Editing Peacekeeping (section)

===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>