UN mourns loss of peace in 61 global conflicts

The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, stressed the need to enhance the effectiveness of UN peacekeeping missions in light of the escalation of global conflicts and the difficulty of achieving permanent political solutions.

This came during a meeting held by the Security Council on the future of peacekeeping operations on Tuesday. He stated that peacekeeping is not a luxury, but rather a lifeline for millions who depend on it for a future free from fear. He noted that the number of conflicts in 2024 reached 61, the highest level since 1946, with an increase in the number of parties involved and the complexity of conflicts, including the presence of proxy forces, making it more difficult to reach negotiated solutions.

Lacroix emphasized that the success of UN missions depends on strong, clear, and sustained political support from the Security Council and concerned states, via the adoption of prioritized mandates, active political participation, statements of support, in addition to full and timely funding.

He stressed that sustainable political solutions must remain at the core of the organization's work, allowing missions to withdraw without relapsing into conflict. He made clear that the UN's ability to protect civilians is often the standard by which its work is judged; however, it cannot assume the responsibility of protecting populations indefinitely.

For her part, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, said that political missions operate in an environment of increasing geopolitical fragmentation, amid the escalation of internationalized conflicts in addition to global and regional actors influencing the dynamics of internal conflicts.

Rosemary DiCarlo emphasized the need to leverage the experiences of previous missions, noting that past special political missions were short-term, focused, easy to deploy, flexible, and economical to maintain, with clear mandates and direct guidance.

Rosemary DiCarlo added that most current missions are deployed in volatile political circumstances or during ongoing civil wars, requiring their initial objectives to be limited with the flexibility to expand later toward more ambitious political solutions.

She explained that a lack of political support in host countries, the region, and the Security Council often leads to weak or failed mission mandate implementation, emphasizing the need to refocus on the core political issues of conflicts and find multilateral solutions to ensure the sustainability and effectiveness of peacekeeping.

J.J