Under UN General Assembly Resolution 57/129 [PDF] of Feb. 24, 2003, today, May 29 is designated "International Day of UN Peacekeepers."
It's worth taking a moment to consider the contributions that UN peacekeepers (military and civilian) make to international peace and security, in the most difficult circumstances (Darfur, Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo).
UN peacekeepers are currently the second largest internationally deployed military force in the world (after the US military). Over 90,000 peacekeeping troops and police from 117 countries are deployed under UN command in 16 peacekeeping missions that are helping to keep the peace from East Timor to Haiti to Sudan to Lebanon.
The dramatic increase in UN peacekeeping since the end of the Cold War corresponds to a significant decrease in armed conflict since the end of the Cold War. But peacekeeping is badly overstretched.
Although often derided, peacekeeping works. According to recent research, the deployment of peacekeepers reduces the risk of war of breaking out again by, conservatively, 55-60%, and by as much as 75-85%, compared to civil wars where no peacekeepers are sent. And UN peacekeepers are systematically deployed to the places where peace is hardest to keep. Peacekeeping failures are well known, but successes (eg, Liberia, Sierra Leone) don't make headlines.
The UN Departments of Peacekeeping Operations and Field Support (DPKO/DFS) have only 700 or so headquarters staff to support over 113,000 peacekeepers (troops, police, and civilians) in the field.
132 peacekeepers were killed in the line of duty in 2008, the highest figure in history.
The theme of this year's observance is the need for more women in UN peacekeeping.
The Obama administration has set a new tone with the United Nations, and US support can make a big difference for UN peacekeeping. The United States is the largest contributor (paying about a quarter) to the peacekeeping budget, which is currently $7-8 billion annually, dwarfing the regular assessed UN budget, but miniscule compared to the US defense budget.
However, developed countries, including the US, have largely stopped contributing troops to UN missions. The top 5 leading troop contributors are Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Nigeria, and Nepal. The US currently ranks 67th (after Togo, Fiji, and Mali) among troop and police contributors. (Only 60 or so UN member states have the capability to provide significant number of troops and police trained to UN standards). Specialized econtributions of "enabler" capabilities (helicopters, military engineers, etc.) from countries like the US could make a big difference in the ability of missions to fulfill their mandates.
UN peacekeeping works. But it depends on support from member states.
Happy international day of UN peacekeepers!