75th Anniversary of United Nations Peacekeeping Missions (UNPKF)
GS-2 Mains : Mains Practise Question
Question: How have United Nations peacekeeping missions evolved over time to adapt to new challenges?
Why in News?
• The United Nations observed the 75th anniversary of its peacekeeping missions
About UN peacekeeping
- • United Nations Peacekeeping began in 1948 with the deployment of military observers to the Middle East.
- • It is a global partnership involving the General Assembly, Security Council, Secretariat, troop contributors, and host governments.
- • Basic principles include consent, impartiality, and non-use of force except in self-defense.
- • Strengths of peacekeeping include legitimacy, burden sharing, and the ability to deploy troops from various countries.
- • Roles include providing security, supporting political solutions, protecting civilians, promoting human rights, and capacity building.
- • UN peacekeeping has been deployed in various configurations and has made progress in saving and changing lives in fragile situations.
India and UNPKF:
- • India is one of the largest contributors of troops to UN Peacekeeping Forces.
- • In MONUSCO, India is the second-highest military and fifth-highest police contributing country.
- • Over 260,000 Indians have served in 49 UN Peacekeeping missions since 1948.
- • India deployed the first all-women contingent to a UN Peacekeeping mission in 2007.
- • 179 Indian soldiers have lost their lives in UN Peacekeeping operations, the highest death toll among contributing nations.
- • Blue Helmets are UN military personnel who work for stability, security, and peace processes, alongside UN Police and civilian colleagues.
Women, Peace, and Security is a key commitment of the Action for Peacekeeping initiative
- • UN Security Council resolution 1325 and subsequent resolutions promote the role of women in peacekeeping.
- • The Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) initiative emphasizes the Women, Peace, and Security agenda.
- • A4P aims to enhance peacekeeping by supporting women’s participation in peace processes and increasing gender responsiveness.
- • A4P has been signed by 152 Member States, with several countries championing the implementation of the Women, Peace, and Security commitment.
Challenges
- UN peacekeeping faces increasingly difficult challenges, including attacks against our peacekeepers, complex mandates, and uneven political support. Peacekeeping is essentially a collective endeavour: a partnership.
- The Charts below show the number of peacekeepers, country-wise, who died due to malicious acts during peacekeeping missions.
Suggestions
- Emphasize the need for strong, collective action to address challenges in peacekeeping.
- Support countries providing troops and police with training to enhance their capabilities.
- Maintain high standards of conduct for all UN personnel.
- Collaborate closely with Member States to hold personnel accountable for criminal conduct.
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