Essay Undergraduate 1,816 words

UN Peacekeeping Operations: Criticisms and Reform Efforts

~10 min read 6 sections Government · United Nations

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of the United Nations Security Council and the UN Peacekeeping Operations (UNPKO), tracing their origins to 1948 and examining the institutional structure that governs them. It identifies three major criticisms that have persistently challenged the UNPKO: the rise of prostitution and human trafficking in peacekeeping zones, the vulnerability of peacekeeping personnel to harm, and organizational inefficiency illustrated by failures in Rwanda and Bosnia. The paper also surveys the current scale of UN peacekeeping missions, budget shortfalls, and the narrow mandates given to troops. Finally, it reviews international reform efforts — including the Brahimi Report, the UN Peacebuilding Commission, and the growing role of NATO and the EU — and concludes that human trafficking, funding gaps, and troop safety remain urgent unresolved concerns.

Key Takeaways

Overview of the United Nations Security Council: Structure, purpose, and P-5 veto powers
Origins and Structure of UN Peacekeeping Operations: UNPKO founding, DPKO, troop and funding contributions
Major Criticisms of the UNPKO: Peacekeeper safety, trafficking, and efficiency failures
Current State of UN Peacekeeping Missions: Mission scale, fatalities, budget shortfalls, narrow mandates
International Responses and Reform Efforts: Brahimi Report, Peacebuilding Commission, EU and NATO roles
Conclusion: Unresolved issues threatening UN reputation

✍️ How to write this paper — guide, tools & examples ▾

What makes this paper effective

The paper grounds its critique in concrete historical failures — Rwanda (1994) and Bosnia (1995) — giving the argument specificity rather than relying on vague generalizations.
It balances descriptive context (how the Security Council and DPKO are structured) with evaluative analysis (why those structures produce inefficiencies), creating a coherent argumentative arc.
The inclusion of funding figures, troop contributor statistics, and fatality data adds quantitative support that strengthens the credibility of each criticism raised.

Key academic technique demonstrated

The paper demonstrates systematic problem-solution structuring: each criticism is introduced, supported with evidence or examples, and then linked to an existing or proposed reform. This approach shows readers not only what is wrong but also what the international community has attempted to do about it, and where those attempts fall short.

Structure breakdown

The paper opens with a descriptive overview of the Security Council and its permanent members, then transitions to a historical background on UNPKO. Three core criticisms are developed in sequence, followed by a current-situation section that updates the reader on mission scale and ongoing concerns. An international-action section surveys reform mechanisms, and a conclusion synthesizes the key unresolved issues. This six-part structure moves logically from description to analysis to evaluation.

📘 Read the full essay guide → Build your outline → Generate a thesis → Generate citations → 📚 More United Nations examples →

Essay 1,816 words

Overview of the United Nations Security Council

The United Nations (UN) has a Security Council that consists of 15 members. The primary purpose of this council is to resolve issues and conflicts in order to maintain peace among the nations of the world. This council was initiated in 1946, at a time when the League of Nations had failed. The main reason attributed to that failure is that the League did not have sufficient influence over its members to compel them to adopt resolutions. The UN Security Council, by contrast, not only works to resolve conflicts and other issues as they arise, but also creates sanctions, issues binding resolutions, and dispatches peacekeeping personnel, among other functions.

Among all the bodies of the UN, the Security Council is usually the first to attempt to resolve conflicts, with the aim of addressing them even before they fully develop. For this reason, it is important for member states to have a representative available at all times during sessions.

Out of the 15 members on the Security Council, 5 are permanent. These members represent the Russian Federation, the United States of America, the People's Republic of China, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and France. These five permanent members are also known as the P-5. They hold considerable power, including the right to veto any resolution put forward by the UN. The remaining 10 members serve two-year terms; at the time of writing they represented Morocco, Colombia, India, Azerbaijan, South Africa, Pakistan, Germany, Portugal, Guatemala, and Togo.

5 Sections Hidden · 1,240 words

Origins and Structure of UN Peacekeeping Operations240 words

The Security Council was established in 1948 in connection with the creation of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization. It is the duty of the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations (UNPKO)…

Major Criticisms of the UNPKO280 words

Almost since its establishment, the UNPKO has faced criticism. Peacekeepers are typically deployed to precarious locations, and there is a…

Current State of UN Peacekeeping Missions270 words

Presently there are more than 100,000 peacekeeping personnel out in the field. Most of these are soldiers, but there are also policemen and…

International Responses and Reform Efforts290 words

A number of actions have been taken by the UN to respond to the criticism it has faced since the 1990s. In 2005, partly in response to the failures in Bosnia and…

Conclusion160 words

The UN is an organization more than 60 years old; however, even with all the experience and knowledge it has accumulated, criticisms against its various bodies have continuously been increasing. As discussed above, the most pressing issue driving criticism is that…

View Full Document

References

"Activities of the European Union — Foreign and Security Policy," EUROPA — EU Website. Web. 15 Dec. 2011. Accessed from:

"BBC News — UN Peacekeepers 'failed' DR Congo Rape Victims," BBC Homepage. Web. 15 Dec. 2011. Accessed from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11224656

"Contributors to UN Peacekeeping Operations: October 2011." 31 Oct. 2011. Web. 15 Dec. 2011a. Accessed from:

"Contributors to UN Peacekeeping Operations: October 2011." 31 Oct. 2011. Web. 15 Dec. 2011b. Accessed from:

"Current Peacekeeping Operations, United Nations Peacekeeping," Welcome to the United Nations: It's Your World. Web. 15 Dec. 2011b. Accessed from:

"Financing Peacekeeping, United Nations Peacekeeping," Welcome to the United Nations: It's Your World. Web. 15 Dec. 2011. Accessed from:

"Peacekeeping," Global Policy Forum. Web. 15 Dec. 2011. Accessed from:

"The Impact of Armed Conflict on Children," UN Resolution A/51/306, 26 August 1996.

"United Nations Peace-building Commission," Welcome to the United Nations: It's Your World. Web. 15 Dec. 2011. Accessed from:

"United Nations Peacekeeping: Fatalities by Year." 30 Nov. 2011. Web. 15 Dec. 2011c. Accessed from:

"United Nations Peacekeeping: Fatalities by Year." 30 Nov. 2011. Web. 15 Dec. 2011d. Accessed from:

"What Is Peacekeeping? United Nations Peacekeeping," Welcome to the United Nations: It's Your World. Web. 15 Dec. 2011a. Accessed from:

MacFarquhar, N. "Peacekeepers' Sex Scandals Linger, On Screen and Off," NY Times Online. 7 Sept. 2011. Web. 15 Dec. 2011. Accessed from: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/08/world/08nations.html?pagewanted=all

Piesing, M. "Why Are UN Peacekeepers So Badly Equipped for Modern Conflict," The Independent. 9 Aug. 2011. Web. 15 Dec. 2011. Accessed from: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/why-are-un-peacekeepers-so-badly-equipped-for-modern-conflict-2334052.html

Key Concepts in This Paper

UN Security Council P-5 Veto Power UNPKO DPKO Human Trafficking Peacekeeper Fatalities Rwanda Failure Brahimi Report Peacebuilding Commission Mission Mandates