IPI’s “Prioritization and Sequencing of Security Council Mandates” project aims to make UN peace operations more effective by strengthening the linkages between independent conflict analyses and the UN’s political strategies for countries where a peace operation is present. It also supports engagement by member states in the negotiation of realistic, effective, and achievable peace operations mandates. This initiative aims to help member states, UN actors, and independent experts, including from the field, analyze how country-specific peace operations mandates can be adapted to prioritize tasks based on evolving political and security developments.
These closed-door discussions enable independent, informed, and open exchanges prior to the convening of formal mandate negotiations. Examining the challenges in specific mission contexts supports member states’ sustained engagement in broader discussions on UN reform, following on from the recommendations of the High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (HIPPO) and the secretary-general in 2015. IPI has convened 15 workshops since this project’s inception in 2016. In 2019, with support from the Government of Germany, IPI convened workshops examining the mandates for the UN missions in Mali (MINUSMA), Darfur (UNAMID), the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).
In 2020, IPI is planning to focus on the mandate renewals of five missions: the UN missions in South Sudan (UNMISS) in January 2020; Mali (MINUSMA) in May 2020; the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) in September 2020; and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) in October 2020. The fifth will likely consider the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) in July 2020.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and as long as in-person convening remains unfeasible, IPI and its partners will plan an alternative approach to informing mandate negotiations. This will include interviews and/or virtual convening with key stakeholders (those who would usually brief the in-person discussions). The interviews and/or online meetings would then be captured in a concise, action-oriented, unattributable summary document that would be circulated to all relevant stakeholders prior to Security Council consultations and negotiations on the mandate.
Nearly one year after the creation of a transitional government in February 2020, the main pillars of the June 2018 permanent cease-fire and September 2018 peace agreement in South Sudan continue to hold, but their implementation has progressed at a worryingly slow pace.In this context, the International Peace Institute (IPI), the Stimson Center, and Security […]
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The UN Security Council is expected to renew the mandate of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) in December 2020. This comes as the UN begins to consider the eventual withdrawal of the mission. In October, the mission and the Congolese government submitted a “Joint Strategy on […]
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The UN Security Council is expected to renew the mandate of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) in November 2020. In 2019, the mission’s mandate and strategic engagement in the Central African Republic (CAR) shifted to supporting the implementation of the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation signed […]
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The UN Security Council is expected to renew the mandate of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) in June 2020. While Malian stakeholders have recently taken steps to implement provisions of the 2015 Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in Mali, the country’s fragile social contract and deteriorating security conditions place pressure […]
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The UN Security Council is expected to renew the mandate of MINUSMA in June 2020. The upcoming mandate renewal negotiations offer Council members the opportunity to take stock of progress in the UN’s stabilization efforts in Mali and refine its strategic engagements with the country. Ahead of the negotiations, IPI, the Stimson Center, and Security […]
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Since the signing of the Revitalized Agreement to Resolve the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) in September 2018, South Sudan has seen a sustained reduction in political violence. However, progress on Chapter I of the agreement, which calls for the establishment of a Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity, has largely stalled, and the agreement […]
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The past year has seen a reduction in insecurity in some areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and notable progress in the governance space and regional relations under the new Congolese government. However, many root causes of violence remain unaddressed, and the potential to address them depends on the continuation of a […]
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The past year has seen a reduction of organized violence in the Central African Republic (CAR) and progress in advancing the political process and restoring and extending state authority. However, challenges remain under each of these objectives, including persistent low-level insecurity, violations of the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in CAR (APPR), and difficulty […]
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The UN Security Council is expected to renew the mandate of the United Nations–African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) in June 2019. As Sudan undergoes an uncertain political transition and security gains in Darfur remain tenuous, these negotiations represent a critical moment to reflect upon the Security Council’s strategic engagement in the country.In this […]
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The UN Security Council is expected to renew the mandate of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) in June 2019. Amidst the potential stagnation of Mali’s peace process, concerns over rising violence against civilians, and continued weaknesses of the Malian government in providing basic services, the upcoming negotiations on MINUSMA’s mandate […]
Read moreThe recent murder of a woman refugee in Mexico sheds light on the violence experienced by women, undocumented migrants, and the economically disenfranchised.
As the peace talks gain momentum again, ensuring that women's voices are sufficiently represented in peace…
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The International Peace Institute is an independent, international not-for-profit think tank with a staff representing more than 20 nationalities, located in New York across from United Nations headquarters. IPI is dedicated to promoting the prevention and resolution of conflicts between and within states by strengthening international peace and security institutions. To achieve its purpose, IPI employs a mix of policy research, convening, publishing and outreach.
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