On 4 June 2025, the Global Alliance for Peace Operations (GAPO) – coordinated by the Global Governance Institute in Brussels, the International Centre for Peace Operations (ZIF) in Berlin, and Amani Africa Media and Research Services in Addis Ababa, bringing together more than 50 think tanks, civil society, research and training institutions – convened its first follow-up and stock-taking meeting after the Berlin Peacekeeping Ministerial Meeting.
Members reviewed the main takeaways from GAPO’s key engagements: the Symposium on the Future of Peace Operations (12 May 2025), the seven side events (12–14 May 2025) and the Global Alliance’s participation at the Peacekeeping Ministerial itself (13–14 May 2025).
The GAPO Symposium, held at Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP) in Berlin ahead of the Peacekeeping Ministerial, underscored the need to reform peace operations as a vital component of the global, multilateral peace and security toolbox. The event brought together more than 80 attendees from around the globe, including a wide range of officials from the United Nations Department of Peace Operations and from member states. Based on GAPO’s extensive publications and concrete policy recommendations contained in the ‘Future of Peace Operations’ Compendia, the discussion explored concrete ideas on how UN peacekeeping can be adapted and enhanced to continue playing a crucial role in promoting global peace and security.
In addition, GAPO facilitated the organisation of seven side events on the future of peace operations, held in person in Berlin during the peacekeeping ministerial week. The events explored a diverse set of topics, including Security Sector Governance and Reform (SSG/R), the role of civilians in peace operations, climate and environmental security, the feasibility of a peacekeeping mandate in Ukraine, global and regional approaches to future conflict management, and the threat of transnational organized crime (TOC).
With regard to the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial, several GAPO members joined the deliberations and actively engaged in high-level breakout sessions that focused on UN-regional organizations cooperation, the role of technology in safety and security, the integration of peacekeeping, peacebuilding and conflict prevention, as well as operational resilience and environmental management. Additionally, GAPO co-ordinators organized an exhibition stand at the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial, showcasing the Global Alliance’s contributions to global policy discussion on peace operations.
At the follow-up online meeting, participants expressed enthusiasm about the strong participation at the Berlin Ministerial – comprising over 130 Member States and international partners – and noted the attendance of UNSG António Guterres – a first for the hitherto rather intergovernmental ministerial meetings. However, in addition to various positive aspects and the overarching political signal of support for UN peacekeeping provided by attending states, the GAPO meeting also identified various challenges that require comprehensive engagement and further focus in the coming months. An important aspect should be to review member states’ pledges with a critical ‘needs analysis’ and examine the extent to which member state pledges match the acute and actual needs of the UN peacekeeping system. GAPO members agreed that the Alliance could fulfil the function of providing support for tracking and assessing pledges. Secondly, there was a shared impression that the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial focused heavily on military considerations. Whilst important and often the backbone of peacekeeping operations discussions, pledges and commitments should also focus even more on the political dimension, peacebuilding and civilian aspects. Lastly, GAPO members noted the relatively limited media coverage and public discourse surrounding peace operations and the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial. Whilst the peacekeeping ministerial meetings can often be perceived as an overly technical meeting, the political significance for the future of one of the UN’s most important tools cannot be overestimated. However, strengthening peacekeeping (and the UN’s role in global governance more generally) requires a sustained and intensive dialogue with a wide range of stakeholders, including the media as well as the wider population and electorate more generally. The political crisis of the UN is also a crisis of an absence of engaged dialogue with the local level – not only in the countries hosting peacekeeping operations, but also amongst the electorate of troop and policy contributing countries. Thus, a core focus of GAPO could and should also be a more comprehensive engagement with all societal stakeholders, particularly in the context of geopolitical tensions, funding cuts and a trend towards the renationalisation of peace and security policies.
Attendees of the follow-up meeting underlined the importance of the Global Alliance as a comprehensive and inclusive hub of expertise and policy engagement in support of UN peace operations. GAPO members also stressed the desire to further broadening its membership base as a truly global alliance. Despite – or precisely because of – the challenges ahead, the Global Alliance agreed to keep up the momentum in advancing the future of peace operations.
Do you or your organisation work on UN peace operations and are interested in joining the Global Alliance for Peace Operations? Please get in touch via info@globalgovernance.eu. For more information, please visit https://www.peaceoperations.net
