UN Official urges Security Council to restore trust in peace operations

A senior United Nations official has called on the Security Council to back peace operations as essential tools of diplomacy, warning that a growing "trust deficit" is hampering conflict resolution efforts across the globe.

Addressing the Council on behalf of the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, emphasized that without renewed unity among international stakeholders, lasting political solutions in fragile states may remain elusive.

"The trust deficit we see today did not exist with many of our more successful missions in the past. This rich history must be re-explored and mined," Pobee told the Council.

She stressed that peace operations must be tailored to the needs of host countries, while also enjoying their full cooperation. "To be successful, our political missions must be responsive to the needs of their host State or States, and conversely, enjoy the support of their host State or States. The responsibility for achieving political solutions rests with national actors," she said.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has announced that a full review of UN peace operations is currently underway. The review was mandated by Member States as part of the Pact for the Future, adopted at the United Nations in September 2024.

As peacekeeping missions evolve, UN officials say rebuilding trust, both among nations and between missions and local populations, is essential to restoring peace in conflict-affected regions.