U.N. Peacekeeping: Status of Long-standing Operations and U.S. Interests in Supporting Them
NSIAD-97-59
Published: Apr 09, 1997. Publicly Released: Apr 09, 1997.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on: (1) the budgetary and personnel cost of the eight long-standing U.N. peacekeeping operations; (2) whether these operations are carrying out their mandates; (3) the status of efforts to resolve underlying conflicts; and (4) the reasons the executive branch continues to support these operations.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of State | In light of U.S. interests in supporting well-defined peacekeeping operations linked to concrete political solutions, the Secretary of State should take the lead in working with the U.N. Security Council to identify specific exit criteria and strategies for these operations. This should be done in a manner consistent with PDD-25, balancing the need to bring closure to these operations with other U.S. interests, such as stabilizing conflicts that pose a threat to U.S. foreign policy objectives. These strategies need not propose immediate ends to these operations, but rather, may focus on how and when the desired end states can be achieved, what intermediate and final objectives are sought, and what specific role these operations play in achieving the sought-after end states. |
Closed – Implemented
In a written statement on action taken on this recommendation, the Department: (1) agreed with the importance of establishing clear exit criteria and strategies for peacekeeping operations; and (2) said that an essential element in its efforts to ensure effective implementation of executive branch peacekeeping reform policy would be to review options to clarify how and when the desired end states for operations can be achieved, what intermediate and final objectives are sought, and what specific roles these operations play in achieving the desired end states.
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Topics
Civic actionCost effectiveness analysisPeacekeepingForeign governmentsForeign policiesInternational cooperationInternational organizationsInternational relationsUnited Nations military forcesPeacekeeping operations