Robust Diplomacy, Adaptable Peacekeeping Missions Key to Foster Peace in Increasingly Complex Security Environment, Fragmented World, Speakers tell Security Council

By R Anil Kumar

New York. Revitalizing UN peace operations requires bold diplomacy, sustained political support and renewed trust in the Organization’s ability to foster peace in an increasingly fragmented world, several high-level UN officials told the Security Council, as Member States echoed calls for adaptable, inclusive and politically grounded missions.

Speakers drew attention to the Pact for the Future, the outcome document of the 2024 Summit of the Future, which underscores the urgent need for peace operations to adapt to an increasingly complex security environment.

That Pact asked the Secretary-General to carry out a review on the future of all forms of UN peace operations and encourage him to convene regular high-level meetings with relevant regional organizations to discuss matters pertaining to peace operations, peacebuilding and conflicts.

“This review, as requested by the Pact for the Future, is a timely opportunity to modernize the UN’s peace toolbox,” Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, told the 15-member Council.

Peacekeeping has consistently helped countries transition from conflict to peace — from Cambodia and Timor-Leste to Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia — by providing security guarantees, fostering dialogue and supporting nationally owned solutions.

“Resolving conflict is inherently complex and uncertain,” he emphasized, pointing to recent breakthroughs in the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Yet, these gains remain fragile.

“Without unified political support from the Security Council, peacekeeping risks becoming an exercise in containment rather than resolution,” he warned, underscoring the need for sustained political engagement and coherence.

Four Essential Areas to Strengthen Peace Operations

Mr. Lacroix highlighted four key areas to strengthen peace operations. “First and foremost, the Council must not only mandate missions, but ensure their strategies receive strong, ongoing political backing,” he said.

Second, UN leadership must act as “unwavering ambassadors for peace,” constantly adapting to political shifts.

Third, close coordination with regional actors — especially the African Union — is vital. Resolution 2719 (2023), he stated, “is a historic milestone that opens new doors for AU-UN cooperation”.

Finally, he called for better integration of troop- and police-contributing countries. “These Member States are not just boots on the ground — they are political stakeholders,” he said, stressing that peacekeeping can “stabilize tensions, deter violence and create the space for political processes to take root”.

Meeting New Challenges through Evolutionary Approach

Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, said that as the Council undertakes the review of UN peace operations, “we must reflect on how peacekeeping and special political missions — essential instruments of multilateral action — can evolve to meet new challenges”.

The post-cold-war era has given way to a fragmented geopolitical landscape, where trust is low, and consensus is hard to build. “Normative frameworks are increasingly contested, and the emergence of non-State actors, new technologies, and transnational threats like climate change further complicate our task,” she warned.

“From decolonization in Africa to conflict resolution in Central America, UN Special Political Missions have helped Member States navigate transitions during times of crisis,” she said.

Whether it was diplomatic engagement in Equatorial Guinea in 1969 or the peaceful transition in South Africa in the 1990s, these missions were often “targeted, nimble, time-bound and rooted in the Secretary-General’s good offices”.

“We must double down on diplomacy and peacemaking,” she urged. As seen in Syria and Colombia, progress requires persistence and partnerships with national actors.

“Political solutions rest with national actors; therefore, they must be not just consulted, but heard,” she stated.

Inclusion is key: women, youth and marginalized communities must be engaged from the start, using tools like digital technology to expand outreach and innovation.

Creative Diplomacy, Bold Leadership Crucial to Renew Trust in United Nations

Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein, President and Chief Executive Officer of the International Peace Institute, said that while a united Council is always ideal, “even when it is not united, capable senior officials, and a Secretary-General willing to act can still produce miracles”. Yet, today, the UN appears insecure, moving from one initiative to the next without a clear sense of direction. “The overall impression,” he said, “is of a highly insecure organization.”

Turning to history, he recounted how former UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld navigated the 1958 Middle East crisis, leveraging creative diplomacy despite cold war tensions.

With Western troops in Lebanon and Jordan, and the Security Council paralysed by vetoes, Mr. Hammarskjöld expanded the UN observer mission “without any authorization from the Council” to provide cover for the United States withdrawal.

He acted on instinct and subtle diplomatic cues, embodying a belief that the Secretary-General must act “without guidance from the Assembly or the Council”, should it appear necessary to safeguard peace and security.

“It was the forerunner of the special political missions we have today,” he explained. The crisis eased, not through formal resolutions alone, but through creative diplomacy, regional buy-in and bold leadership.

“This is not magic — it is only good diplomacy,” Mr. Al Hussein emphasized. Rebuilding trust and making peace operations effective again requires a return to this spirit of initiative, pragmatism and political courage. “Much of what is achievable in the UN is accomplished via an inside-outside flow of ideas — even inside the UN itself,” he concluded.

Importance of Properly Resourced, Strategically Designed, Technologically Equipped Missions

In the ensuing discussion, Council members underscored the urgent need to adapt UN missions to modern challenges and emphasized that peace operations must be properly resourced, strategically designed and technologically equipped to respond to today’s complex and fragmented conflict environments.

“We cannot agree more with the need for all peace operations to be equipped with the necessary resources and capabilities,” said Ioannis-Michail Loverdos, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Greece.

Recalling a Security Council Arria-formula meeting his delegation co-organized, he said that one of the main outcomes of the meeting was the support for the idea that artificial intelligence (AI)-related technologies could be harnessed for peacekeepers’ training, logistic support, landmines detection, surveillance or monitoring tasks.

Echoing that view, the speaker for the Republic of Korea advocated for a more practical application of new technologies such as AI while further effectuating the traditional capability of peace operations through stronger training.

“Peace operations must be more than crisis responders,” said the representative of Denmark, adding that they must be “active facilitators of dialogue, reconciliation and inclusive governance”. Prevention is key to tackling the drivers of conflict and finding political solutions.

Calls for Realistic Political Objectives, Clear Benchmarks, Sustained Support

France’s delegate also highlighted priorities for improving peace operations, starting with the need to “serve realistic political objectives” and to build strong partnerships with regional organizations like the African Union. He stressed the importance of agility, especially in responding to developments in the Great Lakes region. “Budgetary constraints must not lead us to relax our efforts,” he warned.

Similarly, the speaker for the United States emphasized that political solutions must be at the heart of peace operations. “We must hold host States accountable” when they obstruct mandates, he stated, advocating for robust engagement, clear benchmarks and sustained support. He called for reforms centred on accountability and adaptability, noting that missions should not be renewed “just for the sake of renewing them”.

The United Kingdom’s representative called for enhanced coordination with local and regional actors and equipping missions with the right tools, such as early warning systems and strategic communications. “Peace operations must be tailored and targeted,” she said.

Slovenia’s representative said host Governments must share responsibility for successful peace operations, which can operate safely only with the Status of Forces Agreements are fully respected.

“Obstructions and undue restrictions, which undermine mandate implementation, erode local trust and compromise the safety of the missions’ personnel,” she warned.

Inclusion of Women and Youth in Decision-Making to Sustain Peacebuilding Gains

Looking ahead, Panama’s representative said that sustaining the gains after the withdrawal of peacekeeping forces depends on the inclusion of women and youth in decision-making processes at all peacebuilding levels. “Every peace operation must be an instrument for creating space for constructive dialogue and facilitating political conditions for reconciliation,” he said.

Somalia’s delegate said that, “when UN missions depart, they leave behind not dependency, but a legacy of resilience, and sustain peace and development”. Addressing the root causes of the conflict, particularly development challenges, is vital.

On a broader note, China’s representative pointed out that peacekeepers from 116 countries are actively engaged in 20 missions, urging the international community to continue to provide strong political, financial and technical support.

His country, the second largest contributor to UN peacekeeping operations and the largest troop-contributing country among permanent Council members, has been consistent in supporting UN peacekeeping.

However, the speaker for the Russian Federation said that current UN peacekeeping has departed from its conventional principles in favour of “reinventing the wheel”, despite general consensus that special political mission mandates have to be clear and focused, with specific timelines and indicators.

“This is exactly the way they were in the past, when the Blue Helmets knew exactly what their goal was,” he said. When mandates are being discussed, efforts are made to put “new ornaments” on the Christmas tree, citing “secondary issues”, such as human rights, gender and climate.

Cost-Effectiveness Does Not Equate to Doing Less

“The primacy of politics is the true force multiplier to reach the desired objectives,” Algeria’s delegate emphasized. Turning to the UN’s reform, he stressed that cost-effectiveness should not be equated with doing less. Rather, it should mean doing better, delivering more strategic, focused and result driven missions with the resources at hand.

“Peacekeeping is not an end in itself,” Guyana’s representative said, underscoring the need to integrate missions into broader strategies that address root causes like poverty, inequality and governance.

Sierra Leone’s speaker stressed that “peacekeepers can create space for dialogue, but they cannot substitute for genuine political solutions”. “The trust deficit we see today did not exist in many of the most successful missions of the past,” he said, underscoring the need for consent, legitimacy, and mandates grounded in political strategy.

Peacekeeping Costs Less than 0.3 Per Cent of Global Military Spending

“Overall, peace operations are a success story,” added the representative of Pakistan, Council President for July, speaking in his national capacity. With an annual budget of $5.5 billion, UN peacekeeping worldwide constitutes less than 0.3 per cent of global military spending.

Multiple studies have confirmed that it peacekeeping reduces violence, protects civilians and helps sustain peace arrangements. All reform efforts must therefore preserve operational credibility, institutional memory and readiness of peace operations, he said, stressing: “Peacekeeping is not a silver bullet, but neither is it obsolete.”