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. Since this project’s inception, IPI has convened workshops examining the mandates for the UN missions in Libya (UNSMIL), Mali (MINUSMA), South Sudan (UNMISS), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), Sudan (UNITAMS), and Darfur (UNAMID).