The UN’s top peacekeeping official warned Thursday that UN missions are operating in the most challenging environment since World War II, as global conflicts grow more complex and dangerous.
“Now we are obviously in a context that is challenging. Needless to say, we’re facing more conflict within and between states than any time since World War Two,” said Jean-Pierre Lacroix, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, during a news conference ahead of the 2025 UN Peacekeeping Ministerial meeting set for May 13-14 in Berlin, Germany.
He noted that the nature of conflict is “rapidly evolving,” citing transnational organized crime and the effects of climate change as emerging drivers of violence with increasing impact on peacekeeping.
“These are obviously important challenges to us, peacekeeping. The conflicts are increasingly complex and intertwined,” Lacroix said.
Despite these obstacles, Lacroix praised the dedication of peacekeepers deployed in the field.
“Every single day they protect hundreds of thousands of people, sometimes—very often, actually—making a difference between life and death for these civilians,” he said.
He also highlighted their critical roles in “preventing resumption of hostilities in ceasefire contexts,” as well as supporting political processes and building government capacities.
The Berlin ministerial will serve as a forum for the UN and member states to assess how to adapt peacekeeping operations to meet today’s demands, he said.
“The ministerial meeting will be a very important opportunity for the UN and member states to determine how going forward. We can address all these challenges and make sure that we collectively work so that peacekeeping remain one of the important, viable, credible and effective tool of the United Nation and multilateralism in the future,” Lacroix said.
He added that improving cost-efficiency is also on the agenda, acknowledging the “increasingly severe financial constraints” facing the organization.