As of December  2018, the UN had 14 active peacekeeping operations worldwide (see fig. 1). 2. 3. The UN Security Council Establishes and Renews Peacekeeping Operations, Which Conduct a Range of Tasks Working with UN Member States, the UN Security Council Establishes and Renews Peacekeeping Operations

		UN Peacekeeping Operations Are Mandated to Perform Tasks Such As Maintaining Ceasefires, Protecting Civilians, and Providing Electoral Assistance

Security Council resolutions establishing UN peacekeeping operations  define mandates, or tasks, for each operation, and the peacekeeping  operations perform a variety of activities to fulfill these tasks. State’s Assessments Show that UN Peacekeeping Operations Generally Do Not Fully Meet U.S. Principles of Effective Peacekeeping and Face Challenges to Achieving Their Mandates

Based on our review of State’s most recent assessments and discussions  with State officials, we found that despite some military and political  successes of individual peacekeeping operations, UN peacekeeping  operations generally do not fully meet the U.S.-stated principles of  effective peacekeeping and face challenges to achieving their mandates. Host country consent. Based on State’s assessment, we  categorized all 11 peacekeeping operations as having met (four) or  partially met (seven) the principle of host country consent. Exit strategies. The United States Has Worked with the UN to Adjust Peacekeeping Mandates, but Does Not Have Sufficient Information to Determine if UN Resource Decisions Accurately Reflect These Adjustments The United States Has Worked with Security Council Members to Adjust Peacekeeping Mandates

When the U.S. agencies involved in peacekeeping agree that the UN  should change a peacekeeping operation’s mandate, USUN officials told  us that the USUN works with other Security Council members to make  adjustments, such as adding or removing tasks from an operation’s  mandate. USUN officials told us that these information gaps exist because UN  peacekeeping budgets do not include estimated costs by task. UN guidance on peacekeeping states that when the UN changes an  existing peacekeeping mandate it should make commensurate changes  in the resources available to the operation. However,  according to USUN officials, the UN needs more complete information on  the performance of these staff. UN Is in Early Stages of Reform Efforts to Improve Performance Information and the Extent to Which the Efforts Will Address Member States’ Concerns Is Unclear

USUN officials told us that they have concerns about the quality of  peacekeeping performance data because the UN does not have  comprehensive performance information about its peacekeeping  operations and officials are unsure whether new UN reforms in this area  will address their concerns. As a  member state of the UN, a permanent member of the Security Council,  and the largest financial contributor to the UN peacekeeping budget, the  United States plays a significant role in both the management of  peacekeeping operations and encouraging reforms to improve  peacekeeping activities. Without information on estimated  costs by task, USUN and other UN member states have difficulty  determining that resources for UN peacekeeping operations accurately  reflect changes to the mandates of peacekeeping operations. Without fully  addressing member states’ concerns about the quality of information on  the performance of peacekeeping operations, the Security Council is  limited in its ability to identify problems and take corrective action to  improve the performance of peacekeeping operations. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

In this report, we examine (1) the United Nations’ (UN) process to  establish and renew peacekeeping operations, including the tasks these  operations perform; (2) the Department of State’s (State) assessment of  the effectiveness of UN peacekeeping operations; (3) how the United  States works within the UN to adjust peacekeeping mandates and  associated resources; and (4) UN member states’ concerns regarding the  UN’s performance information. We also discussed with these officials additional steps  the United States could take to ensure that peacekeeping operations fully  meet the principles for effective peacekeeping. To inform our analyses of all four objectives, we also selected UN  peacekeeping operations in four countries—the Democratic Republic of  the Congo, Haiti, Kosovo, and Lebanon—for in-depth case studies.
Why GAO Did This Study

As of December 2018, the UN had 14 ongoing peacekeeping operations with approximately 103,000 personnel. The United States is the single largest financial contributor to these operations, assessed by the UN to contribute an estimated $1.7 billion in fiscal year 2018, according to State. It is also a member of the Security Council, the UN body tasked with maintaining international peace and security.
GAO was asked to review UN peacekeeping operations. In this report, GAO examines (1) the UN's process to establish and renew peacekeeping operations, including the tasks these operations perform; (2) State's assessment of the effectiveness of UN peacekeeping operations; (3) how the United States works within the UN to adjust peacekeeping mandates and associated resources; and (4) member states' concerns regarding the UN's performance information. To address these objectives, GAO analyzed UN and U.S. documents and interviewed UN and U.S. officials. GAO also interviewed officials at peacekeeping operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Kosovo, and Lebanon. GAO selected these operations because they represent those that perform a variety of tasks and are located in diverse regions.

What GAO Found

The United Nations (UN) Security Council establishes and renews peacekeeping operations by issuing resolutions, generally referred to as mandates, which can include a range of tasks, such as monitoring ceasefires and protecting civilians. Generally once or twice a year, the Security Council renews an operation's mandate and makes adjustments as needed.
GAO's review of the Department of State's (State) assessments as of December 2018 and discussions with State officials found that UN peacekeeping operations generally do not fully meet U.S. principles for effective peacekeeping, which include host country consent and an exit strategy, among others. GAO's review of 11 operations found that all 11 met or partially met the principle of host country consent, while five included or partially included an exit strategy. State officials stated that they must continue to work with the UN to ensure peacekeeping operations meet principles of effectiveness, which they noted are key to success.
The United States works with the UN Security Council and member states to adjust peacekeeping mandates, but it lacks sufficient information to determine if associated resources accurately reflect these adjustments. State officials noted that they do not have this information because UN peacekeeping budgets do not estimate costs by mandated task. UN peacekeeping guidance states that when the UN changes a peacekeeping mandate, it should make commensurate changes to that operation's resources. Without information on estimated costs by task, member states have difficulty determining that resources for UN peacekeeping operations accurately reflect mandate changes.
The UN has taken steps to improve peacekeeping performance data, but member states have raised concerns about that information's quality, including its completeness and timeliness. Among other concerns, member states note that the UN does not have complete information to assess the performance of civilians, who comprised about 14 percent of peacekeeping personnel, as of December 2018. In March 2018 the UN began peacekeeping reforms, including those to improve performance data. However, according to State officials, these efforts are in the early stages and more work is needed. Without fully addressing member states' concerns about the quality of information, the UN is limited in its ability to improve the performance of peacekeeping operations.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that State take additional steps to ensure that the UN (1) peacekeeping operations meet principles of effectiveness, (2) provides information on the estimated costs of mandated tasks, and (3) addresses member states' concerns about the quality of performance information. State agreed with GAO's recommendations.