African states and regional organizations have increasingly turned to new forms of African-led security arrangements that differ in mandate, composition, and structure from African Union (AU)–led peace support operations. These ad hoc security initiatives (ASIs) and enterprise security arrangements (ESAs) have provided flexible and rapid responses to complex security threats. However, they are heavily militarized […]
Read more
With UN peacekeepers increasingly deployed in areas experiencing local-level conflicts that do not involve state forces, responding to communal violence has become an acute challenge for missions. Such contexts require peace operations to adopt a dialogue-based approach to the protection of civilians (POC), focused specifically on local political solutions. This issue brief examines the engagement of […]
Read more
UN peacekeeping missions are often criticized for failing to act when civilians are under threat. Yet recent empirical evidence suggests that peacekeepers can and do respond to violence by adjusting where and how they deploy forces in the field. This issue brief examines patterns of subnational deployment across African missions from 2012 to 2022, focusing […]
Read more
Sudan’s war has left millions in need of protection, as civilians continue to endure mass displacement, famine, widespread violence, and grave human rights violations. Despite commitments to international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians, both the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces have persistently targeted civilians, and international efforts to protect them have […]
Read more
Radio remains the most popular medium of communication in many countries where UN peacekeeping operations are deployed, and several missions have leveraged UN radio stations to communicate with local populations. UN strategic communications via radio can help reduce violence against civilians, both during and after armed conflict. This protective effect of UN radio is evident […]
Read more
UN police (UNPOL) have long contributed to protection of civilians (POC) mandates, yet their role remains underexamined and often undervalued. As UN peace operations shift toward more flexible, lighter-footprint mission models and increasingly emphasizes regional partnerships, preventive approaches, and people-centered security, UNPOL could take on an expanded role. This could include greater involvement of UNPOL […]
Read more
As the landscape of global peacekeeping evolves, the UN is increasingly sharing the security burden with regional organizations and ad hoc coalitions. These non-UN missions sometimes deploy alongside UN missions through a wide range of cooperation arrangements termed “partnership peacekeeping.” However, it is unclear how this trend toward partnership peacekeeping will impact the protection of […]
Read more
The United Nations has increasingly focused on the modernization of peace operations, including through the Strategy for the Digital Transformation of UN Peacekeeping. However, the full potential of the link between digital transformation, new technologies, and peacekeeping has not yet been realized, particularly when it comes to the protection of civilians (POC). Too often, the […]
Read more
While the UN Security Council and member states have elevated the protection of civilians (POC) and the primacy of politics as two central pillars of UN peacekeeping, it is not always clear how missions are expected to pursue these two sets of priorities together. To discuss the relationship between these pillars, IPI together with the […]
Read more
Support to political processes and the protection of civilians (POC) are arguably the two most prominent mandated tasks for multidimensional UN peacekeeping operations. Policy guidance and independent reviews have made clear that politics and protection must be linked, yet within missions, POC is often considered in parallel to political work and is not always effectively […]
Read moreAs negotiators and climate leaders around the world process the outcomes of COP30, there is widespread disappointment that the parties did not agree on a roadmap for transitioning away from fossil fuels (TAFF). This omission reflected the complexity of the…
In February 2025, African heads of state gathered in Addis Ababa to announce a bold challenge to the global financial order: the continent will launch its own credit rating agency. The move follows years of mounting frustration over the…
Since the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) captured the city of El Fasher in Sudan’s Darfur region…
Armed conflict no longer unfolds solely on the battlefield. It is fought fiercely along digital frontlines—from…
President Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan and the New York Declaration on a two-state solution have created an opening for peace in Gaza—though one that is fragile and fraught with danger. These blueprints are wide in scope but light on detail where it matters, including on stabilization…
In recent weeks, we’ve witnessed the escalating…
This December, the mandate of the UN…
Around 1.3 billion people experience significant disability—around 16% of the world’s population.…
Today marks the 25th anniversary of the passage of Resolution 1325, which launched the women, peace, and security (WPS) agenda. This resolution…
Never has the cliché that we are at a pivotal moment in Middle East diplomacy been more…
United Nations
The International Peace Institute is an independent, non-profit organization working to strengthen inclusive multilateralism for a more peaceful and sustainable planet. Through its research, convening, and strategic advising, IPI provides innovative recommendations for the United Nations System, member states, regional organizations, civil society, and the private sector. With staff from around the world and a broad range of academic fields, IPI has offices facing United Nations headquarters in New York.
The Global Observatory provides timely analysis on trends and issues related to global security.
777 United Nations Plaza, New York