ISLAMABAD: A new analysis of developments and trends in UN-led multilateral peace-keeping operations reveals that the number of personnel deployed to peace operations fell by more than 40 per cent between 2015 and 2024, owing to the funding shortfalls and rising geopolitical tensions around the globe, according to a report released by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on Monday.

The analysis released by SIPRI says a total of 61 multilateral peace operations were active around the world in 2024. SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament. The report is released ahead of the ‘International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers’ on Thursday.

SIPRI warns that the funding challenges are likely to deepen in 2025, as top financial contributors such as the USA and European Union member states shift their priorities towards defence and cut spending on aid and peace operations.

Geopolitical tensions within the UN Security Council continue to impact multilateral peace operations. Despite a rising incidence of conflict around the world, the past decade has seen no new large-scale UN-led peace operations being deployed. Talks on mission mandates in 2024 were often difficult and ambitions low.

The United Nations Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) is the second oldest peacekeeping mission in the history of United Nations.

Established in 1951, UNMOGIP currently has 41 military personnel and 25 civilian staff. ‘If cooperation on peace operations in the UN Security Council does not improve, we are likely to see states increasingly turning away from UN-backed multilateral approaches and trying to manage conflict in others ways,’ said Dr Jair van der Lijn, Director of the SIPRI Peace Operations and Conflict Management Programme.

Divisions cause delay

Divisions within the UN Security Council contributed to delays in approving and deploying the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti (MSS). Although discussions about the mission started in 2022, the first personnel deployments — a small contingent of Kenyan police — only happened in June 2024. In the interim, the problems related to gang violence that the MSS was meant to help address had deepened considerably. Funding constraints affected many multilateral peace operations in 2024.

A liquidity crisis in the UN peacekeeping budget, caused by delayed or incomplete payments from China, the United States and other states, impacted several UN-led operations. Operations led by regional organizations also suffered financial challenges.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2025