Executive Summary
Peace and security are vital components that significantly contribute to regional and international stability. The United Nations (UN) commits to peacekeeping operations to help navigate countries through the difficult path of conflict to peace. Nonetheless, the UN does not work alone in the maintenance of peace and security across the world. Instead, the UN collaborates with regional organizations for support in maintaining international peace. This article examines the role of regional agencies in the maintenance of peace and security. It discusses the legal basis of peacekeeping operations by regional arrangements, the forms of cooperation between the UN and the organizations in maintaining international order, active mission by regional organizations; and, the advantages of using regional agencies to resolve conflicts. The article concludes that regional organizations are the cornerstone to international peace and significantly reduce the UN’s peacekeeping burden.
Introduction
The prospective role of regional organizations to help maintain international peace and security was envisioned during the establishment of the United Nations (UN) and is embodied in the Chapter VIII of the UN charter. The 1992 UN Secretary-General report to the UN Security Council titled ‘An Agenda for Peace’ outlined how the UN might respond to violations of international peace and security post the Cold War. The report recommended several proposals, including the UN drawing on the support of regional organizations in maintaining international peace and security. The report emphasized the importance of regional organizations in supporting the UN peacekeeping efforts across various spectrums, from preventive diplomacy to peacebuilding post-conflicts. Thus, regional organizations significantly lightened the UN’s burden of maintaining peace and promoting participation, consensus, and democracy in international affairs.
Therefore, the main objective of this article is to analyze the role of regional organizations in maintaining international peace and security. The paper will firstly discuss the term regional organization before addressing the legal framework of international peacekeeping and security. The article will continue with a discussion on forms of cooperation between the UN and regional organizations to promote international peace and security. Moreover, the paper will briefly discuss some of the active and recently concluded regional organization peacekeeping operations worldwide and their influence in resolving the conflicts at hand. Lastly, the article highlights the advantages of regional organizations in maintaining peace and security, followed by a conclusion that highlights the significant points of the article.
Regional Organizations
The UN Charter does not provide a specific definition for the term regional organization. However, the wording in article 52 of Chapter VIII of the UN Charter provides guidance on the description of a regional organization. The Charter uses the terms ‘regional arrangements’ and ‘regional agencies.’ the keyword in both terms is ‘regional’, which suggests geographical vicinity must exist between the members of the organization. However, the degree of vicinity between the member states is not restricted to territorial contiguity, but extends to cultural, economic and political vicinity. Examples of regional organizations include the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Western Europe Union (WEU), the Arab League, the Organization of American States (OAS), and the African Union (AU). However, regional organizations need a constitutional basis to conduct peacekeeping and security operations.
The Legal Basis of Regional Organizations Conducting Peacekeeping Operations
The legal basis for regional originations in the maintenance of international peacekeeping and security operations has been a subject of doctrinal debate as the UN Charter does not mention peace operations. Nonetheless, Articles 52 and 53 in Chapter VIII of the UN Charter can provide legal basis for peacekeeping operations.
Article 52 (1) states that “nothing in the present Charter precludes the existence of regional arrangements or agencies for dealing with such matter relating to the maintenance of international peace and security as are appropriate for regional action, provided that such arrangements or agencies and their activities are consistent with the purposes and principles of the United Nations” (The United Nations, 1945).
Article 53(1) states that “the Security Council shall, where appropriate, utilize such regional arrangements or agencies for enforcement actions under its authority. But no enforcement action shall be taken under regional arrangements or by regional agencies without the authorization of the Security Council” (The United Nations, 1945).
Therefore, the terms ‘activities’ and ‘enforcement’ as used in articles 52 and 53 respectively have come to be known as peace operations, providing a legal basis for their existence.
Forms of Cooperation between the UN and Regional Organizations
The UN works collaboratively with regional organizations in maintaining international peace and security. The cooperation is critical in promoting dialogue, providing support and in deployment of joint operations to solve conflicts across the world. The Secretary-General outlined the forms of cooperation between the UN and regional organizations in 1995 report titled ‘Supplement to an Agenda of Peace’. According to chapter 86 of the supplement, the forms of cooperation include consultation, diplomatic support, operational support, co-deployment and joint operations. The Security Council responded to the supplement by reaffirming the crucial role of regional organizations in the maintenance of peace and security.
Consultation
Consultation facilitates exchange of views on conflicts that both the UN and the regional organizations may be attempting to solve. According to the 1995 Supplement to an Agenda of Peace, consultations can either be formal with periodic reports made to the General Assembly, or less formal, where the Secretary-General calls consultative meeting with the leaders of all regional arrangements that cooperate with the UN (The United Nations, 1995). Specifically, the UN maintains close consultations with the relevant regional and sub-regional organizations on specific conflicts. Thus, through consultations, the UN and the regional organizations can establish appropriate actions to solve the conflict.
Diplomatic Support
The diplomatic support between the UN and regional organization is twofold as either of the parties can provide support through diplomatic initiatives to each other. As indicated in the 1995 Supplement to an Agenda of Peace, the support can also include technical input as OSCE does with regards to constitutional issues relating to Abkhazia (The United Nations, 1995). Regional organizations have participated in the UN peacemaking activities, which have led to the establishment of peacekeeping potations and support them through diplomatic initiatives (Supplement to an Agenda for Peace, 1995). For example, the role played by the African Union (AU), the League of Arab States (LAS) and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in supporting the UN peacekeeping efforts in Somalia. Therefore, regional organization s contributes to the UN’s peacekeeping efforts through diplomatic initiatives to resolve conflicts through respectful and productive discussions around the subject matter.
Operational Support
Regional organizations contribute to the UN’s peacekeeping efforts by providing operational support. According to the 1995 Supplement to an Agenda of Peace, operational support rendered by the regional organizations varies depending on the requirements on the ground (The United Nations, 1995). A particular example relating to operational support is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO’s) provision of airpower to support the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Yugoslav Wars. Similarly, the UN can provide technical advice to the regional organizations that are engaged in peacekeeping operations of their own. Therefore, the cooperation of the UUN and regional organizations facilitate the maintenance of international peace and security.
Co-deployment
The UN can co-deploy multiple regional organizations with different mandates but with the common purpose of maintaining peace and security in a country (The United Nations, 1995). For example, the United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH) comprised of various regional organizations with different mandates. The International Police Task Force (IPTF) among other tasks monitored the local police; the NATO-led multinational peacekeeping force (IFOR/SFOR) helped in maintaining a safe and secure environment, OSCE assisted in the organization of elections, the office of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNCHR) provided care for refugees,; while the European Union (EU) provided development assistance. Therefore, the UN deploys peacekeeping missions in conjunction with various regional organizations to maintain international peace and security.
Joint Operations
Regional organizations also contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security through joint operations. In a joint operations model, the staffing, directions, and financing of peacekeeping operations is shared between the UN and involved regional organizations (The United Nations, 1995). For example, the UN and the OAS 1993 jointly launched a peacekeeping mission in Haiti that aimed to promote and protect human rights in Haiti, which was under a military-led government. The mission, named the International Civilian Mission in Haiti (MICIVIH) was resourced by both the UN and the OAS. Therefore, regional organizations play a role in the maintenance of peace and security by providing resources, including finial, resources and direction, in joint peacekeeping operations.
Example of Regional Organization Peacekeeping Operations
The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world’s largest security organization, comprising 57 participating states from Europe, Central Asia and North America. The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, launched in 1995 with the initial goal of promoting the building of democratic institutions and protection of human rights, is an active operation and continues to play a vital role in fostering a sustainable, secure and stable environment in the country (The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, n.d.). The mission focuses on establishing institutions, associations, and processes aimed at averting future conflicts. Moreover, the mission has significantly contributed to strengthening the country’s governance and a democratic society. In general, the mission supports political and educational reforms and works to promote and protect human rights of all residents in the country.
The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM)
The UN Security Council authorized the AU to deploy the Africa Mission in Somalia (AMISON) in 2007 following years of political instability and recurring conflicts in the country. Since its deployment, AMISOM continues to conduct operations in the country and has contributed to various achievements. For example, the mission has restored stability and re-established political space, which led to the establishment of new federal institutions and the adoption of a new constitution in 2012 (The African Union. 2019). Moreover, the mission supported the country, enabling to conduct presidential elections in 2017 and the scheduled 2021, prior to which the last presidential election was in 1986. Lastly, AMISOM has helped combat Al-Shabaab militants in the country, and is preparing for gradual transfer of security responsibility to the Somali Security Forces. Therefore, the mission has significantly contributed to the restoration of peace, security and effective governance in Somalia.
The United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)
UNAMID was a hybrid joint African Union and United Nations peacekeeping operation that was formally approved by the Security Council in 2007through adoption of resolution 1769 to establish stability in the war-torn Darfur region of Sudan. The mission’s mandate included protecting civilians; facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid; mediating between the government and non-signatory armed movements; and, supporting the mediation of community conflicts (UNAMID, 2021). UNAMID completed its mandate in the region in 2020, with complete withdrawal of both uniformed and civilian personnel as of 30 June 2021 (The United Nations, 2021). Thus, the mission contributed to the promotion of human rights, peace and security in a region that was heavily polarized and divided.
Advantages of Regional Organization in Maintenance of Peace and Security
Regional organizations offer a myriad of advantages in conducting peacekeeping and security operations. Firstly, the members of regional organizations may share various aspects such as culture, territorial boundaries, language, and other background aspects thus are likely to be more in tune with the conflict at hand. Additionally, in some cases, personal relationships exists between the leaders of member states, which can facilitate a greater understanding of the conflict and constructive dialogues to resolve the conflict. Secondly, the member state of regional organization being in the geographic vicinity of the conflict can provide a timely response, preventing escalation of the conflict. Lastly, members of a regional organization have a greater political will in preserving regional stability to prevent suffering the consequences of instability, such as reduce economic growth, increased spending on defense and hosting and providing for refugees. Thus, regional organizations provide an effective way of dealing with international peace and security.
Conclusion
Overall, regional organizations are a critical component of international order as they contribute to the maintenance of peace and security through peacekeeping operations. The existence of regional organizations and their operations enshrined in Chapter VIII of the UN Charter, indicating that the founders of the UN foresaw the important role of these organizations in the maintenance of international peace and security. Regional organizations contribute to The UN’s effort of peacekeeping in a myriad of ways, including consultation, diplomatic support, operational support, co-deployment and joint operations. Lastly, regional organizations maintenance of peace and security as member of an organization often perceive it in their interest to preserve stability in their region and avoid consequences of instability.
Reference List
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