The United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations was officially founded in 1992, although the first United Nations Peacekeeping Operation was established in 1947 when the Security Council appointed a mediator and military observers to oversee the Arab-Israeli peace process. United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) is still  in operation today monitoring the ceasefire and assisting other UN operations in the region [1]. The Security Council under the United Nations Charter has the principal responsibility of preserving international peace and security. Although peacekeeping operations are not specifically mentioned in the Charter itself, the Security Council, under the guidance of the Secretary General, has developed the mandates of peacekeeping missions to address threats to peace processes [2]. The United Nations Charter also provides for the legal foundation for the deployment of peacekeeping operations.

Peacekeeping operations function under international humanitarian law. Missions are often deployed to uphold these laws especially to protect the rights of civilians and victims of armed conflicts [3]. United Nations Peacekeeping operations address a variety of conflicts across the globe. Peacekeepers are deployed by the Security Council upon a nation's approval to monitor peace negotiations between nations or within national conflicts. Peacekeeping missions, although primarily a military based operation, have a large team of experts that include economists and legal experts who examine diverse issues such as sustainable governance and human rights abuses [4]. The UN depends on the contribution of military or police personnel to support missions in many different locations. Statistics recorded in early 2010 marked the number of contributing countries at 115, with over 30% of civilian support personnel as women, in the Department's 16 peace operations worldwide [5].

Source: Department of Peacekeeping Operations