25 Years of Protecting Civilians through UN Peacekeeping: Taking Stock and Looking Forward
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Security Council placing the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict on its agenda and authorizing the UN peacekeeping mission in Sierra Leone with the first explicit mandate to protect civilians from threats of physical violence. As civilians continue to face the devastating impacts of armed conflict, these milestones present a critical moment to reflect on UN peacekeeping as a tool to protect civilians, and to consider how POC can remain a central objective in efforts to maintain international peace and security. As UN Member States, the UN Secretariat, and other key stakeholders engage in reflection on the future of peace operations, it is crucial to take stock of why protection became a key imperative of the Security Council’s work and how peacekeeping helps to protect civilians. To support this effort, the Policy, Evaluation and Training Division, in partnership with researchers affiliated with the McGill University Centre for International Peace and Security Studies, have developed a reflection paper entitled 25 Years of Protecting Civilians Through UN Peacekeeping: Taking Stock and Looking Forward. The paper revisits the core debates that have accompanied 25 years of efforts to protect civilians through UN peacekeeping, takes stock of how UN peacekeeping missions have protected civilians, and addresses key questions and considerations that have emerged over the past 25 years, all while looking ahead to the future of the POC mandate in UN peace operations in today’s turbulent geopolitical environment.
