On June 17, 2021, the Center on Democracy and the Armed Forces (NEDEFA), in partnership with the Professional Master’s in International Policy Analysis and Management (MAPI) from PUC-Rio and the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), held the roundtable “The future of UN peace operations: responding to crisis”. The event was also supported by the BRICS Policy Center.

UN peace operations face numerous challenges in responding to several recent armed conflicts. Even before the pandemic, blue helmets faced a period of serious budgetary constraints. Mission mandates have undergone important transformations, including the increasing incorporation of counterinsurgency and counterterrorism elements into stabilization operations – amid a context of economic crisis, geopolitical realignment and continuous adaptation of peacekeeping practice.

In this roundtable, participants discussed the future of UN peace operations at a time that many analysts consider to be one of transition, contestation or crisis, based on questions such as: What are the effects of changes in mission mandates for countries that send troops as well as to local populations? What is the place of actors from the Global South in these trends? And how can the United Nations effectively address contemporary challenges, from local security threats to global pandemics?

Program:

Opening: Luis Manuel Fernandes – PUC-Rio
Chair: Amb. Antonio Patriota – Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil
Presenters:
– Katharina Coleman – University of British Columbia
– Cedric de Coning – Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI)
– Conor Foley – PUC-Rio
– Kai Michael Kenkel – PUC-Rio
– Kari M. Osland – Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI)
– Mateja Peter – University of St. Andrews
– Paul D. Williams – George Washington University

Check out the event video .