RECKONING THE PERFORMANCE OF UNITED NATIONS PEACE OPERATIONS: AN EXPLORATION

Abstract

The concept of United Nations (UN) peace operations evolved as an important instrument to respond to conflicts and civil wars in troubled parts of the world. Many of the peace operations launched over seven decades of its existence has been successful in limiting violence and saving millions of lives. But few of them brought catastrophic consequences and some are dragging on for decades with no end in sight. The principal aim of this study is to analyse performance of UN peace operations with special focus on likely causes of the lapses, and in the light of such lapses, to explore ways to enhance its effectiveness. The major research methods included secondary literature review, documentary research, key informant interviews, and personal observation. Some of the lapses identified in the study are divided consent from lack of comprehensive peace agreement and military centric focus to address root cause of the conflicts. The research argues that there is a need to revisit essential aspects of the peace operations and restrict itself within traditional principles and roles. The research offers some important shifts and practical measures to enhance effectiveness. Main suggestions are fundamental fixes including enhancing training and capacity boosts of UN peacekeepers so that past lapses are not repeated.