Global Policy Forum

By Alexandra Olson

The U.N. General Assembly divided peacekeeping into two departments Friday, a victory for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon after months of negotiations to overhaul management of the overburdened operations. Ban first proposed the reform shortly after taking office in January, arguing having a department to handle management and one to handle operations would improve oversight of the 100,000 peacekeepers around the world — the highest number in the history of the United Nations. But some countries resisted the change, criticizing Ban for trying to push it through without going through the normal committee and budget procedures in the General Assembly. There were also concerns about the chain of command in the new system.

The 192-member General Assembly, by consensus, on Friday approved creating the Department of Field Support to handle management and logistics, leaving the Peacekeeping Department to focus on operations. Both will be headed by undersecretaries-general. However, the assembly approved the $230.5 million budget for the new system for only a year. Renewal of the new post of undersecretary-general of field support will be subject to a review of its efficiency, relevance, and whether the new system protects unity of command, according to the resolution. The assembly authorized 284 new temporary posts for the restructured system; Ban had originally sought 400 new positions. The secretary-general "didn't get everything he has asked for, but substantially it is a very positive resolution," said Michele Montas, spokeswoman for Ban.

The U.N. had to move quickly last year to deploy 13,000 peacekeepers to southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah guerrillas fought a 34-day war with Israel. It also sent police officers to help restore order in East Timor after weeks of political violence. The U.N. has nearly 9,000 peacekeepers in Haiti — often waging gunbattles with armed gangs — and 18,000 in Congo, its largest mission.

The biggest challenge this year is mustering enough peacekeepers to send to the conflict-wracked Darfur region in Sudan, whose government recently approved the deployment of a 23,000-member joint U.N.-African Union force in a diplomatic breakthrough. The General Assembly approved a $5.25 billion budget for 13 U.N. peacekeeping operations.

Under the new structure, the head of peace operations would direct the head of field support despite their shared rank — a prospect that raised concern among some countries. The General Assembly urged Ban to "define explicitly the roles and duties" of the new head of field support. It also emphasized that the "unique nature of the reporting line" would not "set a precedent" at the United Nations.

Montas said "the reform package has been carefully crafted" to "provide unity of command, coherence in policy and strategy." "With this resolution, member states have reaffirmed the importance they attach to U.N. peacekeeping, and demonstrated their willingness to substantially invest in bolstering the secretariat's capacity in this key endeavor," she told reporters. The assembly rejected Ban's proposal to give the field support department control over procurement for peacekeeping operations, leaving it in the hands of the Department of Management.

Members of the powerful Group of 77, which represents 132 mainly developing countries and China, had been concerned that their countries would have less control over procurement with Ban's proposed shift, a U.N. official said on condition of anonymity because the discussions were private. "They want to know who gets what contract," the official said. "The Group of 77 was not comfortable with moving procurement for fear of losing whatever control they have left."