Actors in Peace Operations

United Nations

With around 68,000 women and men in its 11 ongoing peacekeeping operations and 12 political missions, the United Nations are by far the most important international actor in the area of peace operations. Since 1948, over one million people have served in its missions, and 4,400 have lost their lives. Depending on their mandate, UN peace operations are staffed by military, police and civilian personnel. In the majority of operations, all three components work hand in hand. UN peace operations are actively involved in protecting civilians from violent conflicts, preventing conflicts, monitoring ceasefires, building the rule of law, strengthening security sector institutions and promoting human rights and the equal participation of women.

The personnel and financial capacities for these missions are provided by the UN’s more than 190 Member States. The responsibility within the UN Secretariat lies with the Department of Peace Operations (DPO) for peacekeeping missions and with the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) for political missions.

European Union

Since 2001, the European Union has, within the framework of its Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), assumed responsibility in the area of international crisis prevention, crisis management and post-crisis rehabilitation. CSDP operations can make use of civilian, police and military instruments. Since 2003, the EU has conducted more than 40 missions within the CSDP framework. The CSDP is under the authority of the EU High Representative; a position currently held by Kaja Kallas. She is supported by the European External Action Service (EEAS), the European Union’s diplomatic service.

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the largest regional security organisation in the northern hemisphere – stretching “from Vancouver to Vladivostok.” Its 57 participating states enjoy equal status and all decisions are made by consensus. Its activities focus on confidence building, disarmament, conflict prevention and management. It also promotes strengthening human rights and democratic standards in its participating states. The OSCE pursues a comprehensive approach to security that encompasses politico-military, economic and ecological, and human dimensions. Peace operations have been a part of the OSCE mandate since 1992. An additional focus of the organisation is election observation.

North Atlantic Pact Organization

NATO is a political and military alliance consisting of 32 member countries in Europe and North America pursuing collective security and defence policy objectives. Since the end of the Cold War, NATO’s spectrum of tasks has grown beyond its original collective defence remit. For the purpose of preventing and containing crises, as well as to stabilise countries and regions, NATO now also sends soldiers and, to a lesser extent, civilian experts on ‘out-of-area’ operations.

African Union

All of the 55 countries on the African continent are members of the African Union (AU), which was founded in 2002 as the successor organisation to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). Like the EU, it has an extremely broad spectrum of tasks. The AU Peace and Security Council is the standing decision-making body for the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts. It is the key pillar of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), which forms the framework for promoting peace, security and stability in Africa.

The Council of Europe

Headquartered in Strasbourg, the Council of Europe is an organisation made up of 46 member states, whose stated aim is to uphold human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The Council of Europe monitors developments in these areas in its member states and develops recommendations for action. Experts from the Council of Europe work on issues such as the protection of national minorities and the fight against corruption and human trafficking.