Partnerships in the Midst of Robust UN Peacekeeping

The UN has undertaken missions that are more robust than ever before, particularly in Mali (MINUSMA), DRC (MONUSCO), CAR (MINUSCA), and Haiti (MINUSTAH), following years of calls for greater peacekeeping capabilities. The push for robustness has led to peacekeepers being given greater military capabilities and equipment that allow for greater force generation in the field to protect civilians from imminent harm. Simultaneously, the protection of civilians and wider peacebuilding activities have seen the UN deploy alongside and collaborate with many external actors. The partnerships needed for a peacekeeping mission to be deployed and achieve its mandate are diverse and multifaceted. For instance, the UN Security Council must work with potential troop-contributing countries and the host state. UN peacekeepers then work alongside other UN programmes and agencies, NGOs and civil society, and the host state in the implementation of their mandate. How then have robust peacekeeping practices impacted the relationships between the UN and its partners? The project first maps the trend of robustness by examining the increasing capabilities of peacekeepers and the drivers of militarisation. Then the project unpacks the complex relationships by conducting semi-structured interviews with participants ranging from UN personnel across various departments, agencies and programmes, member state permanent missions, military personnel from troop-contributing countries, and those working alongside peacekeepers in the field such as NGOs. The interviews unpack the evolution of these working relationships amidst robust peacekeeping practices and allow the project to suggest how peace operations can ensure positive relationships with their partners.