As ceasefires grow more fragile and conflicts more unpredictable, UN peacekeeping is having to adapt faster amid rising political tensions, disinformation, and confusion over mandates.
Addressing the?Security Council, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations?Jean-Pierre Lacroix?highlighted the need for change.
¡°Ceasefire monitoring can no longer be just about being present; it is about rapidly understanding and acting on what is happening on the ground,¡± he said.
Advances in technology, he explained, are helping "blue helmets"?increase their impact by allowing them to monitor vast and complex landscapes in near-real time, overcoming the need to be physically on the ground.
At the same time, a political process backed by the unified support of Member States, particularly the Security Council, remains vital to secure and sustain peace.
Ceasefires depend on combatants
¡°While peacekeeping can be an integral part of a ceasefire monitoring regime,?the success of any ceasefire remains the sole responsibility of the parties [to the agreement],¡± he said.
Lieutenant General Aroldo L¨¢zaro S¨¢enz, Head of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (), also underscored the critical importance of the political process.
Established in 1978, the mandate of UNIFIL was most recently defined in??of 2006, which called for a full cessation of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel following the 34-day war in Lebanon.
It reinforced UNIFIL¡¯s mandate to monitor the ceasefire, support the Lebanese Armed Forces deployment in southern Lebanon, and facilitate humanitarian access.
However, the conflict between Israeli security forces and Hezbollah following the 7 October 2023 attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups in southern Israel, complicated UNIFIL¡¯s operating environment, until the cessation of hostilities agreed in November 2024.
¡°Since this cessation of hostilities and in the absence of a permanent ceasefire,?one of the main obstacles has always been that the parties interpret differently their obligations?under resolution 1701 and now with respect to the cessation of hostilities understanding,¡± Lt. Gen. L¨¢zaro said.
Combating disinformation
Another challenge is the rise of misinformation and disinformation, which undermines the credibility of UN peacekeepers and fuels local distrust. It compelled UNIFIL to adapt its approach to safeguard credibility, project impartiality, and strengthen trust.
Effective outreach, fact-checking, and timely responses are critical to safeguarding the mission¡¯s impartiality, Lt. Gen. L¨¢zaro said, noting that UNIFIL has implemented a structured communication strategy to counter misinformation, ensuring that messages are fact-based, clear and consistent across all peacekeeping units.
¡°It is essential that government actors also make public statements to sensitize the population to UNIFIL¡¯s role and mandate, to avoid misperception,¡± he added.
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