Welcome to United Nations Retirement and Benefits
We support peacekeeping operations across the globe to help maintain stability and security.
Global contribution for global peace
UN peacekeeping missions are a critical tool for maintaining international peace and security. Peacekeepers are deployed in various regions of the world to protect civilians, support peace agreements, and help rebuild countries after conflict.
We work alongside UN Police and civilian colleagues to promote stability, security, and peace processes; we protect personnel and property; we work with local communities, and security forces promote lasting peace. In many missions, protection of civilians is at the heart of our mandate. Blue Helmets are protecting populations against threats and contributing to a secure environment. It is essential that we increase the representation of female military in UN peacekeeping operations.
What UN military personnel do
The UN has been deploying military personnel for service in peace operations since 1948 when the Security Council authorized the deployment of UN military observers to the Middle East to monitor the Armistice Agreement between Israel and its Arab neighbours. UN military personnel can be called upon to: Protect civilians and UN personnel;Monitor a disputed border;
Monitor and observe peace processes in post-conflict areas
Provide security across a conflict zone;
Provide security during elections;
Assist in-country military personnel with training and support
Assist ex-combatants in implementing the peace agreements; they may have signed.
One of the biggest changes UN Peacekeeping has seen over the 70 years of its existence has been the increasingly multi-dimensional nature of UN peacekeeping operations. UN military peacekeepers are often deployed in inhospitable, remote and dangerous environments where they face an unprecedented scale of challenges especially when protecting civilians, under asymmetric threats. Read more about how UN Peacekeeping is evolving to handle these modern day challenges here.
What kind of Blue Helmets are needed?
The most common sort of UN peacekeeper is the infantry soldier. However, increasingly we need specialized personnel who we refer to as ‘enablers’. These skilled soldiers include engineers, who for example were able to help with the post-earthquake reconstruction in Haiti, or the building of new roads in South Sudan. We also need helicopters and their crews, as they enable us to extend our area of influence and be much more visible. Other specialist enablers include transport companies, communicators and medical personnel. Modern peacekeeping operations are often very complex, and place high demands on the personnel we deploy. High levels of training are required before deployment, and the UN works closely with Troop-Contributing Countries to provide the best help and advice possible. Troops must know what to do if they find themselves in an ambush, for example, and must be capable of responding appropriately.