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Email this citationCIAO DATE: 02/05
The Brahimi Report: Four Years On. Proceedings from the Workshop on Peacekeeping Operations
Thierry Tardy
June 2004
Executive Summary
The United Nations has reached, in 2003/04, a level of commitment in peace operations that has not been seen since the mid-1990s with, as of June 2004, 16 operations and over 55,000 military personnel and civilian police being deployed in operations which include a wide variety of activities. In this context, the implementation of the Brahimi Report on Peace Operations is examined on four levels of analysis.
The Political Context
In 2004, the international environment is no doubt slightly different from the 2000 environment, when the Brahimi Report was released. The current situation combines grounds for optimism and worrying trends for the United Nations.
The events of 11 September 2001 have fundamentally altered threat perceptions—at least in the West—which in turn further weakened Western countries' eagerness to support the United Nations as the main peacekeeping implementer…
The UN Reform
The reform of the UN structure mainly concerns its rapid deployment capacity and its planning and support structure. Progress has been observed on both levels.
As for rapid deployment capacities, the authorization given to the Secretary-General to commit funds prior to the creation of a mission ("Pre-Mandate Commitment Authority"), the creation of the Strategic Deployment Stocks, …
Peacekeeping in Africa
Seven out of sixteen UN operations take place in Africa, with 85.3% of UN personnel in peace operations being deployed on that continent.
As far as the implementation of the Brahimi Report is concerned, two levels of analysis can be distinguished: a strategic level, dealing with the UN role in Africa and the place of the Brahimi Report in this context; and a more practical level, dealing with…
Key Challenges for Future Peace Operations
- The demand for peacekeeping will continue. The persisting existence of UN peace operations as a way to deal with conflicts was widely acknowledged. This was however challenged by two kinds of arguments. First, it was contended that through peace operations, the international community was spending too much energy on the management of the consequences of the conflict, while overlooking the politics of it. Second, one might witness a decrease in the number of peacekeeping operations in the near future, as the number of conflicts is also decreasing.
- UN reform is a limited reality. It was clear during the seminar that the reform of the United Nations had become a reality, and that the United Nations is today better able to conduct peacekeeping operations. However, the ability of the United…
