Nepal has become the second-largest troops-contributing country in the United Nations Peacekeeping mission. The journey of the peace-keeping mission started for Nepal after becoming a member of the United Nations in 1955 and since then, has been an active participant in most UN peace operations. The participation of the Nepali Army in UN peace support operations reaches a period of more than a half-century with almost 43 UN missions, in which over 1,35,399 personnel have participated. As of July 2021, based on the report published by Nepal Army, they have been deployed across 12 missions around the world this year with almost 5169 soldiers including 181 female soldiers serving different missions. Based on the report published, we have compiled the top ten countries in which Nepal has shown its active participation in its missions.
*The ranking is based on the total number of missions conducted in the respective country.
Western Sahara is a disputed territory claimed by Morocco and Sahara is fighting for their existential crisis. The UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) is working with its peacekeeping force in regions of Western Sahara to monitor the treaty signed between Morocco and Polisario – the Western Sahara national liberation movement. They have a primary objective to decrease the threat of mines and UXO and provide logistic support to the UNHCR-led CBM (Confidence Building Measures) with personnel and air as well as ground assets and remain ready to continue supporting the UNHCR program pending agreement of the two parties on a resumption of the activities, suspended in June 2014.
Sudan has a history of long periods of civil war. The largely non-Arab, non-Muslim South, accused the primarily the Arab, Muslim North of political and economic exclusion, and also he ethnic and religious discrimination. This political movement brought the independence of South Sudan, the Abyei area, which lies along the border of Sudan and South Sudan, remaining contested. The primary objective of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) is to monitor the border between north and south. Additionally, the peacekeeping force also delivers the act of humanitarian aid. UNISFA is also authorized to use force in protecting civilians and humanitarian workers in Abyei.
Iraq, popularly known as the “Land Between the Rivers”, is a region in the easternmost countries of the Arab world bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, Syria and Jordan to the west, and Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to the south. With the UNAMI (United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq), the peacekeeping force focuses on the sectors of advice, support, and assistance to the Government and people of Iraq on advancing inclusive, political scenarios and national and community-level reconciliation; assisting in the electoral process; facilitating regional dialogue between Iraq and its neighbors, and promoting the protection of human rights and judicial and legal reforms.
Mali is one of the largest countries with landlocked boundaries in western Africa, mostly in the Saharan and Sahelian regions. The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) is one of the UN Missions focused to support political processes in that country and carry out a number of security-related tasks. The Mission has the primary objective to support the transitional authorities of Mali in the stabilization of the country and protection of civilians, rebuilding the security, protection, and promotion of human rights in the country, and implementation of the transitional roadmap.
Libya, a country rich in desert and oil production with an ancient history. With the high source of natural resources, the country followed a source of international tension as rival governments in the west and east aim to establish nationwide control. The country has fragmented, and since 2014, it has been divided into competing political and military factions based in Tripoli and the east. The UN mission in Libya especially with United Nations Military Experts in Mission Course (UNMEM) aims to prepare Military Officers for service as United Nations Military Observers, Military Liaison Officers, or Military Advisors in any ongoing or future United Nations peacekeeping operations. The course training focuses to generally prepare the participants for duties in a peacekeeping operation so that they can fulfill the military aspects of the UN peacekeeping mandates in accordance with DPKO (Department of Peacekeeping Operations) principles and guidelines, perform their duties in an effective, professional and integrated manner, and demonstrate the core values and competencies of the United Nations guidelines.
Lebanon, officially known as the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia, bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel in the south, Cyprus in the west. UN peacekeeping in Lebanon concerns working on three main priorities: Peace and security; Domestic stability and effective governance. It also focuses on reducing poverty and promoting sustainable development. They are also engaged in conducting daily foot patrols that are critical in maintaining stability in south Lebanon. Additionally, they also take part in observing, monitoring, and reporting the security situation on the field.
The central African Republic is one of the landlocked countries in Central Africa bordered by Chad in the North, Sudan in the northeast, South Sudan in the southeast, the Republic of Congo to the southwest, and Cameroon in the west. With its security conditions remaining extremely unstable throughout the nation, the UN mission is concerned with the security, humanitarian, human rights, and political crisis. With the unstable security conditions, the presence of the UN assists in the stabilization mission mandated to protect the civilians. The 3R ( Return, Reclamation, Rehabilitation) launched large-scale attacks becoming one of the reasons for several armed groups to have emerged in the CAR, which has been mired in violence since a brutal civil conflict erupted in 2013.
Congo is one of the least developed countries but is considered the largest country of Central Africa in terms of Size. But the situation regarding insecurity, grave violations of human rights, and displacements continue to affect civilians, precisely women, and children. The United Missions in Congo serves to highlight the crucial role to discourage violence against civilians. The UN focuses on assisting and supporting the Congolese Government for the stabilization and growth of the DRC by providing humanitarian assistance to the ones needed. They also focus on protecting civilians, honoring human rights, and reducing societal tension and conflicts.
South Sudan is one of the least developed regions in the world with its poverty, combined with limited government and limited agency capacity to respond to emergencies and deliver development worsens the potential for renewed conflict. The United Nations Mission was a United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan working to protect civilians and build durable peace. They are responsible for maintaining safety and security for people living within the Civilians sites, deterring and preventing sexual and gender-based violence to resolve the intercommunal conflict.
The United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria was a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Syria, set up in 2012 as a response to the Syrian Civil War. The UN mission implements its mandate in the context of measures to support UN peacekeeping Missions and to control the effects of Covid-19. In July 2021, Nepal sent its team of militants to Syria under the six mission units. UNDOF (United Nations Disengagement Observer Force) whose major area of operation was to supervise the separation between Israeli and Syrian forces. Similarly, the FHQ Support mission (Militant Force Headquarters Support Unit) to plan and conduct the employment for the FHQ support unit. Moreover, CPU (Child Protection Unit) maintains regional peace and security in securing predictable, sustainable, and flexible resources.
Last updated on 2024-04-24