Stakes are always high in peace operations, so decent training is vital for the various roles of peacekeepers, the implementation of the mission mandate and for ensuring operational unity, coordination and coherence. ...
The UN Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism, issued in January 2016, called for a comprehensive response to a growing threat. As a result the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (UNDPKO), like all other UN agencies, will be required to consider how it can contribute to a UN response in this area. As we celebrate the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, it is important also to celebrate how they can make a difference to new global challenges....
Predicting the future is a minefield, but undoubtedly one of the toughest challenges for the new UN Secretary-General will be how to steer the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO). Not only because it is one of the most expensive activities of the system, but also because it needs to reconcile two of the core values of the UN: the maintenance of international peace and security, on the one hand, and human security, on the other....