Den 1. februar 2019
The role of the UN in international peace and security
This is a quick follow-up from the conference on 17 January 2019. The discussions were too rich to sum up
comprehensively, but please find a couple of takeaways and observations below. Moreover, we have
created a website with additional information, which may serve as an aide-mémoire. Here you will find
one-minute video clips with some of the speakers, photographs, links to the streaming videos, and links to
media coverage from the conference:
https://cms.polsci.ku.dk/nyheder/konference-the-future-of-the-un-
in-international-peace-and-security/
(English version also available). If you would like to stay updated on
relevant events in the future,
please also see Da ish UN Asso iatio ’s ale da fo o e i fo atio :
http://www.fnforbundet.dk/aktuelt/det-sker-i-fn-forbundet.
Background for discussing the role of the UN in peace and security
Shifts in global conflict patterns have increasingly led to discussions about whether a new world order is in
the aki g. O e uestio that follo s is the effe ti e ess of the UN’s a ility to ai tai i te atio al
peace and security. In this context, the conference was conceived in order to make a thorough analysis of
what role the UN can and should play in international peace and security in the future. More specifically,
the issue was broken down into four themes, each of which were covered by a panel of the most relevant
experts and stakeholders:
1.
2.
3.
4.
The UN’s positio i the e glo al o de
The UN’s o fli t a age e t: Bet ee pea ekeepi g, p e e tio , hu a
The UN’s efo s: P og ess o deadlo k?
Political debate
o the UN’s pla e i Da ish fo eig poli y
ights a d de elop e t
Main takeaways
Weakened support for multilateralism but increased need. There are no more super powers to police
the liberal world order and sustain the rules-based system of multilateralism built up since the
esta lish e t of the UN. This is a syste i featu e of o ld politi s today, a d T u p’s fo eig poli y,
Brexit, the annexation of Crimea, are symptoms rather than causes of this new situation. This does not
mean that the UN is obsolete. On the contrary, the necessity of a meeting place to discuss what the
new world order should look like, is as relevant as ever
–
even if the Security Council is likely to remain
gridlocked, and the new great power dynamics have to be taken into account.
Sustained, robust peacekeeping. Since 2015 the concept of sustaining peace has become central to the
UN. This new understanding in the UN is that peacebuilding is relevant throughout the conflict cycle.
This has led to an ambition of breaking down the silos between the large peacekeeping operations with
their military components on the one side, and the political missions on the other. At the same time,
peace operations have moved towards a more assertive view of impartiality, which i.e. means that
uniformed peacekeepers use more robust force to defend their mandates. This is not least the case
when peace operations have to balance between protecting civilians and their human rights on the one
side, and dealing with host governments as the perpetrators.