CANADA & UN PEACEKEEPING Updated July 2014

[Oscar]

CANADA & UN PEACEKEEPING Updated July 2014

[ http://www.worldfederalistscanada.org/EN-PKO4.pdf ]

In recent years, the United Nations has deployed more peacekeepers to world hot spots than at any time in the organization’s history.

Since the turn of the century, the number of UN peacekeeping personnel in the field has grown more than five-fold. With almost 120,000 military, police and civilian personnel now serving in 16 UN-led peacekeeping missions, the UN currently deploys and supports more troops in the field than any actor in the world other than the U.S. Department of Defense – more than the UK, France, China and Russia put together.

Yet while demand for United Nations peacekeepers has never been higher, Canadian contributions of personnel remain at an all time low, only about 34 military personnel, moving Canada from its number 1 spot to 62nd in rank (Chart 1).

➠ UNPRECEDENTED DEMAND FOR PEACEKEEPERS

Since 1999, the number and size of UN missions has grown dramatically (Chart 2). UN missions are now more robust, more multi-faceted and more complex. The rise in demand for peacekeeping has been most notable in Africa, where more than 90,000 peacekeepers are now deployed in places like South Sudan, Darfur, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia and Mali.
The demand for peacekeeping, especially UN peacekeeping operations, is expected to rise, not fall, in the coming years. Some current missions still lack the troop levels mandated by the UN Security Council. Contributions from countries with peacekeeping expertise and advanced military and logistics capabilities like Canada are much needed to increase effectiveness and reduce operational overstretch.

1. CANADA’S RANK AMONG CONTRIBUTORS TO UN PEACEKEEPING (Chart)
2. MILITARY AND POLICE PERSONNEL ON UN PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS (Chart)
3. CANADIAN PERSONNEL DEPLOYMENTS 2014 (Chart)

➠ DECLINE IN CANADIAN PERSONNEL CONTRIBUTIONS

Until recently, the vast majority of Canada’s military has been dedicated to operations in Afghanistan (with deployments of 2800 in 2010, 2100 in 2011 and 950 in 2012 and 2013). Currently, the largest Canadian Forces commitment (590 personnel) is to “Operation Reassurance, “ NATO’s deployment to Central and Eastern Europe in response to events in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Canada has maintained a small but diminishing presence in several UN and non-UN peace operations around the world (Chart 3).

While Canada’s treaty-mandated cash contributions to the UN peacekeeping budget have grown in parallel with the growth in peacekeeping (Chart 4), Canada’s contribution of military personnel has collapsed (Chart 5). Canada has fallen from being the single largest contributor of UN peacekeepers, a position it often held before 1992, to 62nd position today (Chart 1). Once the supplier of nearly 3,300 peacekeeping soldiers, Canada now contributes just 34 troops and military experts. Since 2006, Canada’s police contribution has outnumbered its military contribution, and it now stands at 84 men and women.

➠ COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD ARE RE-ENGAGING IN UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPING

While there was a decrease in contributions to UN peacekeeping by governments at the end of the 1990s, some western countries have notably re-engaged in UN Peacekeeping at the beginning of the 21st century.

Countries like the Netherlands, France, Germany and Italy are now acting as force multipliers by contributing advanced military capabilities in support of leading troop contributors like India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

As a middle power with no significant external threat to its borders, Canada should be primarily interested in a strengthened multilateral system. Until 1995, Canada had participated in every UN peacekeeping mission. Despite recent re-engagement by some of its NATO allies, Canada’s contribution to UN peace operations remains minimal (Chart 6).

Published by World Federalist Movement – Canada: http://www.worldfederalistscanada.org.