Search CIC

Peace and Security Reform at the United Nations

The past decade has been marked by a precipitous decline in the perceived effectiveness and relevance of United Nations (UN) peace operations in responding to peace and security challenges. The Peace and Security Reform at the UN workstream focuses on articulating a new vision for peace operations to address the shortcomings that have become evident in existing approaches and on identifying the shifts in policy and practice necessary for the UN to plan and deploy tailored, adaptive, and people-centered missions.

The past decade has been marked by a precipitous decline in the perceived effectiveness and relevance of UN peace operations in responding to peace and security challenges. Through this workstream, we focus on articulating a new vision for peace operations to address the shortcomings that have become evident in existing approaches and on identifying the shifts in policy and practice necessary for the UN to plan and deploy tailored, adaptive, and people-centered missions. 

The program continues the tradition of work on peace operations at CIC, including its long-standing Global Peace Operations Review series.

Photo: “A truck in colors and with a symbol of the United Nations is driving off-road,” Poland, 2023, ©Adobe Stock/Wojciech Wrzesień.

Featured Publications

  • Publication: Policy Brief February 15, 2024 Peace and Security Reform

    Unpacking Security Council Resolution 2719 (2023)

    The approval of a framework for the financing of African Union (AU) peace support operations by the United Nations (UN) Security Council on December 21, 2023, with the adoption of resolution 2719, represents significant progress in the development of the UN-AU partnership in peace and security as well as a commitment from the Security Council to support the adequate, predictable, and sustainable financing of AU-led PSOs.

  • Publication: Policy Brief November 16, 2023 Prevention and Peacebuilding

    Not a Silver Bullet: The Push for Assessed Contributions for African-led Peace Support Operations

    The United Nations secretary-general has advocated for UN assessed contributions for African-led peace support operations, prioritizing guaranteed, predictable funding for regional peace enforcement operations. This signals political support for the AU partnership, aiming to enhance effectiveness. As such, UN Security Council deliberations must take technical issues into account for a more effective response to African security challenges. Access to UN assessed contributions is beneficial but not a one-size-fits-all solution.

  • Publication: Analysis May 17, 2023 CIC Perspectives

    Managing Opportunities, Challenges, and Expectations for the New Agenda for Peace

    Ahead of the policy brief expected from the UN Secretariat in June 2023, this piece provides a historical glance at past UN reforms, identifies the primary challenges and opportunities the UN and its member states face as they undergo this process, and looks forward to the key priorities that can be taken up from a realistic and practical perspective. Highlighted is how the New Agenda for Peace “provides a rare opportunity for the United Nations to examine and reflect upon the totality of the peace and security work of the Organization to uncover and better understand the synergies and contradictions of the existing processes and structures.”

Stay Connected

Subscribe to our newsletter and receive regular updates on our latest events, analysis, and resources.

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.