A Peacekeeping mission is a large contingent of military and police personnel deployed by the United Nations to support a political process or to maintain law and order following the end of a conflict. They are usually mandated by Security Council resolutions and supported financially by assessments of member states. The missions range from simple observer groups to more complex interpositional or multidimensional operations. They may be tasked with monitoring compliance with specific parameters established in a ceasefire agreement or with more extended tasks such as disarming and demobilising armed groups or reestablishing post-conflict government, public services and economic development.
Regardless of the type of peace operation, they are always supervised by the Security Council. An affirmative vote of nine members of the Council, including no veto from permanent members, is required to authorize a mission. In addition, the Council must approve renewals of peacekeeping missions each year when their mandates expire.
For new tasks for Blue Helmets to be considered, advocates must persuade or pressure the Security Council to consider their proposals and get them approved by the council. This is not easy, however. The Council is notoriously resistant to any initiative that could be perceived as challenging its authority. The recent case of the expansion of peacekeeping mandates is a good example. It was triggered by the 2000 Brahimi report, which recommended that some of peacekeeping’s discretionary funds be used for “quick impact projects” to generate local confidence in the mission.
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