Put Peacemaking First as United Nations Missions Face Growing Threats, Secretary-General Urges Security Council
Most United Nations peacekeeping missions now operate where peace remains elusive, Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council today, warning that blue helmets are increasingly being deployed amid active conflicts, shrinking budgets and rapidly evolving threats.
“Peacekeepers can do a lot to preserve the peace,” the UN chief said. “But we cannot keep peace where there is no peace to keep”.
Peacekeepers are increasingly being asked to contain wars that parties feel little pressure to end, while drones, autonomous weapons and artificial intelligence (AI)-amplified disinformation are transforming conflict.
“Meanwhile, peacekeeping budgets have been slashed and the number of troops and police greatly reduced,” he said, urging the Council to put peacemaking first.
Peace “must be built from within — by the national actors, who hold the key”, he said, calling for closer consultation with host States, conflict parties and civil society, as well as clearer long-term goals for missions.
Before peacekeepers deploy, there must be agreement on a longer-term vision of what they are meant to help achieve, he said. Every mission renewal should also be treated as a strategic opportunity to adapt mandates and empower operations.
“Efficiency means making every dollar count,” he emphasized, highlighting the need to overcome strict budget and administrative rules while maintaining a skilled, diverse workforce in which women participate fully and equally at all levels.
“Our regional partners — above all the African Union — have an essential role,” the Secretary-General said, noting that resolution 2719 (2023) established a landmark commitment to predictable financing for African Union-led peace support operations.
UN peacekeeping operations should only be deployed where there is a peace agreement or a robust ceasefire, he continued. “When circumstances require, we need peace enforcing, not peacekeeping,” he said, stressing that force must serve a political strategy, never replace one.
“In the shadow of war, people still look to the blue helmets — and trust them,” he said.
Focused Mandates Must Mean ‘Better Peacekeeping, Not Less Peacekeeping’
“For over six decades, Pakistan has remained amongst the largest troop contributors to UN peacekeeping,” said that country’s representative in the ensuing debate among Member States, noting that more than 170,000 Pakistanis have served the UN, 183 of whom have made “the ultimate sacrifice in the cause of peace”. It also hosts a UN military observer mission.
Recalling Pakistan’s efforts in the Council to adopt presidential statements and resolutions concerning peacekeeping over the past 20 years, he said that this “experience gives us a practical appreciation of what peacekeeping requires”. That includes political support, credible mandates, sustainable resources, adequate capabilities, host State cooperation and sustained commitment from the wider membership.
Peacekeeping today “is actually under real pressure”, he said, noting that no new mission has been established since 2014 and several have closed amidst intensified political and financial constraints. This should not, however, be misread as declining support for peacekeeping, which has moved through “cycles of expansion and retrenchment” since the 1960s.
As peacekeeping realigns, “focused mandates must mean better peacekeeping, not less peacekeeping”, he stressed. “We must not start with a financial ceiling and then shrink the mission to fit it.” The international community “should be careful not to dismantle the very strengths we may need again tomorrow”.
Calls for Streamlined Mandates, Greater Efficiency in Peacekeeping
China’s delegate said the international peace and security environment is increasingly complex, confronting peacekeeping operations with “new circumstances, new challenges and new requirements”. Peacekeeping should create conditions conducive to political settlements, he said, stressing the need for a solid political foundation to achieve “tangible results”.
Mandates should be streamlined according to actual needs, he continued, urging the Council to remain “grounded in reality” when defining tasks and objectives. “No selectivity should be practiced in peace missions”, he said, also calling for improved quality and efficiency and “a culture of efficiency throughout the entire process”. New technologies should be used prudently to strengthen capabilities such as situational awareness, early warning and logistical support, he added.
Noting that liquidity constraints remain “a bottleneck”, he called for stronger communication between the Security Council, Secretariat, host countries and troop-contributing countries to better align mandates, implementation and resources.
Peacekeeping Success Measured by Peace that Endures after Missions Leave
Javier Martínez Acha Vásquez, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Panama, underscored that “the success of a peace operation is measured not by how long a mission remains in place, but by how long peace can endure after the mission has withdrawn”. Preventive diplomacy, mediation, political dialogue and trust-building remain among the Organization’s most powerful tools. “For decades now we have talked about exit strategies,” he added. “Well, the time has come to also speak of entry strategies”.
Somalia’s delegate said: “Peacekeeping succeeds or fails long before a peacekeeper enters the field.” Clear mandates, adequate resources and Council unity are therefore essential, he added, noting that peace operations cannot manufacture political will. The representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo stressed that host-State consent and partnership must remain central throughout a mission’s life and urged Member States to pay assessments fully and on time, as liquidity shortages weaken civilian protection.
The observer for the African Union recalled that the bloc’s Assembly meeting in Luanda, adopted a decision urging the Security Council to implement resolution 2719 (2023). “That is the voice of our continent’s highest organ,” he said. Troop- and police-contributing countries — “most of them African” — must have a stronger voice in mandate design. Adapting peace operations to current dynamics requires a more representative Council — “beginning with redress of the historical injustice against Africa”.
Liberia ‘Proof that Peacekeeping Works’
“Liberia is proof that peacekeeping works”, its delegate said, noting that his country’s experience also proves that “peacekeeping works as a spectrum, not a single instrument”. Peace is not built by one hammer, and every crisis is not a nail. He also noted the challenge of financing Council resolution 2719 (2023), with up to 75 per cent of African Union-led operations covered by assessed contributions, and 25 per cent still unresolved nearly three years after its adoption. “If this Council expects regional partners to shoulder global burdens, it must close that gap and do so now,” he said.
Colombia’s representative, noting the broad consensus that peacekeeping operations are valuable but require adjustment, said that the relevant question is “whether the Organization, overall, is taking the measures necessary to adapt its responses to current needs”. He said that peacekeeping operations must be designed to respond to “concrete needs on the ground”.
Japan’s representative urged the Council to “give due weight” to discussions among countries contributing troops, police and financing to “ensure that individual mandates are realistic, focused and effective”. The Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations could serve as the most representative platform. Japan will continue to support UN peacekeeping as “one of its major financial contributors”, he said.
Mandates Must Be Matched with Resources
India’s delegate stressed that mandates must be matched to resources at authorization “so peacekeepers are not asked to do more with less”. Troop- and police-contributing countries should have a structured voice in shaping mandates through consultation before they are adopted or reviewed, he added. Also stressing the importance of peacekeeper safety, he said that personnel face asymmetric, technologically enabled threats, and those who attack them must be held accountable. On that, Lebanon’s delegate said there should be no impunity for crimes committed against UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) soldiers.
Denmark’s representative said that peacekeeping must remain firmly anchored in a political strategy with a clear end date and mandates must reflect the situation on the ground. The United Kingdom’s representative said women’s participation is essential to mission effectiveness because it improves operational performance and strengthens engagement with communities.
The representative of Greece, stating that peace operations must adapt to today’s increasingly complex environment, observed that the Gang Suppression Force in Haiti is an example of a new hybrid model. “Such arrangements may not work everywhere, but they broaden the options available to us,” he said.
Speakers Urge Agile Missions, Better-Aligned Mandates
The representative of Latvia stressed the importance of strong alignment between mandates, resources and political objectives. The delegates of Portugal and Germany highlighted the value of a sequenced approach to mandating. Speakers from Indonesia, Austria and Bahrain stressed the need for continued investment in technology and infrastructure.
France’s delegate, Council President for September, speaking in his national capacity, stressed the need for “agility” as well. The Council must be able to review mandates whenever circumstances require, he stated. “This means developing our capacity to restructure missions and to move swiftly from one peace operation model to another”.
The representative of the Russian Federation said the United Nations must move away from the “paradigm in which peacekeeping missions are viewed as a tool used to transform a host State”; rather, their purpose is to support the peace process or to create conditions for political settlement. Any assistance in State-building, he said, should be provided only at the host State’s request.