U.N. peacemaking blossomed in the 1990s, as the end of the Cold War created new opportunities to end civil wars through negotiated peace settlements. A large number of conflicts were brought to an end, either through direct U.N. mediation or by the efforts of others acting with U.N. support. The list includes El Salvador, Guatemala, Namibia, Cambodia, Mozambique, Tajikistan, Bougainville, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Burundi and the North-South conflict in Sudan.  

Research has credited expanded UN peacemaking, peacekeeping and conflict prevention activities as a major factor behind a 40% decline in armed conflict around the world since the 1990s. An undetermined number of potential conflicts have been defused through preventive diplomacy and other forms of preventive action.

The Department of Political Affairs is responsible within the U.N. Secretariat for identifying peacemaking opportunities, and for supporting the Secretary-General and his special envoys in bringing his diplomatic “good offices” to bear in trying to broker agreements between parties in conflict.

Capacity in this area has been enhanced in several ways in recent years:

• The innovative UN Peacemaker website (www.un.org/peacemaker), launched in 2006, provides peacemaking professionals and researchers with online tools including a comprehensive database of modern peace agreements, lessons learned studies and guidance for envoys on how to successfully manage a peace process

• A specialized Mediation Support Unit (MSU) serves as a central repository for peacemaking experience and a clearing house for lessons learned and best practices. The Unit would also coordinate training for mediators and provide them with advice on UN standards and operating procedures.  Its establishment in 2006 was one of the recommendation of the Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change (2004)

• The Mediation Support Standby Team, established in 2008, is a five-person expert team that can be deployed on short notice to assist UN and non-UN mediation efforts around the world. Their expertise covers a range of issues that arise frequently in peace talks – from mediation strategy to security arrangements, transitional justice and human rights, power-sharing and constitution-making. 

The proposals tabled by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for Strengthening and Reorganizing the Department of Political Affairs (A/62/251) are designed to further enhance the capacity of the United Nations for peacemaking and preventive diplomacy, particular through the use of tools such as mediation and the good offices of the Secretary-General.