Review on the future of all forms of UN peace operations

A wide view of the General Assembly Hall as Secretary-General António Guterres (at podium and on screens) addresses the opening of the Summit of the Future. UN Photo / Loey Felipe

At the Summit of the Future on 22 September 2024, the General Assembly adopted the Pact for the Future [the Pact] and its annexes – a comprehensive framework aimed at addressing a wide range of global challenges, including in the realm of international peace and security.

Among various actions, the Pact requested the Secretary-General to “undertake a review on the future of all forms of United Nations peace operations, taking into account lessons learned from previous and ongoing reform processes, and provide strategic and action-oriented recommendations for the consideration of Member States on how the United Nations toolbox can be adapted to meet evolving needs, to allow for more agile, tailored responses to existing, emerging and future challenges.”

The Department of Peace Operations (DPO) and the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) jointly led the review on the future of all forms of United Nations peace operations. It builds upon the extensive reflections conducted by DPO and DPPA over the past few years regarding the future of peacekeeping operations and special political missions, respectively.

The outcome of this review has been submitted to the General Assembly and the Security Council in August 2026 as a report of the Secretary-General.

Explore the report

At the Summit of the Future on 22 September 2024, the General Assembly adopted the Pact for the Future – a comprehensive framework aimed at addressing a wide range of global challenges, including in the realm of international peace and security.

Among various actions, the Pact requested the Secretary-General to “undertake a review on the future of all forms of United Nations peace operations, taking into account lessons learned from previous and ongoing reform processes, and provide strategic and action-oriented recommendations for the consideration of Member States on how the United Nations toolbox can be adapted to meet evolving needs, to allow for more agile, tailored responses to existing, emerging and future challenges.”

The Department of Peace Operations (DPO) and the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) jointly led the review, benefiting from extensive consultations with Member States, regional partners, United Nations peace operations, the wider United Nations system and civil society. The review also built upon the extensive reflections conducted by DPO and DPPA over the past few years regarding the future of peacekeeping operations and special political missions, respectively.

The review's outcome was submitted to the General Assembly and the Security Council on 20 August 2026 as a report of the Secretary-General (A/80/798-S/2026/600). The Secretary-General presented the report to the General Assembly on 26 August 2026.

The Secretary-General’s report takes account of the global peace and security environment and ongoing political shifts at the international level. As the first review mandated to consider the entire spectrum of peace operations — all peacekeeping operations and special political missions — it examines how these instruments provide a rich and complementary range of options for Member States.

The report proposes a reset in how United Nations peace operations are conceived and used for a new geopolitical era, while reaffirming key principles and considerations that should guide them across different settings, including clear political end states agreed in the Security Council, national ownership of political and peace processes, impartiality of the Secretariat, respect for the Charter of the United Nations and international law, and strong cooperation with regional organizations.

The report contains 47 recommendations and commitments across eight areas:

Prioritizing peacemaking, preventive diplomacy and the pacific settlement of disputes
Towards a new partnership with host States
Focused and adaptable mandates
Division of labour between peace operations and the wider United Nations system to maximize collective impact
Enabling agile peace operations
Cost-efficient and accountable peace operations
Readiness for a highly dynamic future
Global-regional partnerships for networked peace operations

The review was underpinned by broad and extensive consultations—both across the United Nations system (including the pertinent intergovernmental organs) and with Member States, regional organizations, civil society, and academia. Particular emphasis in the consultations was placed on geographic diversity and engaging with host countries. The consultations sought to build a comprehensive understanding of what different constituencies expect from future United Nations peace operations, generate innovative ideas on how peace operations can respond more effectively to the evolving international peace and security environment, and build political support for translating those ideas into action.

A call for written input generated more than 40 submissions from Member States and more than 40 from other stakeholders, including regional organizations and civil society. DPPA and DPO also drew on the extensive record of earlier reviews and reforms of peace operations, beginning with the Brahimi report of 2000, and on the key lessons and recommendations they set out. A central message from the consultations was clear: United Nations peace operations remain critical tools for the maintenance of international peace and security, but they must adapt to today’s realities if they are to remain effective.

EU (European Union)

Disclaimer: The United Nations does not guarantee the truthfulness, accuracy, or validity of information from non-UN sources. The submission of written contributions by civil society actors included in this list does not imply endorsement by the UN. Contributions are made available in the original language(s) submitted.

In conducting the review on the future of all forms of UN peace operations, DPPA and DPO took into account the extensive record of reviews and reforms previously undertaken with respect to peace operations, and the key lessons and recommendations presented in these reports. A list of reforms and reviews appears below, starting with the Brahimi report in 2,000. Reports were considered that addressed various general aspects and challenges across different forms of peace operations. Country-, mission- or region-specific reports are not listed.

While each major review or reform initiative was principally shaped by the pressing challenges of their time, the successive reforms and reviews have built on past recommendations in areas such as mandating, collaboration and division of labor with UN system partners, the need for adaptable administrative frameworks to mobilize capacities flexibly, and effective partnerships with host states, troop- and police-contributing countries, and external actors such as regional organizations.

Successive review processes have focused on and enabled the United Nations to strengthen institutional frameworks supporting peace operations. Overall, the track record of reform initiatives demonstrates that change and adaptation have been defining features, and often strengths, of United Nations peace operations, enabling them to respond to evolving conflict dynamics, operational challenges, and expectations from the Security Council and Member States.

Both peace operations and the Headquarters structures that plan, manage, and support them have evolved over time based on lessons learned and in response to shifting collective priorities. High-level reviews—mandated by the Security Council, General Assembly, or initiated by the Secretary-General—were often the basis for these changes, responding to evolving mandates, or at times to significant operational setbacks or performance shortcomings, including failures to protect civilians.

From the seminal Brahimi Report (2000) to the High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (HIPPO, 2015), as well as more targeted reviews or reform efforts, these processes diagnosed systemic, doctrinal, operational, and organizational gaps, and recommended corrective measures that sought to strengthening the effectiveness, responsiveness and accountability of peace operations.

Over time, several of these reviews and reform efforts led to significant changes in how peace operations are planned, deployed and managed; in the tasks entrusted to them; and in the capabilities and support systems required to deliver on increasingly complex mandates. While the majority of these reform efforts focused primarily on peacekeeping operations, a smaller number also addressed special political missions.

Adaptation through institutional learning
Resources

In parallel with formal review processes, organizational learning and field-driven innovation have played a critical role in shaping an incremental evolution of peace operations. Independent evaluations conducted by the Office of Internal Oversight Services, the Board of Auditors and the Joint Inspection Unit, as well as self-evaluations initiated by peace operations and the Secretariat offices backstopping their work, have provided important insights to inform these processes. Over the past two decades, the Secretariat has also invested in a robust knowledge management system to systematically capture lessons from mission leadership and operational experience.

These range from major legacy studies from closed missions to the documentation of key lessons learned and good practices related to all aspects of mandate implementation. Contributions from civil society actors and academics have further informed policy change and operational effectiveness.

2000 Brahimi Report – Panel on UN Peace Operations (A/55/305-S/2000/809)

2000 Report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the report of the Panel on United Nations peace operations (A/55/502 & S/2000/1081)

2004 Report of the High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change, “A More Secure World: Our Shared Responsibility” (A/59/565)

2005 SG’s report “In Larger Freedom: Towards Development, Security and Human Rights for All” (A/59/2005)

2006 SG report on peacekeeping finance (which also outlines Peace Operations 2010) (A/60/696)

2007 SG’s comprehensive report on strengthening the capacity of the United Nations to manage and sustain peace operations (A/61/858)

2009 A New Partnership Agenda: Charting a New Horizon for UN Peacekeeping

2010 Report of the Advisory Group on the Review of the United Nations Peacebuilding Architecture (A/64/868–S/2010/393)

2011 CIVCAP - Independent Report on Civilian Capacity in the Aftermath of Conflict (A/65/747 & S/2011/85)

2011 SG’s report on CIVCAP (A/66/311–S/2011/527)

2011 SG’s report on the Review of Funding and Backstopping of Special Political Missions (A/66/340)

2013 Report of the Secretary-General on overall policy matters pertaining to Special Political Missions (SPMs), submitted to the Fourth Committee (A/68/223)