Peacebuilding and Peacekeeping

The United Nations Peacebuilding Commission was established in 2005 to address the challenges countries face in their recovery from conflict. All too often unstable and failed states simmer in what seems like a never-ending cycle of conflict and suffering. In fact, according to World Bank and U.N. studies, “failed peacebuilding represents one of the worst risk factors for new wars. Almost 50% of agreements ending civil wars collapse within five years.” The Peacebuilding Commission strives to end this cycle by providing a more structured and sustainable approach to reconstruction and development in post-conflict countries. It coordinates the efforts of the Security Council with international organizations like the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and many others. Additionally, the U.N. Peacebuilding Fund, established in 2006, takes the Commission’s work one step further by coordinating member states’ financial contributions to reconstruction efforts. The United States has yet to make a contribution to the important work of the Peacebuilding Fund.

Equally important, peacekeeping missions work to stop conflicts in their tracks by enforcing peace agreements, preventing the spread of conflict, and saving thousands of lives. However, the job of building support and raising funds for each new U.N. peacekeeping mission has been compared to that of a volunteer fire chief who is forced to raise funds, find volunteers and secure a fire truck for each new fire. The United Nations Emergency Peace Service (UNEPS) has been proposed as a permanent emergency response service designed to complement -- not replace -- existing peace operations. UNEPS would have a “first-responder” capacity that would supplement the U.N.’s ability to provide stability, peace and relief in deadly emergencies. It would individually recruit and train 10,000-18,000 personnel with a wide range of skills, including civilian police, military judicial experts and relief professionals. This ensures that missions would not fail due to a lack of skills, equipment, cohesiveness, experience in resolving conflicts, or gender, national or religious imbalance. Upon Security Council authorization, UNEPS would be immediately available to respond to a crisis. More than two-thirds of the American public supports the U.N. having this capacity. Pragmatic, far-sighted planning can help reduce the frequency, devastation, and duration of conflicts around the world and save billions of dollars and millions of lives.