The United Nations’ Peacekeeping Department

The United Nations as an international organization of countries are concerned in maintaining peaceful relationships among nations. For their peacekeeping endeavor, a distinctive and dynamic instrument was created solely for the purpose. They undertake to resolve any ongoing conflicts.

History of UN Peacekeeping Troop

In 1948, the first UN peacekeeping mission was established. Upon the authorization of the Security Council, the UN military were deployed in the Middle East as observers in monitoring the Armistice Agreement between Israel and the surrounding Arab neighbors. From then on, there have been a total of sixty three peacekeeping operations worldwide.

The word “peacekeeping” is not found in the UN Charters. In fact the term goes beyond the simple definition. According to Dag Hammarskjold who was the second UN Secretary General, the term belongs to the Chapter 6 and a half. It is taken out as something between customary means of peacefully resolving disparities and the mediation stipulated in Chapter 6 and Chapter 7’s authorization of more forceful act.

Objective of UN Peacekeeping

Through the years, UN peacekeeping has progress in meeting the demands depending on the various conflicts and the dynamic political landscape. During the Cold War, the Security Council often encountered paralysis due to several enmities. This resulted to the UN peacekeeping objective that is primarily limited to the maintenance of ceasefire and secures the stability situations in order to resolve conflicts at a political level through peaceful means. Military observers comprise the missions together with troops that carry light weapons only. Their purpose is to monitor, report, and build confidences to provide support on ceasefires and partial peace agreements.

At the end of the Cold War, the strategic framework of UN peace keeping significantly changed and prompted the organization to modify and widen its field operations. The missions shifted from traditional which involves a strict military task to the multidimensional type. This enterprise is designed to ascertain the execution of comprehensive peace negotiations in setting the foundations of sustainable peace.

Today peacekeepers carry out a multiplicity of complex tasks. They range from assisting in building an institution of governance that is sustainable, monitoring of human rights, reformation of security sector, disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration of past combatants.

With the ever changing situations worldwide, the UN peacekeeping missions are also dynamic in adapting to these changes.

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