20 November 2015: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon briefed the UN Security Council on the recommendations of his high-level panel on Peace Operations and his implementation report. The meeting focused on the role that the Security Council can play in strengthening peace operations in three areas: political engagement; design and implementation of UN peace operations; and reinvigorated partnerships.

The High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations was appointed by the Secretary-General in 2014, and submitted its report in June 2015.

Addressing the Council on 20 November 2015, in New York, US, Ban said strengthening peace operations is a collective task that will require the collaboration of many actors. He said his implementation report identifies areas where the UN Secretariat, Member States, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) and the Security Council can take concrete actions.

On political engagement, Ban said the Security Council should focus on prevention, and its members should unite around a shared political strategy to de-escalate tensions, as well as engage with host governments to ensure that they fulfill their obligations with regard to the safety, security and freedom of movement of uniformed peacekeepers and civilian staff.

On the design and implementation of UN peace operations, Ban noted that mandates need to be better tailored to a specific conflict environment, and able to adapt as conflicts evolve. He stressed the need for prioritized and sequenced mandates so that missions are given realistic and achievable tasks. The Secretary-General added that the Council has a responsibility to ensure that peacekeepers are equipped to carry out their tasks, for which high operational readiness, standby arrangements, agile field support and high-quality medical are essential.

On reinvigorated partnerships, Ban underscored that “deeper engagement with regional partners is a must,” and stressed the need to institutionalize consultation and dialogue, and to collaborate in planning and conducting peace operations. He also called for a deeper understanding of the expectations from troop and police contributors, their capacities and constraints.

The UN Secretary-General briefed the UNGA on reforming UN’s Peace Operations on 12 October 2015. [UN Press Release] [Remarks of UN Secretary-General] [IISD RS Story on High-level Panel Report]