United Nations peacekeeping operation refers to an operation authorized by the United Nations Security Council to help the parties to a conflict to maintain peace, restore peace and finally achieve peace by non-military means.
As of May 2004, the United Nations has deployed 65,438+05 peacekeepers in Asia, Africa and Latin America, including 53,000 peacekeepers from 94 countries and 65,438+0.1.000 United Nations staff. In 2004, the budget of United Nations peacekeeping operations exceeded $4 billion. Among the 15 peacekeeping operations, the Middle East Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) established in 1948 is the longest peacekeeping operation of the United Nations. The shortest time is the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea, which was established in July 2000. Of the 65,438+05 peacekeeping operations, 4 were in Africa (MONUC, UNMEE, Sierra Leone and Western Sahara), 2 were in Asia (UNTAET and UNMOGIP) and 5 were in Europe (UNMIBH, UNFICYP, UNOMIG, UNMIK and Prevlaka).
Peacekeeping is one of the important functions of the United Nations. United Nations peacekeeping operation is an operation to send peacekeeping troops or military observer missions to conflict areas to restore or maintain peace according to the resolutions adopted by the Security Council or the General Assembly. Its purpose is to prevent the expansion and recurrence of local conflicts, thus creating conditions for the realization of political settlement. The tasks of peacekeeping operations include monitoring ceasefires, truce and withdrawal; Disengage the parties to the conflict; Observe and report the situation; Help to implement the peace agreement; Prevent illegal cross-border or infiltration, and maintain law and order in conflict areas. In recent years, with the changes in the international situation, the tasks of United Nations peacekeeping operations have also expanded, involving many non-traditional tasks, such as monitoring elections, holding referendums, protecting and distributing humanitarian assistance, helping demining and returning refugees to their homes. In addition to military personnel, there are also civilian police and civilian personnel participating in the peacekeeping team.
The establishment of peacekeeping operations is generally decided by the Security Council, and the United Nations General Assembly has occasionally made decisions in history. Its specific implementation is decided by the Secretary-General of the United Nations in consultation with the Security Council. There are two main forms of peacekeeping operations: military observer missions and peacekeeping forces. The former is generally composed of unarmed soldiers, while the latter is composed of armed military detachments. Because peacekeeping operations are not mandatory, military observers are not allowed to carry weapons; Although the peacekeeping forces are equipped with weapons, they must not use force without authorization unless they have to defend themselves. United Nations peacekeeping operations are temporary measures, usually for a certain period of time, which can be extended by the Security Council according to the specific circumstances and the proposal of the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The most basic requirement of peacekeeping operations is absolute non-interference in a country's internal affairs.
According to the Charter of the United Nations, the United Nations can stop international conflicts in the following two ways: one is purely diplomatic, that is, to resolve disputes through good offices and mediation; The second way is to prevent conflicts by blockade, embargo, economic sanctions and even sending United Nations troops. Peacekeeping operation is the so-called "third way" between diplomatic way and compulsory way, which appears in the practice of United Nations mediation and settlement of regional conflicts.
Peacekeeping operations are mainly divided into two categories: United Nations peacekeeping operations directly led by the Secretary-General (including military observer missions and peacekeeping forces) and peacekeeping operations authorized by the Secretary-General and directed by regional organizations or major countries (including multinational forces and "humanitarian intervention forces").
United Nations peacekeeping operations have three major characteristics: international: organized by the United Nations, with members from all Member States, under the command of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and only responsible to the United Nations; Non-mandatory: Peacekeeping forces can only be established with the consent of the countries concerned and the voluntary participation of Member States. It has no right to take coercive measures in peacekeeping and can only use force in self-defense; Neutrality: Peacekeeping operations must be fair, just and non-interference in internal affairs.
The United Nations Secretariat has a Department of Peacekeeping Operations, which is responsible for peacekeeping operations. But every specific peacekeeping operation needs to set up a special organization, and each peacekeeping organization is generally composed of military personnel and civilian personnel, with a complete and systematic organization. Usually, military personnel undertake peacekeeping duties, while civilian personnel are responsible for administration and logistics.
The personnel on duty in peacekeeping operations are mainly composed of three parts: first, peacekeeping troops equipped with light weapons for self-defense; Second, military observers without any weapons; Third, logistics units such as engineering, medical care and transportation. Peacekeeping troops and military observers are still members of their own armed forces and are bound by the military laws, regulations and rules of the sending countries. Accept the command of the United Nations in peacekeeping operations. Peacekeeping officers and soldiers wear their own military uniforms. In order to show their status as peacekeepers, they all wear blue berets or helmets and United Nations badges.
Soldiers in United Nations peacekeeping missions are not loyal to the United Nations. Governments that voluntarily send military personnel and civilian police retain the ultimate authority over their respective troops serving under the United Nations flag. The United Nations reimburses countries that voluntarily send personnel to participate in peacekeeping at a flat rate of about 1 000 dollars per soldier per month. The United Nations also reimburses countries for equipment costs.
Traditional peacekeeping operations can be basically divided into two categories: one is an observer mission composed of unarmed military observers to supervise the implementation of ceasefire, withdrawal or related agreements; The second is to send peacekeeping troops equipped with light weapons to defend themselves to ensure a ceasefire, ease the situation and create conditions for resolving disputes. Since the late 1980s, the number and scale of United Nations peacekeeping operations have greatly increased. At the same time, in addition to continuing to assume the traditional responsibility of monitoring the ceasefire, its tasks have expanded dramatically, including organizing and monitoring elections, maintaining law and order, resettling refugees, creating a safe environment for humanitarian relief operations, disarming factions, demining and rebuilding the country.
According to the statistics of the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations, in the more than 50 years since 1948 dispatched the Truce Supervision Organization to Palestine, the United Nations has carried out more than 50 peacekeeping operations in various conflict areas, with peacekeeping expenditure exceeding1900 million US dollars, involving more than 800,000 military, police and civilian personnel, and the number of deaths in peacekeeping operations is about 1800. Peacekeeping operations have become one of the important means for the United Nations to maintain international peace and security. United Nations peacekeeping forces won the Nobel Peace Prize 1988. In 2002, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution to designate May 29th as "International Peacekeepers Day" every year.
As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China has always attached importance to and supported the United Nations to play an active role in maintaining international peace and security under the guidance of the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. With the change of the role of United Nations peacekeeping operations, China began to take a differentiated and active support attitude in the late 1980s.
China's participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations adheres to three principles recognized by the United Nations for more than 50 years: the principle of consent, and peacekeeping operations can only be carried out with the unanimous consent of all parties concerned; The principle of neutrality, peacekeeping operations are temporary measures stipulated in the Charter of the United Nations, and do not interfere with the rights, demands or positions of the countries concerned; The principle of non-force, peacekeeping forces can only use force in self-defense.
1988 China became a member of the United Nations Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations. 1988 in September, China formally applied to join the United Nations Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations. From 65438 to 0989, China sent a delegation to the United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Namibia for the first time to help Namibia achieve its independence from South Africa. From 65438 to 0990, China's army sent military observers to UN peacekeeping operations for the first time.
June 2004 5438+1 October1,in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
United Nations peacekeeping force China medical team.
flag-raising ceremony
1in April, 1992, China's first "blue helmet" unit, the engineering brigade, went to Cambodia to carry out its mission. 1In May 1997, China agreed in principle to participate in the United Nations standby arrangement for peacekeeping. 65438-0999, China officially announced that it would send peacekeeping police to participate in UN peacekeeping operations. In June 2000, 5438+ 10, China sent 15 policemen to Timor-Leste for the first time to carry out the UN peacekeeping mission. 200 1 12, China formally established the Office of Peacekeeping Affairs of the Ministry of National Defense to coordinate and manage China's military participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations. June 5438 +2002 10, China formally participated in the first-level standby arrangement mechanism of United Nations peacekeeping operations (the first-level standby arrangement mechanism stipulates that the dispatched personnel and equipment must be deployed within 90 days; The second level is 60 days; The third level is 30 days), and it is ready to provide logistics support teams such as engineering, medical care and transportation to UN peacekeeping operations at an appropriate time. It can provide 1 UN standard engineering battalion, 1 UN standard medical team and 2 UN standard transportation companies. In April 2003, China sent a peacekeeping force consisting of an engineering company of 175 and a medical unit of 43 to the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the first time to participate in United Nations peacekeeping operations, and successfully organized the first rotation of 65,438 personnel in February of the same year. During the eight-month peacekeeping operation, the second batch of officers and men of the peacekeeping force successfully completed various tasks entrusted by the United Nations. According to the regulations of United Nations peacekeeping operations, China decided to send the third batch of peacekeeping troops to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the second batch of officers and men returned home by rotation. In July 2003, China decided to send a peacekeeping force of 550 people, consisting of a transport company, an engineering company and a medical team, to the mission area in batches, which is the largest and largest number of China's participation in UN peacekeeping operations so far. As of May 2004, China participated in 15 UN peacekeeping operations, sending about 2,300 military personnel and 253 civilian police. In September 2004, the United Nations awarded the China Peace Medal of Honor to all officers and men of the Liberian peacekeeping force. In the early morning of June 65438+1October 65438+July, 2004, 95 members of China's peacekeeping police riot squad took a UN special plane to Haiti to carry out a UN peacekeeping mission. This is the first riot squad in China to go abroad for peacekeeping missions. As of June 38, 2004+10/October 7, China has sent 297 peacekeepers to six UN peacekeeping missions in Timor-Leste, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Liberia, Afghanistan, Kosovo and Haiti. At present, 92 China peacekeepers are still on duty in five of them. China's four peacekeeping policemen, Timor-Leste won the United Nations Medal 19 China's peacekeeping police in Kosovo won the United Nations Peacekeeping Medal.