Editing Peacekeeping (section)

== Composition of peacekeeping forces ==

===Nations that participate in peacekeeping missions===
{{See also|List of countries by number of UN peacekeepers}}

[[File:Irish troops UNMIL.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|Irish [[UNMIL]] troops on patrol in Liberia, July 2006]]
The [[United Nations Charter]] stipulates that to assist in maintaining peace and security around the world, all member states of the UN should make available to the Security Council necessary armed forces and facilities. Since 1948, about 130 nations have contributed military and civilian police personnel to peace operations. While detailed records of all personnel who have served in peacekeeping missions since 1948 are not available, it is estimated that up to one million soldiers, police officers and civilians have served under the UN flag on its 71 missions. As of September 2021, 122 countries were contributing a total of around 76,000 military observers, police, and troops.<ref name="troop-and-police-contributors">{{Cite web|title=Troop and police contributors|url=https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/troop-and-police-contributors|access-date=October 31, 2021|website=United Nations Peacekeeping|language=en}}</ref>

Despite the large number of contributors, the greatest burden continues to be borne by a core group of [[Developing country|developing countries]]. The ten largest troop contributing countries (including police and military experts) to UN peacekeeping operations as of October 2021 were [[Bangladesh]] (6447), [[Nepal]] (5536), [[India]] (5481), [[Rwanda]] (5263), [[Ethiopia]] (4856), [[Pakistan]] (3949), [[Egypt]] (2818), [[Indonesia]] (2818), [[Ghana]] (2296), and [[China]] (2248).<ref name="troop-and-police-contributors" /> More than 14,000 civilian personnel serve in peacekeeping operations as legal or medical experts, educators, communication technology professionals, or administrators as of October 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/civilians|title=Civilians|publisher=UN Peacekeeping|access-date=October 30, 2021}}</ref>

As of September 30, 2021, 4147 people from over 100 countries have been killed while serving on peacekeeping missions.<ref name=":15">{{cite web|url=https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/fatalities|title=Fatalities|publisher=UN Peacekeeping|access-date=October 30, 2021}}</ref> India has the highest number of peacekeeper casualties with 174, followed by Bangladesh (159), Pakistan (159), [[Nigeria]] (157), Ghana (145), Ethiopia (138), [[Canada]] (123), [[France]] (115) and the [[United Kingdom]] (106). Since 1948, 56 peacekeepers have been killed each year on average, but recent decades have seen this number almost double, with 110 deaths per year since 2001. 30% of the fatalities in the first 55 years of UN peacekeeping occurred between 1993 and 1995.<ref name=":15" />

There is a strong North-South divide in peacekeeping in that developing nations from the [[Global South]] provide the overwhelming majority of peacekeepers. [[Thomas G. Weiss]] and Giovanna Kuele argue that this is due to three factors: regional interests, prestige, and financial benefits.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web|date=February 3, 2019|title=The Global South and UN Peace Operations|url=https://www.e-ir.info/2019/02/03/the-global-south-and-un-peace-operations/|access-date=October 31, 2021|website=E-International Relations|language=en-US}}</ref> African countries are the largest contributors of peacekeepers, but the continent also has the highest number of peacekeeping missions, and most African peacekeepers serve on African missions. As an example, almost all 4800 Ethiopian peacekeepers are deployed in its neighboring countries of [[Sudan]] and [[South Sudan]].<ref name=":9" /> Being a contributor to peacekeeping missions also provides some international prestige for developing countries, and can bolster countries' claims to be a [[great power]] as in the case of Brazil and India. Lastly, providing peacekeepers can have financial benefits for poorer countries. The monthly rate of reimbursement per peacekeeper includes $1,028 for pay and allowances; $303 supplementary pay for specialists; $68 for personal clothing, gear and equipment; and $5 for personal weaponry.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/dpko/faq/q10.htm|title=United Nations Peacekeepers - How are peacekeepers compensated?|access-date=October 23, 2014}}</ref> Both the direct payments and the training and equipment provided by UN peacekeeping missions can be financially attractive to individual soldiers and developing nations.<ref name=":9" /> About 4.5% of the troops and civilian police deployed in UN peacekeeping missions come from the [[European Union]] and less than one percent from the [[United States]].<ref name="factsheet">{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/overview.shtml |title=Peacekeeping Fact Sheet |publisher=United Nations|access-date=December 20, 2010}}</ref>

With regard to mission leadership, Force Commanders often come from large troop contributors, while the Special Representatives of the Secretary General often come from developed countries.<ref>{{cite journal |last1= Oksamytna |first1= Kseniya|last2= Bove |first2= Vincenzo|last3= Lundgren |first3= Magnus|date= 2021 |title=Leadership selection in United Nations peacekeeping |journal= International Studies Quarterly|volume= 65|pages= 16–28|doi= 10.1093/isq/sqaa023 |doi-access= free }}</ref>

===Women's participation in peacekeeping===
{{See also|Women in peacekeeping}}
[[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325|Security Council Resolution 1325]] was the first major step taken by the UN to include women as active and equal actors in “the prevention and resolution of conflicts, peace negotiations, peace-building, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and in post-conflict reconstruction and stresses the importance of their equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security”.<ref>Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women. "[http://www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi/wps/#resolution Landmark resolution on Women, Peace and Security]", United Nations.</ref><ref>United Nations Security Council (October 31, 2000) "Resolution 1325", S/RES/1325, United Nations.</ref> A critique of this resolution is that UNSCR 1325 proposes the implementing gender mainstreaming, however the progress that has been accomplished in this area has focused on women, rather than on assessing the impacts of planned action on both men and women. In 2010, a comprehensive 10-year impact study was conducted to assess the success of this resolution and found that there was limited success with the implementation, particularly in the increasing women's participation in peace negotiations and peace agreements, and sexual and gender-based violence has continued to be prevalent, despite efforts to reduce it.<ref>United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations and Department of Field Support (2010). "Ten-year Impact Study on Implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and Security in Peacekeeping", United Nations, p. 9-10. https://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/documents/10year_impact_study_1325.pdf</ref>
[[File:Ghana IntPeaceCorps 2016-05-29 B002a.jpg|thumb|Ghanaian women serve as UN Peacekeepers]]
In 2013 the [[U.N. Security Council]] unanimously passed Resolution 2122, which among other things calls for stronger measures regarding women's participation in conflict and post-conflict processes such as peace talks, gender expertise in peacekeeping missions, improved information about the impact of armed conflict on women, and more direct briefing to the Council on progress in these areas.<ref name="AWID"/> Also in 2013, the [[Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women]] (CEDAW), a UN women's rights committee, said in a general recommendation that states that have ratified the UN Women's Rights Convention are obliged to uphold women's rights before, during, and after conflict when they are directly involved in fighting, and/or are providing peacekeeping troops or donor assistance for conflict prevention, humanitarian aid or post-conflict reconstruction<ref name="ohchr.org"/> The Committee also stated that ratifying states should exercise due diligence in ensuring that non-state actors, such as armed groups and private security contractors, be held accountable for crimes against women.<ref name="ohchr.org"/>

As of July 2016, women serve in every UN peacekeeping mission either as troops, police, or civilian staff.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/resources/statistics/gender.shtml|title=Gender statistics. United Nations Peacekeeping|website=www.un.org|access-date=September 6, 2016}}</ref> In 1993, women made up 1% of deployed uniformed personnel. In 2020, out of approximately 95,000 peacekeepers, women constituted 4.8% of military personnel, 10.9% of police personnel, and 34% of justice and corrections personnel in UN peacekeeping missions.<ref name=":10">{{Cite web|title=Women in peacekeeping|url=https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/women-peacekeeping|access-date=October 31, 2021|website=United Nations Peacekeeping|language=en}}</ref> As of September 2021, no state contributing more than 100 UN peacekeepers nominates more than 25% women; in absolute numbers, the largest female contingents are provided by Ethiopia (578 female peacekeepers, or 12% of its total forces), Rwanda (500/10%), and Ghana (389/17%).<ref name="troop-and-police-contributors" /> While there is no set target for the proportion of women among military personnel, the UN is requesting contributing states to nominate a minimum of 20% women for policer officer positions and 30% for justice and corrections personnel.<ref name=":10" /> In 2024, the number of women in the military personnel of UN peace operations decreased, while their proportion increased. The proportional increase has continued since the launch of the Uniformed Gender Parity Strategy. The decline in absolute numbers can be traced back to the closure of MINUSMA. In June 2024, women constituted 8.6% of the total military personnel deployed in UN peace operations, which was an increase of 1.3% compared with the previous year.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Pfeifer Cruz |first=Claudia |date=October 2024 |title=Women in multilateral peace operations 2024: What is the state of play? |doi=10.55163/VYHM5282 |journal=SIPRI}}</ref>