Fifty unforseen years.

It's one of the most familiar expressions in UN speak today, but the Charter makes no mention of peacekeeping. The Security Council presumably paused for detailed deliberation when, in 1948, it established the first peacekeeping mission, which built upon the intent, if not the letter, of its assigned responsibility. Over the next 40 years it continued to expand upon that premise, very gradually, with just 13 missions sent afield. Then, in 1988, the world began to change and in the decade that followed 35 new missions were launched.

Today, there are 16 United Nations peacekeeping operations under way involving some 14,000 peacekeepers. Over 750,000 military and civilian police personnel and thousands of other civilians have served in these operations; more than 1,500 have died while serving in these missions.

Peacekeeping was pioneered and developed as one of the means for maintaining international peace and security. Most UN peacekeepers, often referred to as "blue helmets", have been soldiers, volunteered by their Governments to assist and support a mandated international effort of restoring and maintaining the peace. At its peak in 1993, the total deployment of United Nations military and civilian personnel reached more than 80,000 from 77 countries.

Complex missions which involve simultaneous political, military and humanitarian activities have built upon experience gained in "traditional" UN peacekeeping, which typically involved primarily military tasks, such as monitoring ceasefires, separating hostile forces and maintaining buffer zones. Civilian police officers, electoral observers, human rights monitors and other civilians have joined military UN peacekeepers. Their tasks range from protecting and delivering humanitarian assistance, to helping former opponents carry out complicated peace agreements.

UN peacekeepers have been called upon to help disarm and demobilize former fighters, train and monitor civilian police, and organize and observe elections. Working with UN agencies and other humanitarian organizations, peacekeepers have helped refugees return home, monitored respect for human rights, cleared landmines and begun reconstruction.

Troops serving in UN peacekeeping operations carry light weapons and are allowed to use minimum force in self-defence, or if armed persons try to stop them from carrying out their authorized tasks. Observers and civilian police are usually unarmed. UN peacekeepers cannot impose peace where there is no peace to keep. However, where the parties to a conflict are committed to solving their differences peacefully, a UN peacekeeping operation can be a catalyst for peace and help create a "breathing space": a more stable and secure environment in which lasting political solutions can be found and implemented.

UN peacekeeping should not be confused with other forms of multinational military intervention, including "enforcement" actions. On several occasions, the Security Council has authorized Member States to use "all necessary mean" - including force - to deal with armed conflict or threats to peace. Acting with such authorization, Member States formed military coalitions in the Korean conflict in 1950 and in response to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1991. Multinational operations were deployed in addition to United Nations operations in Somalia, Rwanda, Haiti and Bosnia and Herzegovia. In 1997, the Council authorized action by a "coalition of the willing" to deal with the situation in Albania. It also authorized deployment of a multinational peacekeeping force in the Central African Republic, which in March 1998 was replaced by the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic (MINURCA).

What does a peacekeeping operation require?

In needs a clear and practicable mandate, effective command at Headquarters and in the field, the sustained political and financial support of Member States, and - perhaps most important - the cooperation of the conflicting parties. The mission must have the consent of the Government in the country where it is deployed - and usually of the other parties involved - and obviously must not be used in any way to favour one party against another. Peacekeepers' strongest "weapon" is their impartiality and their legitimacy, drawn from the fact that they represent the international community as a whole.

Who's in charge here?

The 15 Member States of the Security Council - not the Secretary-General of the United Nations - create and define peacekeeping missions. The United Nations Charter specifies that the Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. Any of the five permanent Council members - China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States - can veto any decision on peacekeeping operations. The Council decides the operation's size, is overall objectives and its time-frame. As the UN has no military or civilian police force of its own, Member States decide whether to participate in a mission and, if so, what personnel and equipment they are willing to offer.

Military and civilian police personnel in peacekeeping operations remain members of heir own national establishments, but serve under the operational control of the United Nations, and are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with the exclusively international character of their mission. They wear their national uniforms, but also wear blue berets or helmets and the UN insignia to identify themselves as United Nations peacekeepers. Civilian personnel are loaned from the United Nations Secretariat, from United Nations agencies or from Governments, or work on a contractual basis.

How much does it cost?

The United Nations estimated peacekeeping budget for July 1997-June 1998 is approximately $1 billion. This has declined from about $3 billion in 1995, which reflected the expense of UN peacekeeping in the former Yugoslavia. All Member States contribute to peacekeeping costs under a formula that they have designed and agreed upon. As of February 1998, however, Member States owed the UN about $1.6 billion in current and back peacekeeping dues.

Peacekeeping soldiers are paid by their own Governments according to their own national rank and salary scale. Countries volunteering personnel to peacekeeping operations are reimbursed by the United Nations at a flat rate of about $1,000 per soldier per month. The United Nations also reimburses countries for equipment. But reimbursements so these countries are often deferred because of cash shortages caused by Member States' failure to pay their dues.

And who contributes personnel and equipment?

All Member States share the responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. Since 1948, more than 110 nations have contributed personnel at various times. As of early 1998, 71 Member States were contributing military and civilian police personnel to ongoing missions. Civilian personnel have come from virtually all nations.

Is peacekeeping still relevant today?

Armed conflicts continue to flare up throughout the world, generated by a variety of causes. Inadequate political structures within countries collapse, or fail to provide for the orderly transfer of power. Dissatisfied populations identify with ever-smaller groups, often based on ethnicity, which may or may not respect national boundaries. Competition for scarce resources intensifies, as anger and frustration grow among people trapped in poverty. These elements provide fertile soil for violence within or between States, fed by massive numbers of virtually all kinds of weapons, readily available worldwide. International peace and security is threatened, and the lives and livelihoods of entire populations destroyed.

Many of today's conflicts may seem remote to those not immediately in the line of fire. But the world's nations must weigh the risks of action against the proven dangers of inaction. Recent history has shown how quickly civil wars between parties in one country can destabilize neighbouring countries and spread throughout entire regions. Few modern conflicts can be considered truly "local". They often generate a host of problems - such as illegal traffic in arms, terrorism, drug trafficking, refugee flows, and damage to the environment - whose repercussions are felt far from the immediate conflict zone. UN peacekeeping is an indispensable tool whose legitimacy and universality are unique, derived from its character as an action taken on behalf of a global organization with 185 Member States. UN peacekeeping operations can open doors which might otherwise remain closed to efforts in peace-making and peace-building, to secure lasting pace.

For a country where UN peacekeepers are deployed, the legitimacy and universality of UN peacekeeping:

* limit the implications for national sovereignty which other forms of external involvement may bring;

* can foster discussion among parties to a conflict which might otherwise be impossible;

* and can focus attention on conflicts and their impacts, which might otherwise go unheeded.

For the wider international community, UN peacekeeping:

* can serve as a rallying point for international efforts, demonstrating to the parties that the international community speaks with one voice in favour of peace, and can limit the proliferation of alliances and cross-alliances that can aggravate conflicts;

* offers many countries a means for sharing the burden of action to control and resolve conflicts, resulting in greater efficiency in human, financial and political terms.