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Future of Peace Operations Program

Tracking the Brahimi Report

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One goal of the Future of Peace Operations program is to advance reform of peace operations, especially implementation of the Report of the Panel on UN Peace Operations (known as the "Brahimi Report"). Released by the United Nations on August 23, 2000, the report is the result of an intense, four-month study of shortcomings in UN peacekeeping and related field operations. The report calls for significant reform and restructuring of the UN's approach to peace operations, with specific recommendations to make this vital UN function more effective. Since the report's release, the United Nations has undertaken a number of key reforms recommended by the Panel. Many recommendations remain to be adopted, however, particularly those requiring the political and financial support of member states.


Stimson Center Senior Associate William Durch directed the production of the report, and the Future of Peace Operations program remains committed to supporting reform efforts. The program's research on implementation of the Brahimi reforms culminated in a December 2003 report, The Brahimi Report and the Future of UN Peace Operations, by William J. Durch, Victoria K. Holt, Caroline R. Earle, and Moira K. Shanahan. This page provides information on the Report and its recommendations as well as updates on the status of implementation.


The Brahimi Report and the Future of UN Peace Operations | Status of Implementation | Stimson Support to the Panel | Press Releases

The Brahimi Report and the Future of UN Peace Operations

December 2003
William J. Durch, Victoria K. Holt, Caroline R. Earle, Moira K. Shanahan

Three years ago, the Panel on UN Peace Operations challenged the international community to strengthen and revitalize UN peace operations. The landmark “Brahimi Report” recommended sweeping changes in the way that UN peacekeeping and associated post-conflict peacebuilding are conceived, planned, and executed. The Report identified serious shortcomings in the UN’s ability to “confront the lingering forces of war and violence,” and helped launch an ongoing effort for institutional change within the United Nations that continues today.

Tackling such change and solving operational problems—from planning new missions to recruiting capable forces, deploying them rapidly and sustaining them in the field—are vital for the successful conduct of peace operations, a tool of international security policy that is likely to see heavy use for the indefinite future. Tracking and publicizing such change are also important if interested user communities are to keep abreast of the tools that they have at their disposal. This publication of Stimson's Future of Peace Operations programe tracks the recommendations of the Brahimi Report, identifies which have been implemented so far and how well, assesses what that means for UN peace operations capacity, and recommends next steps.

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Implementation of the Brahimi Report


The Future of Peace Operations program examines strategies to reform UN peace operations, especially the implementation of the recommendations in the Report of the Panel on UN Peace Operations (the "Brahimi Report.") The Brahimi Report, released by the United Nations on 23 August 2000, lays out specific recommendations for making UN peace operations more effective.

Following release of the Report, the UN deliberated during the Fall of 2000 to consider steps towards making the measures a reality. Implementation review is underway -- through deliberations in the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council and by a series of reports conducted by several UN committees. Some recommendations from the Report have been (at least partially) implemented while other reforms remain to be addressed. These formal UN reports, which can be accessed through the linked list below, are aimed at establishing a roadmap and evaluating the resources needed for implementation.

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Stimson Support to the Panel on UN Peace Operations

March 2000-August 2000

In late February 2000, the executive office of the Secretary-General invited Stimson Senior Associate Dr. William Durch to serve as project director for the Panel on United Nations Peace Operations, chaired by Undersecretary-General Lakhdar Brahimi. Durch's appointment by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan was based on the landmark research on peacekeeping doctrine and operations found in his books, The Evolution of UN Peacekeeping and UN Peacekeeping, American Policy, and the Uncivil Wars of the 1990s (St. Martin's Press, 1993 and 1996). Stimson Center Research Analyst Caroline Earle anchored the Washington, D.C. leg of the research effort, focusing on how to increase the utility of information technology for peace operations. In the course of researching the report, the Stimson team, with the assistance of United Nations personnel, conducted over 200 interviews within the United Nations system, assessed conditions on the ground in the UN mission in Kosovo, and met with the leadership of the NATO Kosovo Peace Implementation Force and representatives of non-governmental organizations working in Kosovo.

Altogether, research and preparation for the report consumed ten weeks, while the process of drafting, multiple reviews by the Panel, and final substantive preparation of the report took just eight weeks. Following translation into the UN's working languages, the Panel's report was released to the press and capitals on August 21, 2000, and to the public on August 23rd.

The genesis, objectives, and limitations of the report are described and discussed in UN Peace Operations and the Brahimi Report (October 2001 revision) by William J. Durch, revised October 4, 2001 (20 page pdf).

Press Releases

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