UN Peacekeeping: some questions and answers

UN Chronicle, Summer, 1997

United Nations peacekeepers, wearing distinctive UN blue helmets or berets, are dispatched by the Security Council to help implement peace agreements, monitor ceasefires, patrol demilitarized zones, create buffer zones between opposing forces, and put fighting on hold while negotiators seek peaceful solutions to disputes. But, ultimately, the success of peacekeeping depends on the consent and cooperation of the opposing parties.

The United Nations does not have an army. For each peacekeeping mission, Member States voluntarily provide troops and equipment, for which they are compensated from a special peacekeeping budget. Police officers, election observers, human rights monitors and other civilians sometimes work alongside military personnel in peacekeeping operations. Lightly armed for self-defense - and often unarmed - peacekeepers' strongest "weapon" is their impartiality. They rely on persuasion and minimal use of force to defuse tensions and prevent fighting. It is dangerous business; approximately 1,500 UN peacekeepers have died in the performance of their duties since 1945.

What is the scope of United Nations peacekeeping?

Since 1945, there have been 43 United Nations peacekeeping operations. There are currently 17 under way. Thirty were created by the Security Council between 1988 - when UN peacekeeping operations were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize - and 1997.

Who is in charge?

The 15 Member States of the Security Council - not the Secretary-General - create and define peacekeeping missions. The United Nations Charter specifies that the Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. The five permanent members of the Council - China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, the United States - can veto any decision on peacekeeping operations.

Rank-and-file soldiers on peacekeeping missions do not swear allegiance to the United Nations. Governments that volunteer personnel carefully negotiate the terms of their participation - including command and control arrangements. They retain ultimate authority over their own military forces serving under the UN flag, including disciplinary and personnel matters, and may withdraw their troops if they wish. Peacekeeping soldiers wear their own national uniforms. To identify themselves as peacekeepers, they also wear blue berets. or helmets and the UN insignia.

How much does it cost?

United Nations peacekeeping personnel and equipment cost $2.8 billion in 1995, reflecting the expense of UN peacekeeping in the former Yugoslavia. Peacekeeping costs fell in 1996, to $1.4 billion - and assessments for 1997 are expected to total $1.2 billion. This is the first time in many years that this figure has fallen below the yearly cost of the regular budget.

All Member States are obligated to pay their share of peacekeeping costs under a formula that they themselves have agreed upon. But as of March 1997, Member States owed the United Nations $1.9 billion in current and back peacekeeping dues. Of the five permanent members of the Council, all but France and the United Kingdom owe varying amounts of past years' peacekeeping dues, including $1 billion, as of March 1997, by the United States.

In 1995, UN procurement of goods and services for peacekeeping totalled $399 million. The single largest share of those contracts - 48 per cent - went to businesses in the United States.

How are peacekeepers compensated?

Peacekeeping soldiers are paid by their own Governments according to their own national rank and salary scale. Countries volunteering personnel to peacekeeping operations are reimbursed by the United Nations at a flat rate of about $1,000 per soldier per month.The United Nations also reimburses countries for equipment. But reimbursements are often deferred because of cash shortages caused by Member States' failure to pay their dues.

Who contributes personnel and equipment?

All Member States share the responsibility of maintaining peace and security. Since 1945, 110 nations have contributed personnel at various times; 69 are currently providing peacekeepers. As of February 1997, the top five contributors of troops to current missions were: Pakistan (1,725 soldiers); India (1,211); Bangladesh (1,145); the Russian Federation (1,125); Jordan (1,101); Poland (1,095); and Canada (1,084). The small-island nation of Fiji has taken part in virtually every UN peacekeeping operation, as has Canada. Even non-UN Member States have contributed; Switzerland, for example, provides money, medical units, aircraft and other equipment to peacekeeping.

Why is peacekeeping a bargain?

The costs of peacekeeping are tiny compared to the costs of conflict and its toll in lives and property. For every dollar that all Governments spent on military activities in 1995, less than half a cent went to UN peacekeeping.

Is enforcement action the same as peacekeeping?

The two should not be confused. UN peacekeeping has traditionally relied on the consent of opposing parties and involves the deployment of peacekeepers to implement an agreement approved by those parties.