About the Brahimi Report

The United Nations was founded to prevent war. The current system of Peacekeeping needs serious reform. In the past, the UN has deployed all too often into on-going conflicts when they should be entering to keep the peace in post-conflict situations. This panel makes the following recommendations to improve the system.

The first step towards peace is conflict prevention, including fact-finding missions and humanitarian aid and development. Peace-building, or rehabilitation after a conflict, is also essential to peace. The UN needs significantly more support to be able to implement the rule of law through judicial systems and civilian police in post-conflict areas.

Clear, executable mandates are fundamental to effective peacekeeping and maintaining the credibility of the UN. Peacekeepers should be given the power to defend themselves and civilians. The Secretariat should provide accurate data regarding what is needed in the field to the Security Council. The Security Council should, in turn, pass mandates that are unambiguous so it will be clear how to carry them out.

Peacekeeping needs greater power of analysis and foresight. To accomplish this, we propose an Information and Strategic Analysis Secretariat within the Executive Committee on Peace and Security. This Secretariat would keep databases, analyze policy, create strategy, and act as a watch dog for potential conflicts.

Mission leaders should plan together before they get to the field. In order to make this possible the Secretariat should keep diverse lists of experienced military officers, civilian police leaders, civilian specialists, and administrative support, all able to leave on short notice.

The first weeks after a cease-fire are critical for establishing peace and the credibility of a new mission. The UN should have a mission completely installed within 30 days for traditional missions and 90 days for complex missions. Several changes are necessary to be able to accomplish this goal.

Member States should form partnerships and train troops together in brigade-size (5000) forces so that they will be accustomed to working together. The Secretariat should make sure these troops are well trained and equipped. Civilian Police should also train together in regional groups.

There should be at least five mission start-up kits in Brindisi, Italy at all times so that missions have supplies to implement their mandates quickly. Mission leadership should have more power to spend money to get supplies throughout the mission.

Peacekeeping Headquarters needs significantly more financial and staff support. Headquarters should be maintained permanently instead of trying to rebuild it and find funds every time a new mission arises.

In order to further enhance and clarify Headquarters, Integrated Mission Task Forces should be created for each individual mission. Those responsible for political analysis, military operations, civilian police, electoral assistance, human rights, development, humanitarian assistance, refugees and displaced persons, public information, logistics, finance and recruitment would form one body so that field personnel have one source of synthesized analysis and strategy.

Information Technology is a powerful resource for peacekeeping. For it to be useful, however, a senior official of peacekeeping information services should be appointed. A Peace Operations Extranet should also be established so that missions have access to each other as well as peacekeeping databases, analyses, and lessons learned.

All of these changes would significantly improve UN peacekeeping, but attitudes need to shift to make them possible. Unless the UN begins to base employment on the merit of their employees, these recommendations will not work. Further, unless Member States show the political will to support peacekeeping with personnel as well as financially and logistically, the UN will have no power to carry out any mandate.

+ Summary of the Brahimi Report