US Government Policy Review: Repositioning United Nations Peacekeeping to Underpin Global Security

In light of the Secretary General’s High-Level Review of UN Peacekeeping operations, this Capstone project offered the U.S. Mission to the United Nations (USUN) recommendations on how to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of UN peace support operations as a critical component of global security. The final report articulated the policy choices available to the U.S. government on peacekeeping policy and suggested practical mechanisms for their implementation.

The nature of threats facing peacekeepers has changed, and peacekeeping environments have become increasingly complex. This Capstone formulated appropriate strategies to address the dynamic and challenging environments into which these missions are deployed and the increasingly wide-ranging tasks asked of UN missions by framing a new presidential directive and drafting a UN Security Council resolution.

The team also addressed some of the challenges facing the creation and implementation of peacekeeping mandates. The most important issues the project examined are as follows: the role of regional organizations in peacekeeping missions; the future of robust peacekeeping and peace enforcement; issues related to the implementation of protection of civilians mandates; the need for mission-specific technology; better data collection, analysis and sharing; and, improved IT capabilities across the UN.  The team also developed policies to address issues related to  troop contributing countries (TCC), including related to the clarity of mandated tasks, adherence to the chain of command, the important role of women peacekeepers, and the value of soliciting troop contributions from countries with advanced technologies appropriate to peacekeeping (“TechCCs”).