Russia Warns UN Peace Missions Face "Crisis of Consent"

(MENAFN) Vasily Nebenzya, Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN, has stated that UN peacekeeping and political missions are losing sight of their primary purpose. During a UN Security Council meeting on the future of peace operations, Nebenzya argued that these missions' mandates have become overly broad and ideological, which he claims has damaged trust between the UN and the countries they operate in.

He emphasized that peacekeeping should concentrate on fostering political solutions and ensuring security while respecting the sovereignty of the host nations. While acknowledging the important role of both peacekeeping and special political missions, he warned they are increasingly facing a “crisis of consent” from host countries.

"Some missions have become a means of promoting an ideological agenda that is widely disseminated at headquarters, but clearly does not coincide with the values of societies in the deployment countries and their urgent needs,” Nebenzya said, noting this has caused governments and citizens to doubt the missions' value.

Nebenzya argued that peace operations should not be burdened with tasks unrelated to the Security Council, such as domestic governance, human rights advocacy, climate change, or development. He stated, “Disagreements arise more often when missions are saturated with tasks that are not directly related to the Security Council,” warning that this approach blurs the line between peacekeepers' duties and the responsibilities of sovereign states.

He also criticized the trend of replacing smaller missions with massive, multi-thousand-strong operations that can stay for decades. According to him, these large-scale missions risk becoming too involved in the politics and economies of their host countries, and their eventual withdrawal can create new crises. Instead, Nebenzya urged for a clear "division of labor" among UN missions, funds, and programs, with the latter focusing on long-term development and peacebuilding efforts.

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