The Hague International Model United Nations 2019 | 27th January 2019 – 1st February 2019 Forum: General Assembly Fifth Committee Issue: Moving towards a more integrated and efficient approach to conflict prevention and peacebuilding operations Student Officer: Toyah Hoeher Position: Chair Introduction For the past 70 years, the United Nations has engaged in peace operations by sending international soldiers to areas in or at risk of conflict. Despite its successes, UN Peacekeeping has been characterized by multiple shortcomings throughout its history, with persistent sexual abuse by peacekeepers, fragmented management structures and flawed systems of transparency and accountability being just a few examples of these. In the last 30 years, increased pressure has been placed on the United Nations to address various conflicts. The Security Council has mandated peacekeeping operations in places where it is virtually impossible to keep a (often non-existing) peace, and have ultimately supported governments that themselves contribute to instability and violate human rights. Often, peacekeeping operations lack the troops and resources to successfully execute their mandates and can offer no more than mixed results at best. In lieu of the many obstacles facing effective peacekeeping, the Fifth Committee plays a crucial role among various UN reforms in providing political guidance to other organs of the UN. An objective of a less bureaucratic and more efficient approach to peacekeeping is necessary to preserve the UN’s credibility and its ability to serve people and countries in need. A better approach to conflict prevention presents our second daunting, yet necessary task. The UN’s current approach is in need of administrative refurbishing in the areas of efficiency, funding and coherence. There are many ways the UN can be involved in conflict prevention, but preventive activities never present “one size fits all” solutions. There has been much support for integrating conflict prevention as a core responsibility of the UN, as the preemptive hindrance of conflicts saves huge amounts of money and resources compared to the deployment of peacekeeping operations once a conflict has escalated.
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The Hague International Model United Nations 2019 | 27th January 2019 – 1st February 2019
Forum: General Assembly Fifth Committee
Issue: Moving towards a more integrated and efficient approach to
conflict prevention and peacebuilding operations
Student Officer: Toyah Hoeher
Position: Chair
Introduction
For the past 70 years, the United Nations has engaged in peace operations by sending
international soldiers to areas in or at risk of conflict. Despite its successes, UN Peacekeeping
has been characterized by multiple shortcomings throughout its history, with persistent sexual
abuse by peacekeepers, fragmented management structures and flawed systems of
transparency and accountability being just a few examples of these. In the last 30 years,
increased pressure has been placed on the United Nations to address various conflicts. The
Security Council has mandated peacekeeping operations in places where it is virtually
impossible to keep a (often non-existing) peace, and have ultimately supported governments
that themselves contribute to instability and violate human rights. Often, peacekeeping
operations lack the troops and resources to successfully execute their mandates and can offer
no more than mixed results at best. In lieu of the many obstacles facing effective peacekeeping,
the Fifth Committee plays a crucial role among various UN reforms in providing political
guidance to other organs of the UN. An objective of a less bureaucratic and more efficient
approach to peacekeeping is necessary to preserve the UN’s credibility and its ability to serve
people and countries in need.
A better approach to conflict prevention presents our second daunting, yet necessary
task. The UN’s current approach is in need of administrative refurbishing in the areas of
efficiency, funding and coherence. There are many ways the UN can be involved in conflict
prevention, but preventive activities never present “one size fits all” solutions. There has been
much support for integrating conflict prevention as a core responsibility of the UN, as the
preemptive hindrance of conflicts saves huge amounts of money and resources compared to
the deployment of peacekeeping operations once a conflict has escalated.
The Hague International Model United Nations 2019 | 27th January 2019 – 1st February 2019
Definition of Key Terms
Peacekeeping operations (PKOs)
UN.org defines PKOs as “one of the most effective tools available to the UN to assist host
countries navigate the difficult path from conflict to peace”. Once deployed, the tasks of
peacekeeping operations include strengthening the rule of law, overseeing elections,
assisting in economic and social development and monitoring ceasefires, among others.
Peacekeeping differentiates itself from peacebuilding, peacemaking and peace enforcement,
while naturally overlapping with these at times.
Conflict Prevention
Conflict prevention seeks to prevent the occurence or escalation of hostilities within a
given region by monitoring the situation in the region and identifying potential causes of
conflict. Direct action to prevent conflict includes work on the socio-economic situation of
the region, the state of human rights and humanitarian aid, resource management and
distribution, and assistance in development to improve any problematic conditions that
could lead to future conflict. Preventive actions are conducted according to Chapter VI of
the United Nations Charter and can encompass anything from a small diplomatic
mission to a larger military one.
Peacebuilding
Peacebuilding is roughly synonymous with conflict prevention, its definition being “an
intervention technique or method that is designed to prevent the start or resumption of
violent conflict by creating a sustainable peace.”
Preventive diplomacy
In the 1992 Agenda for Peace, the UN described preventive diplomacy as “action to
prevent disputes from arising between parties, to prevent existing disputes from
escalating into conflicts and to limit the spread of the latter when they occur”. The first
preventive action by the UN was the deployment of the peacekeeping mission in
Macedonia (UNPREDEP) from 1992-1995. It has also been credited with averting full-
scale war between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda through its
dispatching of diplomats. One can differentiate between ‘soft’ mediation and ‘muscular’
diplomacy, in which threats of preemptive military action can be made.
Special political missions (SPMs)
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The characteristics of SPMs vary on a case-by-case basis. The three main categories of
SPMs are field missions, special envoys, and sanction panels or monitoring groups.
Their core function is political, i.e. helping Member States prevent and resolve conflict.
Cross-cutting
Cross-cutting issues has been proposed in the UN as a strategy to improve the
effectiveness of peacekeeping operations. It refers to the linkage of separate interests,
for example of the administrative and budgetary aspects of financing PKOs, or
advancing gender equality and environmental conservation. Cross-cutting issues means
that all developmental initiatives would ultimately integrate the goals of all cross-cut
issues at once, possibly creating a more comprehensive and holistic approach to
tackling multiple issues simultaneously.
Umoja
Umoja is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution meant to upgrade and
streamline various business processes of the UN, improving its approach to finances,
resources and assets. Umoja became the UN’s central administrative tool in 2006,
hoping to retire many of its outdated or fragmented previous systems and attempting to
modernize the UN’s administrative practices to improve finance and budget capacity and
enhance human resource tools, while saving staff time in the process. There have been
reported shortcomings surrounding umoja.
Background Information
Despite their flaws, the world is still in desperate need of UN peacekeeping operations,
and most countries rely on the UN to respond to outbreaks of violent conflict in one manner or
another. In order to effectively do so, their integrity must be preserved and there must be
sufficient attention given to their financing, administration, and organization. In May of 2018, the
Brazilian delegation pointed out that instead of selecting which activities should be mandated to
PKOs or not, the Fifth Committee’s duty “is to adequately resource mandates, not to rewrite them”.
Conflict Prevention
Given the challenges in demonstrating which exact actions or non-actions lead to the
outbreak of conflict, measuring the UN’s direct impact in avoiding the commencement,
escalation or resumption of such a conflict is difficult. Instead, the UN can hope to continue
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partnering with governments, NGOs and communities in addressing situations that could
potentially pose long-term risks of conflict. Its conflict prevention “toolkit” includes special
envoys, SPMs, PKOs, regional offices, the deployment of mediation experts, resident
coordinators and country teams, political and human rights analytical capacity and sanctions
monitoring groups. These tools, coupled with the building of more resilient societies (working in
areas such as the rule of law, governance, elections, gender disparities and security sectors),
can go a long way in addressing the deeper causes of violent conflict.
Problems with peacekeeping
Lack of oversight
UN peacekeeping has been plagued by various levels of mismanagement, fraud, and
corruption. So-called “watchdogs” such as Transparency International have found that
the UN has repeatedly failed to tackle these issues within its PKOs. The UN Office of
Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) itself has repeatedly been found to be politicized and
is known to be riddled with corruption. It has also been said that the body is effectively
controlled by the exact management it is meant to be monitoring for malpractice. Some
examples of misdemeanors by UN peacekeepers include fraud concerning meal and
hotel invoices (MINURSO), illegal reselling of food (UNIFIL), and the discovery that the
failure of the UN to act despite being aware of abuses by French peacekeepers in the
Central African Republic. This weak oversight is made worse by the failures of UN
programs and agencies to protect whistleblowers.
Local (and lack of) consequences
At times, UN peacekeeping missions have ended up actually worsening the local
situation, and due to the UNs various immunities, rarely if ever face repercussions. One
prominent example is the discovery that Nepalese peacekeepers were the cause of the
2010 outbreak of cholera in Haiti, killing thousands. Even after the outbreak, sanitation
problems continued. A leaked report detailed that “a month after the cholera outbreak,
more than one in 10 of the UN camps were still disposing of sewage [...] into the ‘local
environment.” There is no evidence that the failures in Haiti have caused any
consequences for UN officials.
Ineffectiveness
Many PKOs have been operational for borderline ridiculous amounts of time without fully
accomplishing their mandates. Some are said to remain active for “transparently political
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reasons”. One example is the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization in the
Middle East,, which has been operational since 1948. UNTSO did not prevent war in
1956, 1967, or 1973. It has arguably not been effective in normalizing the regional
relations of Israel, and the political situation of the region is consistently as tense as it
was when the mission was deployed 70 years ago. More examples of longstanding
PKOs that have yet to improve their delegated issues are The United Nations Military
Observer Group in India and Pakistan (1949), The United Nations Peacekeeping Force
in Cyprus (1964), The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (1974), The
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (1978) and notably, The United Nations Interim
Administration Mission in Kosovo (1999). Despite UNMIK having largely fulfilled its
mandate, the US mission to the UN has stated that “the only reason we continue to meet
with this regularity has nothing to do with the security situation in Kosovo—it has to do
with politics.”
Arguably, the aforementioned missions remain valuable as long as their surrounding
conflicts remain in stasis rather than deteriorate. However, no matter how complicated
the conflict is, UN forces cannot be expected to substitute for governments’ domestic
capacity indefinitely.
Quagmire
On a related note, peacekeeping forces often create “quagmires”, or “awkward, complex,
or hazardous situations”. Unguided goals and exit plans result in billions og dollars being
lost and diminished attention to the deeper socio-economic problems a given mission is
meant to be alleviating. In Haiti, for example, the last instance of armed conflict was
more than 10 years ago. A UN force of over 4,500 members remains, and instead of
improving the ongoing issues there, the interim Haitian prime minister stated that “the
country is facing serious social and economic difficulties.” Another example is the 2013
decision to send a mission of 10,000 soldiers to Mali that found itself unprepared to
engage in counterterrorism. As a result, 56 have already been killed and more are
predicted to die.
Another clear cause of quagmire is the UN’s (arguably immoral) entanglement with
unethical leaders that are uncommitted to societal or political change, for ex. in the
United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo. Such relationships potentially fortify these leaders’ positions within their
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countries and does little to protect civilians and demand some sort of criteria in the kinds
of regimes that peacekeepers are asked to fight for. Should this continue, contempt
towards UN peacekeeping will undoubtedly rise.
Civilian Protection
In 2014, a study found that out of eight UN peacekeeping operations with a mandate of
protecting civilians, 80% of report of violent attacks against civilians were not reported as
having been responded to by peacekeepers. Between August 2012 and April 2013, the
spokesperson for the African Union–United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)
presented leaked information that the mission was underreporting attacks on civilians
and peacekeepers, and in some cases even concealing them.
Environmental Management
UN deployments can have unintended, yet significant environmental impacts in their
region, ranging from resource depletion, to emissions by large vehicles and camps, to
soil contamination. Quality environmental management can actually contribute to peace
and security in a region. Thus, next to curbing climate change, it is imperative that
missions adequately manage their contributions to potential ecological destruction.
Sexual Exploitation and Abuse
From rape to forced prostitution of women, girls and boys alike, UN personnel have been
repeatedly and for many years been accused of sexual exploitation. In recent years, this has
occurred in Bosnia, Burundi, Cambodia, Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea,
Haiti, Kosovo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Sudan. While some consider this pattern to have
improved considerably in recent years, these perceived developments could be results of
underreporting. Another factor is that fear of retribution and the unlikelihood of receiving
assistance disempower victims from coming forward. In 2005, a report from West Africa
indicated that identifying perpetrators posed great difficulty, since the victims (naturally
traumatized and often poorly educated) could not identify their attacker. Even so, allegations of
sexual abuse that are reported and registered have been rising year by year, indicating that
perhaps the problem of underreporting is improving. Nonetheless, the UN continues to fail to
respond to these allegations, with most UN staff assuming that another agency will take
responsibility in addressing the issue.
Finance
Lack of funding can present a substantial difficulty hindering PKOs from successfully
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executing their mandates. For the past few years,however, the peacekeeping budget
requirements have been sinking. This is due both to the closing of various missions and lower
demand for air operations (air operations make up 10% of the budget). Improved efficiency in
areas such as environmental management, updated technology, and shared services have
allowed costs to be lowered. There are, however, other cost pressures that emerge as a result
of reimbursements to countries that contribute troops or police forces and staffing costs. A study
by the United Nations and World Bank has found that more effective prevention could save up
to $70 billion a year.
Achieving more efficient peacekeeping / conflict prevention
To attain sustainable peace, any UN or multinational operation must concentrate on the
root causes behind conflicts and work to prevent these instead of merely reacting to them once
they occur. There are several ways in which initiatives by the UN can improve to become more
effective from the beginning.
Prerequisites to effective peacekeeping / conflict prevention
In the UN, many countries have recently stressed that any reforms must pay attention to
the needs of African states and should cooperate with the African Union to deliver on the
various needs of these states to adequately settle disputes. Another point that was
voiced last year was the requirement for a more defined system of accountability and the
avoidance of overlapping functions. Peacekeeping should also continue to focus on
strengthening development capabilities to prevent conflict from arising in the first place.
Another point was the standardization of medical care within missions and implementing
new technological innovations to assist in an operation’s efficiency.
Major Countries and Organizations Involved
UN Peacebuilding Fund (PBF)
Founded in 2015, the UNPBF provides funding to more than 120 projects in 25
countries. The body is an essential component in supporting countries which are emerging from
conflict and further supports operations working on post-conflict stabilization to strengthen any
relevant institutions and authorities.
Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO)
The Department of Peacekeeping Operations is the primary body in charge of planning
and overseeing peacekeeping missions and communicates between the Security Council, the
parties in conflict and troop or financial contributors. Its four main offices deal with political and
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strategic policymaking, expertise and guidance on the rule of law, military deployment, training,
and evaluation.
UN Peacebuilding Commission (PBC)
The Peacebuilding Commission is an intergovernmental advisory body tasked with
supporting efforts to achieve peace in conflict-ridden regions. It is used by Member States as a
platform for coherent decision-making and works in conjunction with both the General Assembly
and Security Council. It is seen as one of the UN’s most valuable tools in sustaining peace.
Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO)
The Peacebuilding Support Office was established in 2006 to assist the Peacebuilding
Commission. It is involved in many organizational, preparatory and analytical work and holds a
unique role in coordinating the UN pillars of peace and security and development and human
rights. There have been proposals to make its role more central in the architecture of UN
peacekeeping and security.
United Nations Board of Auditors
The Board of Auditors was established in 1946 to provide for accountability and
transparency in the UN. Their task is to provide information about the state of UN funds and
programs as well as independent assessments on the use of Member States’ funds. The Board
presents its findings through the the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary
Questions.
UN Department for Political Affairs
The UN Department for Political Affairs oversees special political missions and monitors
and assesses global political developments. Thus, it holds a crucial role in detecting potential
conflict and in devising potential responses.
Regional Bodies
The following regional bodies have themselves worked towards conflict prevention and
resolution:
1) African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC)
2) African Standby Force (ASF)
3) Continental Early Warning System (CEWS)
4) South African Development Community (SADC)
5) Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
6) Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
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7) The Pacific Island Forum
8) Organization of American States (OAS)
9) High Commission for National Minorities within the Organisation for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
10) Arab League
11) Gulf Cooperation Council
Financial Contributors
The United States of America has been the UN’s largest financial supporter since its
founding in 1945. In combination with its status as a P5 member in the Security Council, the
USA holds a lot of leverage in pressuring the UN to reform and proposing them itself. Below,
find a list of the top 7 financially contributors to UN peacekeeping:
1. United States (28.57%)
2. China (10.29%)
3. Japan (9.68%)
4. Germany (6.39%)
5. France (6.31%)
6. United Kingdom (5.80%)
7. Russian Federation (4.01%)
Troop Contributors
Responsibility to contribute troops to peacekeeping has shifted to become more
regional. Below, find a list of the current top 5 troop contributors to UN peacekeeping:
1. Ethiopia (8,326)
2. India (7,471)
3. Pakistan (7,161)
4. Bangladesh (6,772)
5. Rwanda (6,146)
Timeline of Events
Date Description of event
1948 UNTSO launched as first UN peacekeeping mission to observe
and maintain the ceasefire during the Arab–Israeli War
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1992 Foundation of the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations
December 20, 2005 Founding of UN Peacebuilding Commission with the passage of
A/RES/60/180 and S/RES/1645
October 16, 2017 The United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti
(MINUJUSTH) is launched, raising the amount of active
peacekeeping missions to 14 and the UN’s field personnel in
peacekeeping to 110,000
Relevant UN Treaties and Events
● Review of the United Nations Peacebuilding Architecture, 12 May 2016, (A/RES/70/262)