Review on the future of all forms of UN peace operations

ABOUT THE REVIEW ON THE FUTURE OF ALL FORMS OF UN PEACE OPERATIONS

At the Summit of the Future on 22 September 2024, the General Assembly adopted  the Pact for the Future [the Pact] and its annexes – a comprehensive framework aimed at addressing a wide range of global challenges, including in the realm of international peace and security.

Among various actions, the Pact requested the Secretary-General to “undertake a review on the future of all forms of United Nations peace operations, taking into account lessons learned from previous and ongoing reform processes, and provide strategic and action-oriented recommendations for the consideration of Member States on how the United Nations toolbox can be adapted to meet evolving needs, to allow for more agile, tailored responses to existing, emerging and future challenges.”

The Department of Peace Operations (DPO) and the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) are jointly leading this review. It builds upon the extensive reflections conducted by DPO and DPPA over the past few years regarding the future of peacekeeping operations and special political missions, respectively.

The outcome of this review will be submitted to the General Assembly and the Security Council in early 2026 as a report of the Secretary-General.

Purpose and Scope

The review is based on the common understanding that the continuum of peace operations— peacekeeping operations and all special political missions—offers a valuable, effective, and adaptable set of tools in the UN’s peace and security toolbox, which often depend on and mutually reinforce one another. The main goals of the review are twofold:

  1. Foster a shared understanding of what problems are affecting UN peace operations and hindering their effectiveness today; and
  2. Develop strategic-level recommendations that reinforce the full range of UN peace operations and their effectiveness and flexibility in addressing current and future challenges, including by analysing their respective inherent strengths, core functions, and conditions for continued success.

The review aims to include a strong overall focus on the future.  Building on the Secretary-General’s A New Agenda for Peace it will draw on  the perspectives and expectations of a wide set of stakeholders on how UN peace operations could best adapt to a fast-changing political and operational landscape, and effectively and flexibly address emerging threats and challenges.

Consultative Approach

The review will be underpinned by broad and extensive consultations—across the United Nations system, including the pertinent intergovernmental organs, Member States, regional organizations, civil society, and academia. Emphasis in the consultations is being placed on geographic diversity and engaging with host countries and societies.

The overall goal of the consultations will be to simultaneously generate: 

  1. A comprehensive understanding of the expectations that different constituencies have of future UN peace operations; 
  2. Innovative ideas on how peace operations can better respond to the evolving international peace and security environment; and, 
  3. Political support for these ideas to be translated into action.