United Nations Peacekeeping

06/23/2026

Today, the Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on accountability for crimes committed against UN peacekeepers.

The resolution was authored by Denmark and Pakistan and co-sponsored by over 150 Member States. It calls for strengthened efforts to investigate and prosecute crimes against United Nations personnel serving in peacekeeping operations and reaffirms that accountability is essential to preventing future attacks.

Since 1948, 1,095 UN peacekeepers have been killed as a result of malicious acts, including 359 since 2013. Several thousand more have been injured while serving in some of the world's most challenging environments.

Notable progress has been made in recent years. Since 2020, 103 individuals have been convicted for offences related to the killing of 35 peacekeepers and two United Nations experts in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon and Mali.

But much more needs to be done ➡️ https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/06/1167789

06/23/2026

Last week, the UN Security Council held its open debate on , hearing that women remain largely excluded from peace processes despite evidence that their participation makes peace more durable.

More than two decades after the adoption of landmark resolution 1325, the Secretary-General’s latest report on the issue shows that, in 2024, women made up only seven per cent of negotiators on average worldwide, while nearly nine out of 10 negotiation tracks included no women negotiators at all.

In a day-long debate featuring more than 70 speakers, UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous said women’s inclusion reduces violence and strengthens peace agreements, but noted that they remain excluded from negotiations across conflicts.

“Gender equality and women’s empowerment are among the most powerful approaches to achieving peace,” said Sima Bahous, opening the debate. “When women are safe, nations are more peaceful,” she added.

More on the debate: https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/news/un-security-council-open-debate-on-women-peace-and-security

06/23/2026

« Soutenir la participation pleine, égale et significative des femmes en uniforme est la responsabilité de l’ensemble du système. Nous devons travailler ensemble pour garantir leur intégration à tous les niveaux. » — Ambassadeur Michael Gort, Représentant permanent adjoint du 🇨🇦 auprès des Nations Unies.

Réunis au Siège des United Nations à New York pour l’événement "From Commitment to Impact: Advancing Uniformed Women's Participation and Leadership in UN Peacekeeping", les États Membres, aux côtés de la Mission permanente du Canada auprès des Nations Unies, de la Mission permanente de l' 🇩🇪 auprès de l'ONU, de la Mission permanente de l’ 🇺🇾 auprès de l’ONU et de la Permanent Mission of the Republic of Zambia to the United Nations, ont réaffirmé leur engagement à faire progresser la participation et le leadership des femmes en uniforme dans les opérations de paix.

Depuis le lancement de la Stratégie pour la parité des genres du personnel en uniforme en 2018, la proportion de femmes déployées dans les opérations de paix a doublé, passant de moins de 5 % à plus de 10 %.

Pourquoi est-ce important ? Parce que des équipes mixtes renforcent l’efficacité, la légitimité et la crédibilité des opérations de paix. En travaillant aux côtés des communautés, les femmes et les hommes Casques bleus améliorent l’accès aux populations, renforcent la confiance et contribuent à une meilleure compréhension des risques et des besoins sur le terrain.

Les participants ont souligné que les progrès réalisés restent fragiles et nécessitent des efforts soutenus. Les États Membres se sont engagés à poursuivre leurs actions pour élargir l’accès des femmes à tous les rôles, y compris les postes de leadership, renforcer les environnements de travail inclusifs et le leadership sensible au genre.

L’événement a également marqué le déploiement du Réseau des femmes en uniforme dans les opérations de paix dans l’ensemble des missions contribuant à renforcer le soutien entre pairs, le partage d’informations et l’accès au leadership. Près de 1 800 femmes de plus de 90 pays contributeurs ont rejoint le Réseau depuis sa création.

“Il n’y a rien que les femmes ne puissent faire. Les femmes n’ont pas besoin d’être réparées, seulement d’être soutenues.” — Générale de corps d'armée Cheryl Pearce d'Australie, la conseillère militaire par intérim pour les opérations de maintien de la paix.



📸 United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS)/Gregorio Cunha, MINUSCA, DPO/Zoé Larocque

06/22/2026

The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix is in Kosovo¹.

He attended an event organized by the peacekeeping mission UNMIK - United Nations Mission in Kosovo marking the annual Global Open Day on .

¹References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999).

06/22/2026

This week marks the first-ever annual Peacebuilding Week.

Marking two decades of collective effort worldwide, the United Nations will offer an inclusive space to celebrate peacebuilding’s achievements and to look ahead to a new generation of efforts.

Because peace is not just the right investment. It is a smart one. Done right, peacebuilding lowers risk and delivers real returns.

Through the General Assembly and Security Council resolutions on the Peacebuilding Architecture Review, Member States recognized the vital role of the United Nations in conflict prevention and peacebuilding, reaffirmed the centrality of national ownership, and reiterated the importance of partnerships with a wide range of stakeholders.

This first Peacebuilding Week will be a timely step to action the ambitions of the resolutions to create more visibility for United Nations peacebuilding and prevention work and foster stronger partnerships to ensure that peacebuilding continues to evolve as a resilient, dynamic, adaptive, and forward-looking paradigm.

In celebration of the Week, the UN Peacebuilding and Peace Support Office will organize or support a series of anchor events under the overall theme of “UN Peacebuilding @ 20 – Partnerships for Innovation, Inclusion, and Impact”, aiming to convene a broad spectrum of partners from Government, civil society, youth-led organizations, multilateral financial institutions, and the private sector.

United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs

06/21/2026

In 2025, violence against children in armed conflict reached unprecedented levels.

According to verified UN data, 38,558 grave violations against children were committed, including killing and maiming, recruitment and use, abduction, r**e and other forms of sexual violence, attacks on schools and hospitals, and the denial of humanitarian access.

These violations took place in 22 countries and in one regional situation (the Lake Chad basin), as detailed in the United Nations Secretary-General's new report 👉https://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/sites/default/files/2026-06/S_2026_357_UNEDITED.pdf

In many conflict-affected countries, UN peacekeeping operations are the largest actor on the ground and their contribution is vital to protecting children.

Peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo ( ), South Sudan ( ) and the Central African Republic ( ) work to halt and prevent grave violations against children, engaging in dialogue with parties to the conflict, supporting monitoring and reporting, and ensuring child protection in included in peace negotiations and agreements.

"Protecting children is not an aspiration — it is an obligation” - Under-Secretary-General Vanessa Frazier, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.

Learn more 👉 https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/child-protection

📸 MINUSCA / United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) / United Nations Mission in the DR Congo - Monusco

06/20/2026

06/19/2026

“Gender parity is an operational necessity: more inclusive peace operations are stronger peace operations” - Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Zambia, Stenah Shampile.

Gathered at United Nations Headquarters, Member States, including the Permanent Missions of , , and to the UN, reaffirmed their commitment to advancing the participation and leadership of uniformed women in peace operations.

Since the launch of the Uniformed Gender Parity Strategy in 2018, the share of women deployed in UN peacekeeping has more than doubled, from less than 5 per cent to over 10 per cent.

This is significant, as mixed peacekeeping teams strengthen the effectiveness, legitimacy and credibility of peace operations by improving access, building trust and contributing to a better understanding of risks and needs on the ground.

However, meeting participants stressed that progress remains fragile and requires sustained effort. Member States committed to continuing their work to expand women’s access to all roles, including leadership positions, and to fostering more inclusive working environments and strengthening gender-responsive leadership.

The event also marked the rollout of the Network for Uniformed Women Peacekeepers across all peacekeeping missions, connecting nearly 1,800 members from more than 90 Troop-Contributing Countries to strengthen peer support, information-sharing and engagement with leadership.

/ / Permanent Mission of the Republic of Zambia to the United Nations

📸 Pasqual Gorriz/UNIFIL-PIO / MINUSCA / Zoé Larocque/DPO

06/19/2026

Conflict-related sexual violence against children is among the gravest violations committed in war. Often used as a tactic, it leaves lasting physical, psychological and social scars, disrupting childhoods, education and future opportunities. Many children endure stigma, exclusion and heightened vulnerability long after the violence has ended.

“Conflict-Related Sexual Violence Against Children: Safeguarding Futures and Empowering Caregivers” is the theme of this year’s International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. It recognizes that recovery does not happen in isolation: caregivers, families and communities are essential to helping survivors heal - yet they often carry immense emotional, social and economic burdens. Those responsibilities can also shape security: caregivers and community members who support survivors may also face retaliation, threats, and stigma. Women and girls, in particular, may have fewer safe options to relocate or seek assistance, increasing their exposure to harm, especially where conflict has weakened health, protection and social support systems.

For peacekeeping, protecting child survivors and caregivers means acting early and acting together. United Nations peace operations help prevent and respond to conflict-related sexual violence by strengthening whole-of-mission early warning and analysis; integrating CRSV risks into mission-wide protection approaches; raising awareness and facilitating safe, survivor-centred referrals and support - through coordinated planning and action between Child Protection Advisers and Women’s Protection Advisers, in close collaboration with military, police and civilian components and with national and local partners.

“Children are not targets of war,” said Pramila Patten, United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict.

On this International Day, we stand with survivors and reaffirm the importance of prevention, protection, accountability and care - so children can reclaim their futures, and caregivers and communities are empowered to support them.



📸 Isaac Billy/ United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS)

06/18/2026

"Hate speech is the first step down the path of dehumanization, a path that leads all too frequently to violence, conflict, and atrocity crimes," explains United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.

The rise of digital media has enabled an unprecedented production and amplification of false, hateful, misleading and/or inaccurate information, distorting facts and shaping perceptions in conflict-affected countries.

UN peacekeeping missions are increasingly targeted by actors who exploit digital platforms to spread falsehoods about their role and actions in pursuit of peace.

Addressing the challenge of harmful information is imperative for trust building, dialogue, understanding and sustainable peace.

On the International Day of Countering Hate Speech, swipe and learn how civilian peacekeeper Awa Cheikh Faye works to help missions anticipate and mitigate harmful information, while strengthening information integrity.

Learn more about Information Integrity: https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/information-integrity-and-harmful-information