24. Essay Writing Format, structure and Examples. ‘THE ROLE OF UNITED NATIONS IN PEACEKEEPING’

THE ROLE OF UNITED NATIONS IN PEACEKEEPING

INTRODUCTION: History will record that the end of the cold war has marked a new beginning for the United Nations. Every day we witness the UN taking on the most intractable problems in the new era. Never before in its because has this world body faced greater challenges or opportunities, as now, because, with the end of the cold war, it is poised to play a central and effective role for peace.

DEVELOPMENT OF THOUGHT: The 6tth anniversary of the United Nations provides a timely opportunity for all its members to consider how to enhance the powers of the UN to help the world cope peaceably with the staggering changes that have accompanied the end of the Cold War and the onward march of science and technology. The role of UN peacekeeping forces must be evaluated in the light of experiences in Cambodia, Yugoslavia, Somalia, Angola, and elsewhere.

CONCLUSION: It is a welcome sign that the UN which remained crippled for decades in the cold war era has again occupied a centre stage in world politics. Although the UN peacekeeping has claimed some successes, the overall success depends on the consent of the host states, the cooperation of the great powers and the suppliers of forces, whether military, police or civilian.

Today the UN is on the verge of becoming the institution that its founders foresaw for it in 1945. It has been able to put more than 50,000 peace-keepers in 13 peacekeeping and observer missions ranging from Somalia and Cambodia to the former Yugoslavia. Eight of these 13 missions have been launched since 1989. And many bush missions are being organised.

 Of these missions, four have been in the Middle East—Israel, Syria, Lebanon and Kuwait. In Africa, there are forces in Western Sahara, Angola, Somalia and Mozambique. In Asia, there are peacekeepers between India and Pakistan and in Cambodia. The UN is in El Salvador in Latin America and in Europe in Cyprus and the former Yugoslavia.

 Peace-keeping as a concept is not specifically described in the UN Charter, but it has evolved over the years as an internationally acceptable way of controlling conflicts. Since the advent of UN peace-keeping, for the first time, military forces have been used not to wage war, establish domination, serve the interests of any power or group of powers but rather to control and resolve conflicts between states or communities within states.

To date, there have been 20 peace-keeping operations. Of these 10 were peacekeeping forces and the other 10 were military observer missions. This “distinction is not, however, absolute. Unarmed military observers are often attached to peace-keeping forces, and specialist military units, sometimes armed forces can be attached to observer missions. Several past operations have included major civilian elements, the UNTAG operation in Namibia is an example. Future operations may require other combinations of personnel performing an increasing variety of functions.

The latest peace-keeping operations to be established were the 300 member “UN, Iraq, Kuwait observation mission (UNIKOM) to monitor a demilitarised zone between Iraq and Kuwait after the Gulf war of 1991, the peace-keeping force in Yugoslavia (UNPROFOR) to keep the peace in the civil war-tom country since February 1992 and the UN peace force in Cambodia (UNTAC) which became operational from April 1992. Some of these operations relate to disputes between states but the most recent relate to civil wars. The list, of course, does not include several areas of disastrous conflicts where the UN is not yet involved in peacekeeping. Along the southern flank of what used to be the Soviet Union—in Georgia, Azerbaijan and in Tajikistan, fighting off a savage intensity rage. The UN has sent fact-finding mission: and there are calls for the international community to be involved.

The main responsibility for peace-keeping lies with the Security Council. The UN charter states that when the Council determines the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression, it shall decide what the UN should do to maintain or restore international peace and security. The Security Council links first for peaceful settlement of the dispute. If its recommendations are not followed by the parties involved, it can call for action by the international community, which might include asking member-state-to to make armed forces available to enforce its wishes.

Since the UN was founded, there have been only two military enforcement actions—in 1950 and 1990 when the Security Council, in a series of resolutions recommended member-states to collectively deter aggression by use of force against an identified aggressor. These two operations differed from peace-keeping operations, which are based on the consent of the parties, are not permitted to use force except in self-defence, and are under the command of the Secretary-General.

 In order for the 15-member Security Council to adopt a proposal for peace-keeping operation, there should not be any negative vote from any of its five permanent members (China. France. Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States). The Secretary-General reports to the Council on how the operation can be launched and executed. Subject to the Council’s approval, he must then make the required arrangements—choosing to supply military or other civilian personnel, supplies and equipment, transportation and logistic support to the UN.

 In approving the Secretary-General’s report on the establishment of a peace-keeping operation, the Council also decides how it will be funded on a voluntary basis or, as is usually the case, on an obligatory basis as expenses of the world organisation in accordance with the provisions of the Charter. In the latter case, the General Assembly decides how the expenses will be apportioned among the member-states.

United Nations’ soldiers work under the UN commander, who takes his orders from the Secretary-General (who is himself responsible to the Security Council). but they remain under national command in matters of pay, discipline and promotion. Only in exceptional circumstances may UN troops use force. They carry light arms and may employ them only if they are attacked, or if they are stopped by force from carrying out their mandate.

 the increasing importance of the UN as a peacekeeper can be seen from the fact that as against the thirteen UN peacekeeping operations launched during the first forty-three years of the organization’s existence five were mounted in 1988-89 and four were initiated during 1990-91. But its recent mission in Yugoslavia, Cambodia and Somalia have posed some problems. The United Nations became actively involved in the situation in Yugoslavia on September 25, 1991, when the Security Council, meeting at the ministerial level; unanimously adopted its Resolution 713(1991) expressing deep concern at the fighting in that country and called on all states to implement immediately a general and complete embargo on all deliveries of weapons and military equipment to Yugoslavia.

By its resolution, the Council invited the Secretary-General to offer his assistance, in cooperation with the Government of Yugoslavia and all those promoting peace efforts. On October 8, 1991, the Secretary-General appointed Cyrus Vance, former United States Secretary of. State, as his Personal Envoy to Yugoslavia. Since, then, the Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy; have maintained constant contact with all the parties in the Yugoslav -conflict.

On February 21, the Security Council, by its Resolution 743 (1992), established UNPROFOR for an initial period of 12 months. The Council confirmed that the Force should be an interim arrangement to create the conditions of peace and security required for the negotiation of an overall settlement of the Yugoslav crisis.

UNPROFOR was deployed in the three United Nations Protected Areas (UN PA) in Croatia—eastern Slovenia. Western Slovenia and Krajina—which, for United Nations purposes has been divided into four sectors: east, north, south and west.

UNPROFOR includes military, police and civilian components comprising a total of some 14.000 personnel. The military components consist of 12 enlarged infantry battalions (same 10,000 all ranks), headquarters, logistics and other support elements to telling about 2,840 all ranks, and 100 military observers. Its tasks include verifying demilitarization of the UNPAs, controlling access to them by establishing checkpoints, patrolling them, investigating any complaints, and, if serious tensions, should develop between nationalities in a UNPA, interposing itself between the two sides in order to prevent hostilities.

In most of its past peace-keeping operations, the United Nations had refused to send troops into an area until a cease-fire was assured and all sides agreed to the UN presence. In the Yugoslav case, the cease-fire has, proved fragile; the ethnic conflict has been far more complex than in many other civil wars elsewhere in the world.

In the past, the UN had accepted the principle that it would withdraw from a peacekeeping operation if any of the parties to the dispute asked it to leave, But in this case, the United Nations intends to operate under a different principle: it will remain until the Security Council decides it is time to go.

Since then the UN moved its operations to Bosnia Herzegovina, where civil war had raged. While UN troops battle to feed the starving populace the Bosnian Muslims continue to reel tinder atrocities committed by the Serbs. The UN is handicapped by the nature of its mandate. The UNPROFOR is a peacekeeping force but unfortunately in Bosnia, today, there is no peace to keep. The resources of the UN are also severely strained as donor countries reeling under global recession are steadily cutting down their aid to the UN and are defaulting ‘on their commitments.

 In Cambodia, the United Nations Transition Authority, established on Feb. 28. 1992 has successfully overseen the elections in spite of threats by the dreaded Khmer Rouge. UNTAC was a delicate and difficult mission for it aimed to put an end to two decades of war, destruction and suffering, to create the conditions for lasting peace and to lead the Cambodian people to free and democratic elections:

The operation covered seven major areas: promotion of human rights, free and fair elections; military arrangements, civil administration, maintenance of law and order, repatriation of Cambodian refugees and displaced persons, and rehabilitation of the infrastructure during the transitional period.

The UN had invested more than two-billion dollars and 22,000 personnel in Cambodia. It is felt that some form of UN involvement will be essential till the country gets backs on its feet but a sustained involvement will be impossible as not one country in the developed world will be willing to bankroll the costly exercise.

 The UN involvement in Somalia began primarily to undertake relief operations and bring food to the starving populace who were caught in the midst of a civil war. But attacks on the UN convoy led to the UN recommendation of military force. The UN sent the largest peacekeeping force in UN history to provide humanitarian assistance and establish peace. Comprising 28,000 troops and 2800 civilians it helped to rehabilitate Somalia’s economy, re-establish Somali police, clear landmines and help in repatriating refugees. The mandate was valid till 31st Oct. 1993.

Experience of the United Nations’ peace-keeping operations discussed here suggests certain problems and limitations. Peace-keeping operations make up part of what Hammarskjold called “preventive diplomacy” keeping involved intervention by the United Nations in conflicts that were marginal to the cold war. The explicit aim was to keep them outside of the East-West power conflict.

But in the changing world order, the UN has to take an active role in places where the conflicts are still raging as in Bosnia or as in Somalia. Very often the UN personnel have come under direct attacks by warring factions. The massacre of twenty-two Pakistani UN soldiers by the Somali warlord was the bloodiest attack on UN peacekeepers since 1961 when 44 persons were killed in Congo. In retaliation, the Pakistani UN soldiers later fired at a group of protestors killing 20. This has put the UN operations under a cloud. The UN Security Council resolution 813 passed after the massacre of the Pakistanis demands punishment for those responsible and also approved a Pakistani resolution calling for the contribution of armoured personnel carriers and helicopters to prevent similar attacks passing a resolution is one thing implementation is another. None of the developed countries like America. Britain and France are ready to shoulder extra responsibility while countries like India and Canada which used to provide troops may no longer do so because of defence cuts and lack of trained units. Ill-equipped and inadequate forces acting upon a feeble mandate will only bring the UN disrepute.

 Clearly, if the United Nations is to employ military actions, the force acting on its behalf must be strong enough to accomplish its stated purpose. Anything less will mean a fatal loss of prestige and the end of any effective UN role. Furthermore, a force employed for its military capacity must be authorised to do more than shoot in self-defence. Such a force requires a leader–presumably the Secretary-General—who can persuade either the Security Council or the General Assembly to adopt the required resolution to guide policy. Alternatively, the Secretary-General must be prepared to interpret the existing resolution in a feasible manner and face the consequences.

The financial feasibility of such forces remains another critical problem. A special committee on peace-keeping operations established during the financial crisis of 1964-65 has laboured for more than 20 years without resolving the thorny issue of finance and control. The main donor nations are behind by over $1 billion in their payments to peacekeeping activities and the US itself is reported to owe something in the region of $300 million.

 In conclusion, it can be said that though the efforts of UN forces have not yielded effective results in all cases, it cannot be denied that most of them did a creditable job. The success of UN peacekeeping efforts depends on the consent of the host states, the cooperation of the great powers and the suppliers of forces, whether military, police or civilian., withdrawal of consent for the host state can lead either to the termination of the operations or to a period of severe disturbances. Similarly, without the cooperation of the big powers, UN peace-keeping measures are bound to fail. Finally, unless the states contributing forces and finances come forward with the necessary forces and finances. UN peace-keeping cannot succeed.

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