The Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres called on Thursday for a rethink on the future of peacekeeping operations, highlighting their “limits” as the world is increasingly fragmented and scarred by armed conflict.

UN peacekeeping operations have “helped save millions of lives”, in particular “by helping to uphold ceasefire agreements and protecting civilians from violence”, he stressed as he presented the “new agenda for peace”.

But “long-term conflicts that have not yet been resolved, driven by complex factors, national, geopolitical and transnational,” as well as the “disharmony between commands and resources” cast a harsh light “on their limits,” he acknowledged.

“Peace operations cannot be successful when there is no peace to be observed,” he stressed, nor without “clear” and “realistic” mandates from the Security Council.

Although he did not mention any country by name, his presentation took place a few weeks after the decision of the SA to terminate the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA), following the claim that Bamako unexpectedly put forward for it, accusing it of not responding to the needs of the fight against terrorism.

However, the blue helmets are neither an anti-terrorist force nor a peace enforcement mechanism.

“The fragmentation of conflicts, which often involve non-state armed organizations, criminal gangs, terrorists and adventurers, has increased the need for multinational peace enforcement, counter-terrorism and insurgency operations,” the Secretary-General underlined.

In this context, he called for a “global reflection on the future of UN peacekeeping operations”, referring to more “flexible” models and “appropriate exit strategies”.

To circumvent the limits of UN missions, he encouraged local organizations to develop peace enforcement missions, especially in Africa.

The situation “justifies the creation of a new generation of operations, namely peace enforcement missions and counter-terrorism operations to be led by African countries” under the mandate of the Security Council, he explained.

More generally, he emphasized that armed conflicts “have become more complex, deadly, and more difficult to resolve.”

“Last year we recorded the highest number of deaths linked to armed conflicts in three decades,” he stressed, also calling for more measures to limit or eliminate nuclear weapons.

Mr Guterres’ proposals are part of a series of 11 papers on various topics being prepared ahead of the UN’s 2024 “Summit on the Future”.