Greatest threat to UN Peacekeeping is divisions between nations, says UN Peace Operations Chief

This article is published in association with United Nations.

Peacekeeping efforts by the United Nations are being challenged by growing disunity between Member States, the UN head of Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix said in an interview with UN News, during the Conference for Women Peacekeepers in New Delhi.

The two-day event was an opportunity to highlight the importance of women in peacekeeping, and delegates also discussed the current challenges to peacekeeping, and how the UN and Member States can work together to adapt to the new realities of today’s geopolitical landscape.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length

UN News: What is the biggest threat to peacekeeping in the next 20 years, and how can we prepare for it today?

Jean-Pierre Lacroix: The biggest challenge is divisions between our Member States, because we rely on their strong and united political support.

Unfortunately, that unity is less certain today. When they encounter challenges and difficulties existing peacekeeping missions cannot always count on strong and united support from Member States, including host governments.

Another critical point is that peacekeeping operations are deployed to support political efforts. But for those political efforts to succeed, we need a united, committed, and strong international community.

The nature of conflicts has evolved. There are more non-state actors, including private security companies. The drivers of conflicts are increasingly transnational, whether they are terrorism, organized crime, or the impact of climate change.

Although we cannot control the level of unity among our Member States, we must work on addressing the evolving nature of conflicts and improving our ability to respond effectively.

UN India/ Shachi Chaturvedi

The Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations (USG DPO, Jean-Pierre Lacroix takes a look at the ‘Make in India’ exhibition on the sidelines of the conference.

UN News: How can peacekeeping stay ahead of the threats posed new technology, such as AI, cyber attacks and drones?

Jean-Pierre Lacroix: That is a critical objective, and the reason we have launched a strategy for the digital transformation of peacekeeping, which aims to improve situational awareness, enhance the safety and security of our peacekeepers and counter misinformation, which is currently being weaponized in many peacekeeping settings.

However, to achieve this we need to improve digital literacy among our staff, which will require significant efforts in terms of training and enhancing their level of preparedness. We cannot do that alone as the UN Secretariat, we need to work with our partners.

UN News: From frontlines to leadership roles, what do you think would it take for women to be the face of UN peacekeeping?

Jean-Pierre Lacroix: We are doing better when it comes to the number of women serving in peacekeeping, and the proportion of women has been constantly improving.

However, we want to have more female officers in senior positions, such as Force Commander and Deputy Force Commander. Not many armed forces have women at this kind of level, but India is doing a lot to achieve that and is providing more female officers.

We also have to look at how we make the peacekeeping environment welcoming for both women and men. This includes practical issues such as facilities, and a lot of effort is being made to improve the quality of our camps and their suitability for women as well as for men.

© UN Photo/ Gema Cortes

Captain Sandra Hernandez Vega (right) in Timbuktu, Mali (file)

There is also a psychological dimension to this, ensuring that all peacekeepers, men and women, do their best to make the work environment welcoming to all, and certainly to women. We are working on this, but I think it’s also a shared responsibility that we have with the troop- and police-contributing countries.

UN News: How can we improve the advancement of women in peacekeeping?

Jean-Pierre Lacroix: First of all, it is UN policy to empower women. Having more female peacekeepers generates a better work environment and they become role models for other women. I believe that we have a better record of conduct and discipline when we have more women in peacekeeping.

It’s particularly important to have more women in peacekeeping when it comes to building trust with communities, and that is something that has been regularly emphasized.

However, their role is not limited to community engagement. For example, we have female officers who are helicopter pilots and basically every task that we have in peacekeeping is open to women as well as to men.

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UN News: How do you think the countries of the Global South can play a more active role in peacekeeping?

Jean-Pierre Lacroix: The majority of the peacekeepers that we deploy come from the Global South, including India, which is one of the biggest contributors. Their role is critically important, not only in terms of numbers but also in other areas.

India, for example, is helping with all efforts currently being carried out to improve peacekeeping, from safety and security to how we use digital technology. Of course, this includes improving the number of women in peacekeeping, enhancing how performance assessments are carried out, and other areas.

I think there is a wealth of experience in the Global South which we really want to take advantage of so that we continue to adapt and address current challenges: we need to make sure that tomorrow’s peacekeeping operations remain relevant.

Conference for Women Peacekeepers

• The conference was held in New Delhi, India, on 24 and 25 February
• The organisers were the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Defence and the Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping (CUNPK)
• Women peacekeepers from 35 Troop Contributing Countries in the Global South attended the event.
• By 2028, the UN aims to triple the number of women serving in UN military contingents and double the number of women serving in UN Police units.