The Department of Political Affairs manages special political missions and peace-building support offices engaged in conflict prevention, peacemaking and post-conflict peacebuilding in in Africa, South and Central Asia and the Middle East:

In Africa:

• BONUCA, United Nations Peace-building Office in the Central African Republic
• UNOGBIS, United Nations Peace-building Support Office in Guinea-Bissau
• UNOWA, United Nations Office for West Africa
• UNIPSIL, United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra Leone
• UNPOS, United Nations Political Office for Somalia

In South and Central Asia:

• UNMIN, United Nations Mission in Nepal
• UNRCCA, United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy in Central Asia

In the Middle East:

• UNAMI, United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq
• UNSCO, Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process
• UNSCOL, Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon

These DPA-led field operations, provide a forward platform for preventive diplomacy and other activities across a range of disciplines, to help prevent and resolve conflict or to build lasting peace in nations emerging from civil wars. The peace-building offices, currently active in Guinea-Bissau, the Central African Republic and Sierra Leone aim to help nations consolidate peace through comprehensive peace-building strategies developed and carried out in coordination with national actors and U.N. development and humanitarian entities on the ground.

In addition to the field missions currently under its supervision, DPA provides guidance and support to other envoys of the Secretary-General active in the prevention and resolution of conflict around the world. These currently include UN envoys for Cyprus, Myanmar, Western Sahara, Northern Uganda (LRA-affected areas), Lebanon (Security Council Resolution 1559) and the FYROM-Greece name dispute. DPA also provides assistance to the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala, which is headed by a designee of the Secretary-General.

In several cases, most recently in the Sudan, political missions overseen by the Department of Political Affairs during the stage of peace negotiations have -- following the signing of peace agreements -- been replaced by peacekeeping missions supervised by the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations. In yet other instances, most recently in Sierra Leone, U.N. peacekeeping operations have given way to special political missions overseeing peace-building activities.

Several DPA-led political missions concluded successfully in recent years as peace processes were consolidated. These include the United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala (MINUGUA), the United Nations Observer Mission in Bougainville (UNOMB), and the United Nations Tajikistan Office of Peacebuilding (UNTOP).