(Note: Due to the financial liquidity crisis affecting the United Nations and the resulting constraints, the full press release will be published at a later time.)
Most United Nations peacekeeping missions now operate where peace remains elusive, Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council today, warning that blue helmets are increasingly being deployed amid active conflicts, shrinking budgets and rapidly evolving threats.
“Peacekeepers can do a lot to preserve the peace,” the UN chief said. “But we cannot keep peace where there is no peace to keep”.
Peacekeepers are increasingly being asked to contain wars that parties feel little pressure to end, while drones, autonomous weapons and artificial intelligence (AI)-amplified disinformation are transforming conflict.
“Meanwhile, peacekeeping budgets have been slashed and the number of troops and police greatly reduced,” he said, urging the Council to put peacemaking first.
Peace “must be built from within – by the national actors, who hold the key”, he said, calling for closer consultation with host States, conflict parties and civil society, as well as clearer long-term goals for missions.
Before peacekeepers deploy, there must be agreement on a longer-term vision of what they are meant to help achieve, he said. Every mission renewal should also be treated as a strategic opportunity to adapt mandates and empower operations.
“Efficiency means making every dollar count,” he emphasized, highlighting the need to overcome strict budget and administrative rules while maintaining a skilled, diverse workforce in which women participate fully and equally at all levels.
“Our regional partners – above all the African Union – have an essential role,” the Secretary-General said, noting that resolution 2719 (2023) established a landmark commitment to predictable financing for African Union-led peace support operations.
UN peacekeeping operations should only be deployed where there is a peace agreement or a robust ceasefire, he continued. “When circumstances require, we need peace enforcing, not peacekeeping,” he said, stressing that force must serve a political strategy, never replace one.
“In the shadow of war, people still look to the blue helmets – and trust them,” he said.
Focused Mandates Must Mean ‘Better Peacekeeping, Not Less Peacekeeping’
“For over six decades, Pakistan has remained amongst the largest troop contributors to UN peacekeeping,” said that country’s representative in the ensuing debate among Member States, noting that more than 170,000 Pakistanis have served the UN, 183 of whom have made “the ultimate sacrifice in the cause of peace”. It also hosts a UN military observer mission.
Recalling Pakistan’s efforts in the Council to adopt presidential statements and resolutions concerning peacekeeping over the past 20 years, he said that this “experience gives us a practical appreciation of what peacekeeping requires”. That includes political support, credible mandates, sustainable resources, adequate capabilities, host State cooperation and sustained commitment from the wider membership.
Peacekeeping today “is actually under real pressure”, he said, noting that no new mission has been established since 2014 and several have closed amidst intensified political and financial constraints. This should not, however, be misread as declining support for peacekeeping, which has moved through “cycles of expansion and retrenchment” since the 1960s.
As peacekeeping realigns, “focused mandates must mean better peacekeeping, not less peacekeeping”, he stressed. “We must not start with a financial ceiling and then shrink the mission to fit it.” The international community “should be careful not to dismantle the very strengths we may need again tomorrow”.
Calls for Streamlined Mandates, Greater Efficiency in Peacekeeping
China’s delegate said the international peace and security environment is increasingly complex, confronting peacekeeping operations with “new circumstances, new challenges and new requirements”. Peacekeeping should create conditions conducive to political settlements, he said, stressing the need for a solid political foundation to achieve “tangible results”.
Mandates should be streamlined according to actual needs, he continued, urging the Council to remain “grounded in reality” when defining tasks and objectives. “No selectivity should be practiced in peace missions”, he said, also calling for improved quality and efficiency and “a culture of efficiency throughout the entire process”. New technologies should be used prudently to strengthen capabilities such as situational awareness, early warning and logistical support, he added.
Noting that liquidity constraints remain “a bottleneck”, he called for stronger communication between the Security Council, Secretariat, host countries and troop-contributing countries to better align mandates, implementation and resources.
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