Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Peacekeeping is a unique and dynamic instrument which the United Nations (UN) organization developed as a way to help countries torn by conflict create the conditions for lasting peace. The first peacekeeping mission was established in 1948 when the UN Security Council authorized the deployment of UN military observers to the Middle East to monitor the Armistice agreement between Israel and its Arab neighbors. Since then there has been a total of 63 peacekeeping operations around the world. UN peacekeeping continues to evolve both conceptually and operationally to meet new challenges and political realities. Jean-Marie Guéhenno, former UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, said in 2008 that peacekeeping operations have a multitude of tasks to engage in. Beyond simply monitoring ceasefires, today's multi-dimensional peacekeeping operations are called upon to facilitate the political process through the promotion of national dialogue and reconciliation, protect civilians, assist in the disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration of combatants, support the organization of elections, protect and promote human rights, and assist in restoring the rule of law. Within this complex landscape of tasks the gender dimension is absolutely indispensable when considering the fact that civilians – women, children, and men – are affected by war differently and thus have different ... log in or subscribe to read full text