From Sudan to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Mali, many United Nations (UN) transitions are now taking place in complex and insecure environments.
Peace operation transitions are inherently periods of uncertainty with destabilizing effects. Even in the best cases, well-organized transitions can still involve disruption and transformation in the way UN actors operate and the protection they can offer civilians.
Peace operations are often deployed alongside a variety of UN actors. Many of these UN agencies predate a mission’s arrival and will often remain long after its withdrawal. Coordinated and cooperative approaches between UN actors are most effective to realizing complimentary objectives across mandate areas and are particularly critical in the resource-constrained and fluid environment of peacekeeping transitions.
Using the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) drawdown as a case study, this Policy Brief focuses on how UN integration can help avoid or mitigate serious protection gaps during UN peace operation transitions, including how it may help avoid gaps in physical protection, sustain efforts to promote protection through dialogue and engagement, and support activities aimed at building a protective environment.
The brief identifies successes that can be replicated as well as enduring challenges that require further support from the UN Secretariat, Member States, UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes (UN AFPs), host states, and other partners to overcome.
The brief is based on interviews with 116 individuals, including Congolese civilians and civil society leaders, MONUSCO uniformed and civilian officials, humanitarians, UN secretariat officials, and Congolese government officials, conducted online and in the cities of Kinshasa, Goma, and New York between June and September 2023.
Read and download the brief here.
