The UN General Assembly session opened on September 15. This year the organisation celebrates its 70th birthday but how has the UN had an impact on the world’s conflicts?
United Nations peacekeeping operations began in 1948 and the light blue helmets and berets have been deployed to many of the world’s trouble spot from Papua New Guinea to Haiti ever since, with varying levels of effectiveness.
An internal UN study last year found that UN peacekeeping missions routinely avoid using force to protect civilians who are under attack, intervening in only 20 per cent of cases despite being authorised to do so by the UN Security Council.
While some peacekeeping missions perform adequately, others have failed to protect civilians – notably at Srebrenica, where Dutch peacekeepers watched on powerless as thousands of men were murdered.
Read the Full Article: Source – The Telegraph
Time For Truth: (The Telegraph) – What have been the successes and failures of UN peacekeeping missions?
