The UN DPKO and the development of a UN Doctrine for Peacekeeping Operations
As part of its “Peace Operations 2010” reform agenda, UN DPKO has embarked on a major effort to develop a “UN Peacekeeping Doctrine” that aims to set out the fundamental principles, core objectives and main factors contributing to the success of contemporary UN peace operations.Participants
As part of its “Peace Operations 2010” reform agenda, UN DPKO has embarked on a major effort to develop a “UN Peacekeeping Doctrine” that aims to set out the fundamental principles, core objectives and main factors contributing to the success of contemporary UN peace operations. The document will replace the 1995 “General Guidelines on UN Peacekeeping” and serve as a capstone guide for practitioners both in the field and at headquarters, and provide a basis for the training of civilian, military and police personnel preparing to serve in UN peace operations around the world.
The doctrine document is being developed in close consultation with member states, UN system partners and other key stakeholders through a series of independently hosted, expert-level regional workshops. NUPI will continue to work closely with DPKO and create an arena where researcher, experts and stakeholders can provide important input to the new doctrine which is highly relevant with regard to Training for Peace in Africa’s (TfP) objectives, and which will have bearings on future policy development and practical training conducted by TfP partners.
The project aims at organising an international expert workshop in Oslo, at which the UN DPKO will be able to present and discuss the new UN Peacekeeping doctrine at one of its last stages.
The workshop will address questions which the UN DPKO sees as central in the process of developing, including:
Do the traditional principles of peacekeeping remain as valid today as the touchstones for effective peacekeeping?
How has our interpretation and understanding of these principles evolved?
What does the evidence of recent practice tell us?
Have new principles emerged alongside the old?
What have we learned about the meaning and nature of consent?
Is the non-use of force except in self-defence still a guiding principle for UN peacekeeping?
Funding
Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Publications
- de Coning, Cedric H., Julian Detzel, Petter Hojem (2008). UN Peacekeeping Operations Capstone Doctrine. Report of the TfP Oslo Doctrine Seminar 14 & 15 May 2008, Oslo, Norway. Oslo, NUPI. 9 pages. Security in Practice. TfP Oslo Doctrine Seminar Report. The Peacekeeping Best Practises Section of the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and the Training for Peace Programme at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) organized a seminar on the new DPKO Capstone Doctrine that took place in Oslo on 14 & 15 May 2008.