DPKO Department of Peacekeeping Operations

UN Entity Layer: 
Secretariat

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. 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. 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. 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. As of April 2014, 122 countries contribute to DPKO and its 16 peacekeeping operations. As of May 2014, there are 2,463 female military personnel and 1,191 policewomen in the Department's 16 operations worldwide.

Source: Department of Peacekeeping Operations 
 

LIST OF GENDER ADVISORS/GENDER FOCAL POINTS IN UNITED NATIONS DEPARTMENT OF PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS MISSIONS

Out of 16 current Peace Keeping Operations, 9 have Gender Advisers. These are:

1 MINUSTAH (Haiti) United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti Baudouine Kamatari Senior Gender Advisor kamatari@un.org  
2 MONUSCO (DRC) United Nations Organisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo Elsie Effange-Mbella Senior Gender Advisor effange-mbella@un.org  
3 UNOCI (Côte d'Ivoire) United Nations Operation  in Côte d'Ivoire Eva Dalak Gender Affairs Officer edalak@un.org  
4 UNAMA (Afghanistan) United Nations  Assistance Mission in Afghanistan Stella Makanya Gender Affairs Officer makanya@un.org  
5 UNAMID (Darfur) United Nations Assistance Mission in Darfur Dee Dee Angagaw Senior Gender Advisor angagawy@un.org  
6 UNFIL (Lebanon) United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon Enshrah Ahmed Gender Advisor  ahmed92@un.org  
7 UNMIL (Liberia) United Nations Mission in Liberia Carole Doucet Senior Gender Advisor   doucetc@un.org  
8 UNMISS (South Sudan) United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan Amina Adam Senior Gender Advisor  adama@un.org  
9 UNMIT (Timor-Leste) United Nations Mission in Timor-Lesye Rit Reddy Senior Gender Advisor  reddyr@un.org  

Contact information

For more information, please visit the official DPKO website.