The United Nations has a wide array of peacekeeping missions deployed around the world. Each is mandated by the Security Council, with the approval of nine of its fifteen members and without a veto from one of the permanent member states (the US, China, France, Russia, and the UK). The missions range from limited in scope to sweeping undertakings like overhauling a national government.
UN peacekeeping mission work has three main pillars: Peace-enforcement, meant to ensure that any treaty or cease-fire established by the Security Council is enforced; Peace-building, meant to assist ex-combatants in implementing any post-conflict agreements; and Peace-making, which encourages belligerents to negotiate a peaceful resolution for their differences. The most important goal of any peacekeeping mission is to protect civilians and to reduce violence in the conflict zone.
A second objective is to deter rogue elements that could sabotage the peace process. Belligerents often are undisciplined and have no central source of command and control, so there is a risk that one side will renege on a deal while negotiations continue. UN peacekeeping forces can deter such rogue actions by providing security, facilitating communication between the parties, and bringing in political moderates from both sides of the conflict.
Peacekeeping missions also seek to limit the spread of conflict into neighboring countries, a phenomenon known as conflict contagion. However, in addition to the challenges posed by armed groups and local political elites, peacekeeping missions have become arenas for superpower rivalries, as illustrated by MINUSMA’s strained relationship with France, and in the Democratic Republic of Congo by the presence of private security companies.