Originally published on the CGS blog on May 26, 2011.
This coming Sunday, May 29th, is the “International Day of UN Peacekeepers.” The day presents an opportunity to reflect on the noble work of previous and current UN Peacekeepers and allows us to remember those peacekeepers who gave their lives trying to protect civilians, strengthen governments, and stem violent conflict. The efforts of these brave men and women do not go unnoticed.
The day also affords us the opportunity to realize the enormous impact that UN Peacekeepers have throughout the world. Although some have questioned the effectiveness of such operations, peacekeepers are injected into the most volatile situations, and success is necessarily ever changing. Yet, UN Peacekeepers have had immense success in seemingly unsolvable situations.
Across the globe right now, peacekeepers are deployed in 15 peacekeeping operations. For example, UN Peacekeepers are in the Sudan helping to enforce a comprehensive peace agreement signed by the Sudanese government – and they are there to react when unexpected events occur such as Omar Hassan al-Bashir’s aggressive grab of the Abyei region. Also, in Haiti, UN Peacekeepers are deployed to strengthen governing institutions and provide stability to a nation recently rattled by a devastating earthquake. There is no doubt that these peacekeeping operations are imperative to ensuring pacifism throughout the world.
With respect to the success of the Nobel-Peace-Prize winning UN Peacekeeping operations, we must continue to ensure that funding for such operations increases. It is important that these peacekeepers have the proper training for the wide array of situations that may arise. If there is any weakness in UN Peacekeeping operations, it is simply that there is not enough funding to ensure that peacekeepers have the proper training and resources to do their job. This funding could likely save money in the long-run.
These peacekeeping operations are an extremely cost effective method of preventing conflict and ensuring stability. If these same operations were led solely by the United States, they would cost significantly more. Thus, any investment made into UN Peacekeeping will likely pay dividends in the future. On the “International Day of UN Peacekeepers,” please remember their significant contributions to better the world.
