UN peacekeeping operations: legal regulation, goals, significance and problems

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:43

UN peacekeeping operations are not laid down in its Charter, they are created by common goals and principles. The situation in the world and various unforeseen circumstances have turned them into an important tool that is able to maintain peace. Such activities are regulated by the General Assembly by its resolutions. The international body has to constantly review UN peacekeeping operations, due to the increasing growth of activities and significant scope.

Legal grounds

When there is a threat of destabilization in the world, any violations, the Security Council (SC) is given the right to restore order by the armed forces. This means:

military coercion;
direct participation in battles;
forceful separation of the conflicting parties.

The Charter of the United Nations indicates its preventive involvement. This process can be replaced by synonyms, where UN peacekeeping operations briefly express the preventive and preventive role. Legal practice showsthe opposite is true for the organization-supported 1991 operations in Iraq. The essence of peacemaking is:

in unarmed actions, if there is no attack and self-defense is necessary;
belligerents must agree to the presence of peacekeepers;
in monitoring and respecting the reconciliation agreements.

Politicians express different opinions on this matter, which can only be judged by the result at the end of the mission, history.

Characteristics

The volume of UN peacekeeping operations briefly indicates their main achievements, where they supported diplomatic efforts to resolve a conflict situation somewhere in the world. The following criteria are typical for the formed forces from peacekeepers:

the staff includes people who are provided, equipped by states, members of the UN;
the implementation of any activities takes place on the basis of the decision of the Security Council with restrictions established by the international framework of rules and regulations;
actions are under the auspices of the UN flag;
the use of force is possible if the conflicting parties agree to reconcile, but cannot reach an agreement themselves;
led by the UN Secretary General.

The organization did not mobilize its forces from scratch, the reason for this was the growth of regional wars and armed conflicts. The protracted and difficult to manage nature of the clashes threatens world stability. By assuming responsibility for the control of disputes, UN peacekeeping operations achievetargets when conflicts:

warn;
localize;
stop.

United Nations peacekeepers are military men with the discipline and training to restore and maintain peace.

Practical application

UN peacekeeping operations have left their mark around the world. In 1948, the Security Council decided to send peacekeepers to the Jewish state to control the process of reconciliation with a participant in their conflict. Observers in the form of formed groups of servicemen remained there. Perhaps UN peacekeeping operations are not quite effective for this world region, but the authorities do not refuse their services.

Many problems in other parts of the world of a religious, ethnic nature were solved by these forces. Although in 1964 an attempt was also made to localize the military conflict between the Greeks and the Turks in Cyprus. The mandate was aimed at restoring order in the region. The problems of the UN peacekeeping operations in Cyprus are that they are still implementing the decisions regularly received from the Security Council.

There is no end in sight yet, and the mission is somewhat different from the observation mission. The following years reveal the milestones of missions in many countries:

1993 - Georgia during the Abkhaz conflict.
1994 - Tajikistan.
from 1991 to 1996 - the former Yugoslavia.

The important role played by the peacekeepers in Somalia should be highlighted. The conflict was internal, butso depressing, where people died from a clash of tribes, humanitarian aid did not come to those in need, chaos began in the country. The peacekeepers suppressed the rebels, and ensured the distribution of food and the necessary means of subsistence.

Main issues

Despite the fact that a special contingent extinguishes many ethnic conflicts, there are problems in the field of UN peacekeeping operations and legal regulation. Successful activities require constant funding, and this area is quite significant and significant. Due to huge debts, it would seem, from the most successful states in the economy, the leadership of the Security Council had to abandon many projects.

The General Assembly proposed a way out in cooperation with regional bodies. According to the resolutions emanating from this department, the current UN peacekeeping operations are designed to bring the conflicting parties to peace agreements, to help resolve political disputes, but not to replace them. This is a principled method that falls within the purview of the United Nations.

What rights and responsibilities do staff have?

The main task of any peacekeeping mission is to achieve reconciliation of the warring parties. To do this, peacekeepers work with the parties to the conflict:

monitor compliance with international treaty;
avoid armed confrontation;
blocking the flow of ammunition;
regulate contentious issues;
excludeprovocation;
protect members of negotiating delegations;
helping civilians.

It's no secret Russia's participation in UN peacekeeping operations. There are memories of a former serviceman who participated in the Abkhazian events of the 90s. He spoke about the responsibilities and main tasks of the unit:

exclude litigation between the parties with the use of weapons;
monitor the actions of the participants in the conflict;
de-mine territories dangerous for the local population, police posts, peacekeeping personnel;
notify residents of threats using the media;
provide all possible assistance to the population;
interact with the head of the region.

Personnel for inclusion in the group undergoes a rigorous selection process. It consists of highly qualified specialists in various fields of life.

What was done?

Thanks to the help of Russia and the UN peacekeeping operation, bridges were restored for the free and safe movement of local residents. The peacekeepers assisted in the implementation of the diplomatic mission, contributed to the organization of meetings for the contact groups. Despite the many responsibilities for staff, there were a number of prohibitive measures that were considered unacceptable to break:

enter the house of a local resident;
use someone else's property;
to carry out unreasonable detention.

Sending a peacekeeping contingent to the conflict zone, according tomany politicians and those in power, it is necessary. With the help of a noble mission, albeit temporarily, national disputes are settled, military operations are stopped.

Guidelines for the use of weapons

There are different statements regarding the weapons of the special contingent. Personnel are sent to a war zone that is dangerous for everyone. Which includes groups of different directions. They will not figure out what category he belongs to - a journalist, a doctor, a peaceful peasant. Therefore, when they gather personnel for a UN peacekeeping operation with legal regulation, purpose, it matters in what area they will be used.

Granting the right to weapons depends on the type of mission:

observers are not armed, they are endowed with diplomatic status and immunity;
peacekeeping contingent is equipped with light weapons, they can be used to protect themselves or a local resident.

The forces of peacekeepers carry out the practical maintenance of peace in a certain territory.

Mediators reach a diplomatic settlement through negotiations and come to peace agreements. In any case, the staff must be impartial, independent. The Russian legislator has developed a bill approved by all the required stages. Since 1995, the provisions of Federal Law No. 95 have been in force. On its basis, the state responds to the decisions of the Security Council, provides military and civilian personnel if necessary.

Basicevents

What mission the employees perform is clear:

destroy a dangerous point for the whole world;
extinguish the source of the fire, which could spread to other peacefully existing territories.

In order to correctly use the professional skills of people to perform certain actions, you should know the type of upcoming operations:

maintain a shaky peace in the region, based on the consent of the parties in the presence of a contingent that will monitor the peace agreements reached;
create an environment for a peace treaty to be adopted and military operations to stop.

To restore peaceful relations between countries or within the state, the authorities themselves are not capable, therefore, they resort to outside help. Peacekeepers in this case carry out actions:

restore order in the region;
force bred to the sides of the warring participants;
establish restricted areas and enforce them.

It is not always possible for peacekeepers to bring the opposing sides to a common consensus, but the staff strives for this, sometimes risking their own he alth and life.

In what order are events scheduled?

When an unfavorable situation develops in a certain part of the world, the United Nations receives an appeal from the participants in the conflict, receives their representatives. The UN will have to hold many meetings, consult with leading experts, experts in events, mentality,habits of these subjects. Participating in discussions:

representatives interested in the outcome of the case;
officials of the state to receive the peacekeepers;
UN members, they will recruit, send contingent;
intergovernmental, regional agencies.

Before the operation, the secretariat sends a team to assess the true state of affairs on the situations:

political;
military;
humanitarian.

According to the opinion provided and recommendations submitted to the UN Secretary General, a report with options for action will be developed. A whole staff of employees is involved in the work, they will calculate the implementation of all activities, expressing actions in monetary terms. When the financial estimate gets to the Security Council at the official level, they will adopt a resolution, which will authorize the execution of operations. The resolution will indicate the scope of action, detailing the tasks.

How do I know the special contingent?

Despite the noble mission of the principles of peacekeeping, the UN forces consist of an armed contingent. They are created by countries belonging to the members of the organization. Allocate such groupings by decision of the Security Council, when there is an armed conflict between countries that is contrary to international law. Provided that economic and political measures were taken to influence the belligerents, but they did not bring a favorable result.

An example of the participation of multinational formations is the long-termoperations in districts:

Africa.
Asian.
Europe.
Middle East.

Peacekeepers wear their country's distinctive military attire with the UN emblem. A mandatory attribute is a blue beret, it symbolizes a special mission. Not a single operation is carried out without blue helmets.

Final Resolution

When a decision is made to bring a peacekeeping contingent into the country, the mandate instructs to carry out certain actions. It does not contain deadlines and forms to terminate the operation. The main task is to destroy the source of bloodshed and separate the participants. But for this it is necessary that they themselves strive for peace. Peacekeepers should not perform combat maneuvers, but only maintain the established truce.