Notes

UN Peacekeeping is guided by three basic principles:
• Consent of the parties;
• Impartiality;
• Non-use of force except in self-defence and defence of the mandate.
In certain extra ordinary situations the Security Council has given UN peacekeeping operations “robust” mandates authorizing them to “use all necessary means” to deter forceful attempts to disrupt the political process, protect civilians under imminent threat of physical attack, and/or assist the national authorities in maintaining law and order.

Although on the ground they may sometimes appear similar, robust peacekeeping should not be confused with peace enforcement, as envisaged under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter.
• Robust peacekeeping involves the use of force at the tactical level with the authorization of the Security Council and consent of the host nation and/or the main parties to the conflict.
• By contrast, peace enforcement does not require the consent of the main parties and may involve the use of military force at the strategic or international level, which is normally prohibited for Member States under Article 2(4) of the Charter, unless authorized by the Security Council.
A UN peacekeeping operation should only use force as a measure of last resort as the use of force may lead to unforeseen circumstances.

Peacekeeping is flexible and over the past two decades has been deployed in many configurations. There are currently 13 UN peacekeeping operations deployed on three continents.
UN peacekeeping is a unique organization. It brings together the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Secretariat, troop and police contributors and the host governments in a combined effort to maintain international peace and security.
The UN peacekeeping forces are called upon not only to maintain peace and security, but also to facilitate the political process, protect civilians, assist in the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of former combatants; support the organization of elections, protect and promote human rights and assist in restoring the rule of law.

Functioning of UN peacekeeping organization:
The main function of the peace keeping forces are to maintain peace and security in the given area, they operate within the resolution passed in the UN security council for the said operation.
Peacekeeping, however, is political and its success depends on active and sustainable political processes or the real prospect of a peace process. Peacekeeping cannot substitute for the political will and determination of the parties to end the conflict and protect their people, nor the host state’s sovereign responsibilities.The Security Council has a vital role in securing this commitment and cooperation, while providing missions with realistic and clear mandates.Peacekeepers
protect civilians,
actively prevent conflict,
reduce violence,
strengthen security and
empower national authorities
to assume these responsibilities. This requires a coherent security and peacebuilding strategy that supports the political strategy. UN peacekeeping helps host countries to become more resilient to conflict, laying the groundwork to sustain long-term peace, including by addressing root causes of conflict.
The UN secretariat and the security council play a active role in the peacekeeping operations. As on date there are about 55 peacekeeping missions that are in operations.
The United Nations Office of Rule of Law and Security Institutions (OROLSI), established within the Department of Peace Operations (DPO) in 2007, deploys peacekeepers who, as early peacebuilders, assist conflict-affected countries in re-establishing the rule of law and security institutions necessary to build and sustain peace. ‘
Human rights is a main pillar of the UN peace keeping goals. The UN has been an advocate for Human rights since its embodiment. The Peace keeping forces are to protect and promote human rights through their mission.
The goals of human rights teams are:
• To contribute to the protection and promotion of human rights through both immediate and long-term action;
• To empower the population to assert and claim their human rights;
• To enable State and other national institutions to implement their human rights obligations and uphold the rule of law.
Thus the main aim of the deployment of UN peacekeeping forces is to maintain peace and peovide security in the given state. But there are cases that have been reported by gross violations that happened due to UN peacekeeping forces. In the Haiti cholera case the Un peacekeepers were responsible for the disease cholera that affected the said city and bought the death of more than 30,000 people. Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) improperly disposed of contaminated fecal waste into a tributary of the Artibonite River in 2010, introducing cholera to the country.

But the UN pleaded immunity under the charter and the convention of privileges and immunities of the UN. Thus the peacekeeping operations in a given territory has brought negative impacts in the said area also .