International Studies Compendium Project

Extract

Comment on this article   In many respects, peace operations are the most visible face of the United Nations (UN) and the organization's mechanism for maintaining what the UN Charter refers to as “international peace and security.” Between 1948 and 2007 the UN conducted over 60 operations (of which 17 remained active as of June 2008) involving personnel from about 130 member states. These operations have cost approximately $48 billion and the loss of nearly 2500 peacekeepers. By the end of 2007, the 17 operations run by the UN's Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) involved over 100,000 (civilian and uniformed) personnel with an annual budget of some $7 billion (equivalent to approximately one half of one percent of global military spending). But the UN is not the only actor involved in peace operations. Over the same period, peace operations have been authorized and undertaken by other international organizations, coalitions of states, and individual governments. This reflects the fact that while the UN Security Council retains the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security it does not possess a monopoly on such activities. Not surprisingly, the subject of peace operations has generated a substantial, and rapidly growing, body of knowledge. A crucial source of such knowledge is the UN's own reporting on its peace operations. This includes ... log in or subscribe to read full text