC may authorize a mission “to use all necessary means” to defend the mandate. • Use of force permitted as a measure of last resort. • The RoE or DuF clarify level of force.
Other Success Factors Credibility • A precise and achievable mandate with the resources to march. • Effective, rapid deployment. • A confident, capable and unified posture of the mission • Management of expectations
Legitimacy • Perceived legitimacy of a UN peacekeeping operation is directly related to the quality and conduct of its military, police and civilian personnel. • The behavior of peacekeeping personnel should meet the highest standards of professionalism, competence and integrity.
Promotion of Local and National Ownership • Fosters trust and cooperation. • Reinforces perceived legitimacy of the mission. • Ensures sustainability of the peace-building process. • Should include all parts of society. • All opinions need to be heard and understood.
Linkages and overlap activities in PSO The spectrum of Peace and Security Activities While United Nations peacekeeping operations are generally deployed to support a ceasefire or peace agreement, they often also play a role in peacemaking efforts. They may also be involved in early peace building activities. These activities are related.
(A Traditional View) The UN Charter Peace enforcement Peacekeeping Chap VII Article 42 Chap VI Article 33 No mention of peacekeeping or peace enforcement “To maintain International peace and security” No consent required Consent Chap VIII Regional Orgs
UN Peacekeeping statistics As of 31 August 2013 • Peacekeeping operations since 1948: 68 • Current peacekeeping operations: 15 • Current peace operations directed by DPKO: 16 (1 Special Political Mission: the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA)).
Current UN Peacekeeping missions UNTSO (Middle East) …………………..May 1948 UNMOGIP (India and Pakistan) …..January 1949 UNFICYP (Cyprus) …………………...March 1964 UNDOF (Syria) …………………………June 1974 UNIFIL (Lebanon) …………………….March 1978 MINURSO (Western Sahara) ………….April 1991 UNMIK (Kosovo) ..................................June 1999 UNMIL (Liberia) ..........................September 2003 UNOCI (Cote de I’voire) .......................April 2004 MINUSTAH (Haiti) ................................June 2004 UNAMID (Darfur) ………………………..July 2007 MONUSCO (DRC) ……………………...July 2010 UNISFA (Abyei) …………………………June 2011 UNMISS (South Sudan) ………………...July 2011 MINUSMA (Mali) ………………………March 2013