| Having decided that a reform of UN peacekeeping was imperative, Secretary-General Kofi Annan undertook a comprehensive assessment of events leading to the fall of Srebrenica and also commissioned an independent inquiry into the actions of the United Nations during the Rwandan genocide of 1994. These assessments highlighted the need to improve the capacity of the UN to conduct peacekeeping operations and in particular to ensure rapid deployment and mandates that met the needs on the ground. UN peacekeeping operations needed clear rules of engagement; better coordination between the UN Secretariat in New York and UN agencies in the planning and deployment of peacekeeping operations; and improved cooperation between the UN and regional organizations. The UN also needed to bolster efforts to protect civilians in conflicts.
Around the same time, demands for UN intervention began to grow again in both size and scope: peacekeeping operations expanded to include the rule of law, civil administration, economic development and human rights. In 1999, UN peacekeeping was tasked with setting up an interim administration in East Timor preparing the way towards independence. The same year, UN peacekeeping undertook a transitional administration mission in Kosovo, after NATO air strikes on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia had ended. In 1999 and 2000, the Council mandated the establishment of three new operations in Africa (in Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia and Eritrea ).
| The Brahimi Report |
In March 2000, the Secretary-General asked a panel of international experts led by his long-time adviser Lakhdar Brahimi (a former Algerian foreign minister) to examine UN peace operations and identify where and when UN peacekeeping could be most effective and how it could be improved.
The Report (1) of the Panel on UN Peace Operations—also known as the Brahimi report—offered clear advice about minimum requirements for a successful UN peacekeeping mission. These included a clear and specific mandate, consent to the operation by the parties in conflict and adequate resources, both to implement the mandate effectively and deter potential spoilers.
As a result of the report, the United Nations and Member States initiated a number of measures to improve UN peacekeeping. The Department of Peacekeeping Operations was authorized to increase its Headquarters staff to support field missions. DPKO bolstered the military and police advisers' offices. It added a Peacekeeping Best Practices Unit to analyze lessons learned and advise missions on gender issues; improve peacekeeper conduct; plan for disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes; and develop the means to implement the rule of law and other matters. A pre-mandate financing mechanism was established to ensure that a budget would be available for new mission start-ups, and DPKO's logistics base in Brindisi ( Italy ) received funding to acquire strategic deployment stocks. Ongoing training was strengthened to provide an additional rapid response capacity. DPKO reorganized the UN Stand-by Arrangements System (UNSAS), a roster of Member States' specific resources including specialized military and civilian personnel, material and equipment available for UN peacekeeping. The new UNSAS now provides for forces to be made available within the first 30 to 90 days of a new operation. The effort to get clear and realistic mandates from the Security Council has also progressed.
The Department has also continued to work on the development of the concept for the standing police capacity; explore the full range of feasible and effective options to respond to situations of crisis in existing missions; develop an integrated training service to ensure consistent, thorough training for all military, police and civilian personnel in the field; and better provide for an integrated team approach at Headquarters.
(1) A/55/305-S/2000/809 |
A substantial number of the reforms proposed in the Brahimi report, and supported by Member States, have been implemented and have significantly improved the way the UN plans, deploys and sustains its peace operations. Long-term efforts have been bearing fruit in a number of locations previously considered by many irreparable. In the past two years, several UN peacekeeping operations have met or exceeded original expectations. Reforms continue with a special emphasis on “integrated missions,” comprised of the major actors in bringing peace (human rights, the rule of law, humanitarian assistance, for example). Also in the wake of the incidence of sexual exploitation and abuse uncovered in recent years, DPKO has initiated sweeping reforms in conduct, discipline and accountability.
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