Protecting the World

By HAO YINBIAO

Protecting the World

By HAO YINBIAO

UN peacekeeping operations are indispensible to world peace and stability

The UN, primarily a collective security tool for mankind, can be distinguished from other multilateral intergovernmental agencies largely through its right to intervene in armed conflicts, by launching peacekeeping operations (PKOs) when necessary.

Since 1948 there have been 63 PKOs,and 47 have been created by the UN Security Council since 1988. Nearly 1 million peacekeepers have been involved, and 2,441 were killed. Nearly 130 nations have contributed personnel, and 119 are currently providing peacekeepers.

At the end of 2009, there were 17 PKOs underway with a total of 98,197 personnel.The top contributors of military and civilian personnel to the current operations are Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and Nepal.

Trends and limitations

With frequent wars and con fl icts in some regions, international organizations like the UN are needed to maintain peace and security. Whether they are temporary emergency arrangements to cope with regional con fl icts or long-term strategies to maintain world peace and security, PKOs will be with us for a long time.

In the future, multi-dimensional PKOs will continue to develop, and they will focus largely on peacebuilding functions, such as stabilization, economic development, reintegration of former combatants, restructuring of security mechanisms and monitoring of elections.

International cooperation for PKOs will be enhanced. The number of UN departments,organizations and countries involved in PKOs will greatly increase. The UN has enhanced its cooperation with other organizations and will strengthen it in numerous ways. The cooperation between the UN and regional organizations, such as the African Union and the EU, will be strengthened.

In addition, the theory of PKOs will be further improved. In March 2008, the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations released a document titled “UN Peacekeeping Operations: Principles and Guidelines.” It is a comprehensive summary of the basic principles, experiences and lessons gleaned from 60 years of PKOs.

PKOs have played a positive role in the prevention and resolution of military confl icts and have helped maintain world peace and security. These operations, however,have limitations as well. PKOs are provisional measures to stop con fl icts. Currently,the human, material and fi nancial resources of the UN are insuf fi cient. As a result, the UN will be unable to support a large number of PKOs. This will affect the sustainability of the operations, as well as other activities of the UN.

The security of peacekeepers is another issue. Many PKOs are initiated before confl icts have concluded and peacekeepers are confronted with complex security situations.They are often attacked by armed terrorists while on duty and often work in extremely harsh natural conditions, faced with contagious diseases. Although peacekeepers’safety has already drawn international attention, more practical measures are still needed.

In addition, sexual abuse scandals by individual peacekeepers—such as those in the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo—have undermined the credibility of PKOs. Corruption has also been allegedly found in some missions’ procurement processes. The UN must take longterm measures to strengthen discipline and supervision.

Future focus

In order to promote the further development of PKOs, the UN should focus on a number of issues. For instance, it should obtain the consent and support of the parties involved in its PKOs. UN peacekeepers must strive to maintain peace while upholding justice and should never become a party to a con fl ict. The UN alone is unable to settle a con fl ict. A true resolution depends on the political will and joint efforts of the parties involved.

Experience shows PKOs are most successful when they receive the active cooperation and support of local governments and people; they rarely achieve success without such support. The failure of the UN efforts in Haiti is an example. The UN has made extensive efforts to calm turmoil in Haiti, but the result is far from ideal.

It is necessary for the Security Council to play a leading role in PKOs and to adhere to the principles of the UN Charter to prevent individual countries from going their own way.PKOs carried out by regional organizations should obtain UN authorization and report to the UN. The Security Council should be equipped with quick response capabilities to cope with conflicts and should draw upcomprehensive strategies for everything from con fl ict prevention to peacemaking and peacekeeping.

TO THE RESCUE: Medical personnel from China’s 11th peacekeeping mission tothe Democratic Republic of the Congo assist those wounded in a tanker explosion near Bukavu, capital of Sud-Kivu Province, on July 3

WELL DONE: Alberto Cuevas, head of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, presents a medal to a member of the Chinese engineering contingent stationed in southern Lebanon on April 23

In all its PKOs, the UN should stick to the fundamental principles of consent, impartiality and a refusal to use force except in selfdefense. Although a reinterpretation of these principles has been made in the Report of the Panel on UN Peacekeeping Operations(2000), commonly known as the Brahimi Report, and UN Peacekeeping Operations:Principles and Guidelines, there’s no international consensus, and further discussions are needed.

In addition, PKOs should not become the principal means of international peacekeeping. Mediation, peacemaking and negotiation should be used to settle disputes. The UN can intervene only on a limited basis and international intervention should be a fi nal resort,used in extremely dif fi cult conditions. Force must be avoided whenever possible.

Although some regional organizations and multinational forces have occasionally adopted enforcement measures, the nature of their operations is beyond the scope of PKOs.The UN is not a super-government with major military and enforcement capabilities.Con fl icts should be settled through dialogue and negotiation, rather than enforcement.

Currently, the gap between the demand for peacekeeping and the UN capability is evident. The UN is constantly burdened by PKO requirements and a lack of human resources, especially professional justice and administration personnel.

The UN also faces fi nancial embarrassment. The budget for PKOs for the 2007-08 fi scal year was nearly $7 billion, three times the regular budget. Meanwhile, the unpaid peacekeeping assessments of member states stand at $3.15 billion, nearly half of the peacekeeping budget for that fi scal year. This shortage of funds will certainly undermine the ability of PKOs.

When planning and implementing PKOs,the UN must consider not only the political conditions, but also the economic endurance of its members. PKOs are not always effective. Joint efforts by con fl icting parties,countries and regional organizations are required for their success.

China’s participation

As a permanent member of the Security Council, China plays a constructive role in seeking fair and just settlements for important regional issues. It has also been increasing its participation in UN peacekeeping activities.

China believes PKOs must adhere to the principles of the UN Charter, and the Security Council should play a leading role. PKOs must strive to solve disputes through peaceful means, such as mediation, peacemaking and negotiation, rather than force. China insists the UN follow three basic principles: consent,impartiality and a refusal to use force except in self-defense.

In 1990, China sent its fi rst group of military personnel to participate in the UN Truce Supervision Organization. Two years later, it sent an engineering battalion to join the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia.

To date, the Chinese military has sent more than 15,000 people to PKOs around the world. Nine Chinese soldiers sacri fi ced their lives in these operations.

China also sent civilian police to UN missions in Timor-Leste, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Haiti.

So far, China has sent only support detachments, such as engineers, transportation and medical corps, to PKOs. Chinese peacekeepers have won praise from the UN,local governments and citizens and fellow peacekeepers from other countries.

In February 2002, the Chinese Government of fi cially designated non-combat troops, including an engineering battalion,a medical unit and two transportation companies, to participate in the UN Standby Arrangements System, a system designed to facilitate the timely deployment of PKOs.

A peacekeeping affairs of fi ce was established under China’s Ministry of National Defense in 2001 to coordinate the Chinese military’s participation in PKOs. China’s Ministry of Public Security also set up a special agency for peacekeeping purposes.

Over the past two decades, China has developed an integrated system for training peacekeepers. In August 2000, it established a training center for peacekeeping civilian police in Langfang, Hebei Province.This training center not only trains Chinese civilian police, but also conducts regional peacekeeping training for other Asian countries participating in PKOs. In October 2004,then UN Secretary General Ko fi Annan visited the center during his trip to China.

Moreover, China cooperates with the UN by sending officers to receive professional training, attend seminars and conduct study tours abroad. It also hosts seminars on PKOs.For instance, China sponsored an international seminar in Beijing in 2004 to discuss challenges facing PKOs in the 21st century. In 2007, it held a symposium on PKOs with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

The UN can intervene only on a limited basis and international intervention should be a final resort,used in extremely difficult conditions.Force must be avoided whenever possible

The author is a council member of the United Nations Association of China