Answer: The UN peacekeeping forces have been helping countries navigate the difficult path from conflict to peace for over seven decades. UN peacekeepers have undertaken 71 field missions and a total of 119 countries have contributed military and police personnel to UN peacekeeping including India. India’s contributions towards UN peacekeeping efforts include:

• India has a long and distinguished history of service in UN peacekeeping, having contributed more personnel than any other country. To date, more than 2,53,000 Indians have served in 49 of the 71 UN peacekeeping missions established around the world since 1948.
• India served as chair of the three international commissions for supervision and control for Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos established by the 1954 Geneva Accords on Indochina.
• In 2007, India became the first country to deploy an all-women contingent to a UN peacekeeping mission in Liberia.
• Indian peacekeepers in the South Sudan mission also distinguished themselves through humanitarian service, including organizing medical camps, providing vocational training, carrying out significant road repair work, etc.
• The Indian contingent in the Upper Nile region received UN medals of honor for their dedication and service in peacekeeping. to UN missions.
• Indian peacekeepers have also brought the ancient Indian practice of yoga Members of the UN mission in Lebanon, UNIFIL and UNMISS, South Sudan celebrate International Yoga Day.
• India has also provided 15 Force Commanders to various missions and was the first country to contribute to the Trust Fund on sexual exploitation and abuse, which was set up in 2016.
• As many as 177 Indian peacekeepers have lost their lives while serving in UN peacekeeping missions, the highest from any troop-contributing country.

Challenges currently faced by the UN peacekeeping force:

• Safety of peacekeepers: The UN Security Council needs to call on host nations to ensure the implementation of measures adopted by the Council under Resolution 2589 of 2021 to address the issue of impunity of crimes against peacekeepers.
• Redundant missions: There are several examples of missions without any exit strategy, thereby draining the UN’s depleting resources. For instance, the UN mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2021 continues to deploy 17783 people including 12,384 troops despite starting as a small mission.
• Organizational challenges: Issues such as lack of coordination between the host nation and peacekeeping forces, no role of troop and police-contributing countries in the decision-making process, etc. result in unrealistic mission mandates. Further, the lack of power on the part of the UN Secretariat to ensure accountability of military forces deployed on UN missions leads to poor execution.
• Operational challenges: There is a need to introduce new and advanced technology in peacekeeping missions as well as strengthen the capabilities of the host states’ security forces to overcome security and mandate implementation challenges. Moving forward, prudent deployment of peacekeeping missions and establishing trust and coordination between the peacekeeping mission’s leadership and the host state would remain the key to achieving desired outcomes.