Vanguard Magazine

PeaceKeePIng 16 DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017 www.vanguardcanada.com P protected through a logical chain of command, reliable commu- nications and logistics, as well as necessary combat support when deployed to nonpermissive UN operations. Current debates have polarized Canada's contributions to UN peacekeeping, suggest- ing that it is an 'either-or' question: we either do peacekeeping, or we do not. This is an illogical argument which does not reflect ei- ther currentinquiry into conflict management tools or a decade's worth of statistical analysis linking UN peacekeeping with durable peace and security outcomes. Canada has been involved, and will continue to be involved, in UN peacekeeping for decades to come by leading at the UN executive level, deploying military, police and civilian personnel to missions, and developing innovative ways to manage conflicts through the remit of UN peacekeeping. It is a matter of consider- ing in what way Canada's contributions will earn higher dividends for Canadian political interests, increase knowledge acquisition within the relevant government departments and agencies, and in the end, contribute to global peace and security in a way that directly benefits Canadians. This essay offers some realistic peacekeeping options to the gov- ernment of Canada based on Canada's historic involvement in UN peacekeeping, counterbalanced against contemporary chal- lenges and opportunities of global peace and security, and sub- stantiated with the body of evidence that has proven that peace- keeping works. Background Envisioned by Canada's Lester B. Pearson as an unarmed or light- ly-armed military force, made up of personnel from a number of countries, under UN command, deployed to areas where warring parties required a neutral party to observe a peace process, the United Nations Emergency Force was formed and first deployed to the 1956 Suez Crisis. Canada earned its peacekeeping stripes as one of the top contributing states from the 1950s through to the 1990s. In 1988, at the height of Canada's troop contribution era, UN peacekeeping forces were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, recognized for making a decisive contribution to the resolution of conflict around the world. Both intrinsically and extrinsically, Can- ada derives its identity as a peaceful country from a long history of peacekeeping and its successful involvement in the entire spectrum of conflict management 'peace' processes. From the late 1990s, and due to a myriad of changing inter- national dynamics, other UN member states have taken over the bulk of personnel contributions from developed states, cutting their own teeth on conflict management within insecure environ- ments that matter to global peace and security. There are 42 states ahead of Canada's contribution, with Indonesia, Burkina Faso, China, Senegal, Nepal, Rwanda, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and Ethiopia supporting the bulk of all 16 UN peacekeeping missions around the globe. These 10 countries alone contribute 51 per cent of all troops and police. In return, they receive payments per person deployed, which has become a rich resource benefiting developing states, and upon which many now rely. Canada is currently serving in five UN missions around the globe, with an average contribution of between 76-110 person- nel. These include MINUSTAH (86 deployed to Haiti and the only mission with Canadian women), MONUSCO (8 deployed to the Democratic Republic of Congo), UNFICYP (1 deployed to Cyprus), UNMISS (10 deployed to South Sudan), and UN- TSO (10 deployed to the Middle East, headquarters Jerusalem). Canada is among a group of 26 states that contribute between 100-500 peacekeepers to all UN missions. Approximately 20 per cent of states contribute peacekeepers within this range. Today, in places like Mali and Central Africa, peacekeeping mis- sions are confronted with dangerous conditions as well as remote geostrategic locations. Out of the 16 missions, five are authorized with Chapter 6 mandates, related to the pacific settlement of dis- putes. Chapter 6 missions are in low threat, relatively secure 'per- missive' environments and do not use force. The remaining 11 mis- sions are authorized with Chapter 7 mandates, related to action with respect to threats to the peace, breaches of the peace, and acts of aggression. Chapter 7 missions occur in volatile insecure theatres where operations are directly targeted. Chapter 7 missions are combat-approved missions, in other words, use of force is the common response to local aggressors and peace spoilers. The approved budget for all UN peacekeeping operations for the fiscal year 2015-16 is approximately USD $8.27 billion. Ac- cording to UN statistics, this is less than half of 1 per cent (0.5 per cent) of world military expenditures (as of 2013). Canada is among the top 10 providers of assessed financial contributions to Soldiers from the Royal 22e Régiment converse with locals during the United nations Mission in Haiti, 1996. photo: Cf photo Unit

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