In late October 2024, UN Special Envoy for Myanmar, Ms. Julie Bishop, called for an end to escalating violence in the country, emphasizing that “There can be little progress on addressing the needs of the people while armed conflict continues across the country.” Ms. Bishop’s statement to the General Assembly follows a year of intensified conflict in Myanmar, with the military’s use of airstrikes and artillery in populated areas, conscription, reprisals against civilians, and restrictions on the media and internet having a dire impact on civilians. In the absence of a viable political process, clear regional leadership, or a united Security Council, there appears to be little hope for the cessation of violence in the near term.
UN envoys, however, hold a vital role in conflict settings like Myanmar where the Security Council may have difficulty in considering a situation as part of its agenda or reaching an agreement on the use of other tools to promote peace and security. UN envoys may be more likely to be accepted by member states in such instances as they tend to draw less political attention, given their flexible mandates and limited footprint. And though envoys can do little to protect civilians in such contexts, envoys may be able to influence incremental change in the behavior of parties and create space for the mobilization of other multilateral tools that can assist in bringing an end to the conflict.
Since the appointment of the first UN mediator in 1948, UN envoys have de-escalated tensions and pursued political solutions to conflict through diplomatic engagement, albeit with a mixed track record. Envoys often operate behind the scenes in ‘quiet diplomacy,’ meaning that their work tends to run under the radar of member states and the public. Given this, UN envoys remain an under-utilized mechanism for addressing conflict, with regional or country-specific special envoys currently only appointed for the Great Lakes Region, Myanmar, Syria, and Yemen. Discussion of envoys also predominantly tends to focus on good offices, mediation, and preventive diplomacy, without clear linkage to the Security Council’s agenda on the protection of civilians in armed conflict. This, however, appears to be a missed opportunity, as envoys can support protection through dialogue and engagement.
Indeed, UN envoys have contributed to civilian protection through good offices and mediation in some cases. For instance, in the Great Lakes Region, the UN Special Envoy, Mr. Huang Xia, conducted a series of missions in 2023 and 2024 aimed at de-escalating tensions between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, as well as between Burundi and Rwanda. These good offices arguably contributed to a temporary cooling of relations between DRC and Rwanda, helping pave the way for a ceasefire agreement in eastern DRC in July 2024 and providing civilians with a brief reprieve from violence. Furthermore, in Yemen, the Special Envoy’s good offices and mediation led to the establishment of a two-month truce in April 2022, which was extended twice by the parties for a total of six months. During the truce, civilian casualties were nearly halved due to the reduction of violence nationwide and civilian mobility, medical aid, and humanitarian access improved. Though the truce officially lapsed in October 2022, violence has remained at its lowest level since 2015. However, despite the merit of the above measures, dialogue without the application of other tools faces inherent limits and may not lead to sustainable peace, evidenced by the ongoing conflict in eastern DRC and Yemen today.
Envoys may also be able to create space for incremental progress in building a protecting environment by integrating a protection of civilians focus into their good offices, mediation, advocacy, and coordination efforts. For example, Noeleen Heyzer, who served as UN Special Envoy for Myanmar from 2021 to 2023, incorporated dialogue on civilian protection and humanitarian action into her strategic priorities, including through the proposal of an Inclusive Humanitarian Forum and advocacy around regional frameworks for the protection of displaced persons.
Moreover, it is important that envoys have a comprehensive understanding of the protection concerns and needs of civilians on the ground, informing their approach to addressing the conflict. In the Syria context, former Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura established the Civil Society Support Room in 2016, a forum where Syrian civil society could discuss political and humanitarian issues alongside the official political talks, providing the Special Envoy with timely inputs and feedback. This forum continues through the present day, and has been recognized as “an important driver of the Office of the Special Envoy’s engagement in humanitarian diplomacy.” It has also given the Office essential credibility and a comparative advantage in speaking to invested stakeholders about the ever-evolving humanitarian situation, though experts note room for improvement in achieving balanced civil society representation and ensuring the mechanism can help inform political negotiations.
Envoys may also face significant challenges in moving the needle forward on the protection of civilians. For instance, at the political level, envoys may encounter low political will among conflict parties in adopting measures to protect civilians or enabling humanitarian assistance, especially if influential member states are not providing compelling incentives or deterrents. An envoy’s desire to ensure they are perceived as impartial may also impact how and when they speak to threats facing civilians, especially in public fora. Furthermore, envoys remain constrained by limited resources and staffing, with the smallest special envoy office (for Myanmar) maintaining five staff and the largest (for Yemen) maintaining 101 staff. At best, an envoy is most likely to have an impact on civilian protection by ‘influencing the influencers,’ such as by raising awareness of threats facing civilians among stakeholders who can apply pressure on the parties or gaining the necessary political support for addressing protection issues in talks.
As geopolitical divides inside and outside the Security Council continue to hamper a united approach to addressing conflict, it is worth considering how different UN missions can contribute to the protection of civilians. Part of the strength of UN envoys is that they are not bound by proscriptive mandates and can explore innovative approaches, though envoys are not a substitute for other interventions. In looking forward, the role of UN envoys in building consensus around a shared vision for the future may enable them to advance civilian protection through dialogue.
Header photo: Ms. Najat Rochdi, Deputy Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria, briefs the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East in June 2024. Credit: UN Photo/Loey Felipe
A Role for UN Envoys on Civilian Protection?
By Julie Gregory
Peacekeeping
In late October 2024, UN Special Envoy for Myanmar, Ms. Julie Bishop, called for an end to escalating violence in the country, emphasizing that “There can be little progress on addressing the needs of the people while armed conflict continues across the country.” Ms. Bishop’s statement to the General Assembly follows a year of intensified conflict in Myanmar, with the military’s use of airstrikes and artillery in populated areas,1 Since October 2023, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reports there has been a 95% surge in civilian deaths from airstrikes and 170% increase in civilian deaths from artillery. conscription, reprisals against civilians, and restrictions on the media and internet having a dire impact on civilians. In the absence of a viable political process, clear regional leadership, or a united Security Council, there appears to be little hope for the cessation of violence in the near term.
UN envoys, however, hold a vital role in conflict settings like Myanmar where the Security Council may have difficulty in considering a situation as part of its agenda or reaching an agreement on the use of other tools to promote peace and security. UN envoys may be more likely to be accepted by member states in such instances as they tend to draw less political attention, given their flexible mandates and limited footprint. And though envoys can do little to protect civilians in such contexts, envoys may be able to influence incremental change in the behavior of parties and create space for the mobilization of other multilateral tools that can assist in bringing an end to the conflict.
Since the appointment of the first UN mediator in 1948, UN envoys have de-escalated tensions and pursued political solutions to conflict through diplomatic engagement, albeit with a mixed track record. Envoys often operate behind the scenes in ‘quiet diplomacy,’ meaning that their work tends to run under the radar of member states and the public. Given this, UN envoys remain an under-utilized mechanism for addressing conflict, with regional or country-specific special envoys currently only appointed for the Great Lakes Region, Myanmar, Syria, and Yemen. Discussion of envoys also predominantly tends to focus on good offices,2 Although there is no standard definition for ‘good offices,’ they generally refer to actions taken by the Secretary-General or an appointed representative to promote the peaceful settlement of disputes, utilizing the Secretary-General’s role as an impartial, independent, and honest broker. For further discussion of good offices, see Teresa Whitfield, “Political Missions, Mediation and Good Offices,” Center on International Cooperation, 2010. mediation, and preventive diplomacy, without clear linkage to the Security Council’s agenda on the protection of civilians in armed conflict.3 For an exception to this, see Dirk Druet, United Nations Special Political Missions and Protection: A Principled Approach for Research and Policymaking, International Peace Institute, July 2021. This, however, appears to be a missed opportunity, as envoys can support protection through dialogue and engagement.
Indeed, UN envoys have contributed to civilian protection through good offices and mediation in some cases. For instance, in the Great Lakes Region, the UN Special Envoy, Mr. Huang Xia, conducted a series of missions in 2023 and 2024 aimed at de-escalating tensions between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, as well as between Burundi and Rwanda. These good offices arguably contributed to a temporary cooling of relations between DRC and Rwanda, helping pave the way for a ceasefire agreement in eastern DRC in July 2024 and providing civilians with a brief reprieve from violence. Furthermore, in Yemen, the Special Envoy’s good offices and mediation led to the establishment of a two-month truce in April 2022, which was extended twice by the parties for a total of six months. During the truce, civilian casualties were nearly halved due to the reduction of violence nationwide and civilian mobility, medical aid, and humanitarian access improved. Though the truce officially lapsed in October 2022, violence has remained at its lowest level since 2015. However, despite the merit of the above measures, dialogue without the application of other tools faces inherent limits and may not lead to sustainable peace, evidenced by the ongoing conflict in eastern DRC and Yemen today.
Envoys may also be able to create space for incremental progress in building a protecting environment by integrating a protection of civilians focus into their good offices, mediation, advocacy, and coordination efforts. For example, Noeleen Heyzer, who served as UN Special Envoy for Myanmar from 2021 to 2023, incorporated dialogue on civilian protection and humanitarian action into her strategic priorities, including through the proposal of an Inclusive Humanitarian Forum and advocacy around regional frameworks for the protection of displaced persons.
Moreover, it is important that envoys have a comprehensive understanding of the protection concerns and needs of civilians on the ground, informing their approach to addressing the conflict. In the Syria context, former Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura established the Civil Society Support Room in 2016, a forum where Syrian civil society could discuss political and humanitarian issues alongside the official political talks, providing the Special Envoy with timely inputs and feedback. This forum continues through the present day, and has been recognized as “an important driver of the Office of the Special Envoy’s engagement in humanitarian diplomacy.” It has also given the Office essential credibility and a comparative advantage in speaking to invested stakeholders about the ever-evolving humanitarian situation, though experts note room for improvement in achieving balanced civil society representation and ensuring the mechanism can help inform political negotiations.
Envoys may also face significant challenges in moving the needle forward on the protection of civilians. For instance, at the political level, envoys may encounter low political will among conflict parties in adopting measures to protect civilians or enabling humanitarian assistance, especially if influential member states are not providing compelling incentives or deterrents. An envoy’s desire to ensure they are perceived as impartial may also impact how and when they speak to threats facing civilians, especially in public fora. Furthermore, envoys remain constrained by limited resources and staffing, with the smallest special envoy office (for Myanmar) maintaining five staff and the largest (for Yemen) maintaining 101 staff. At best, an envoy is most likely to have an impact on civilian protection by ‘influencing the influencers,’ such as by raising awareness of threats facing civilians among stakeholders who can apply pressure on the parties or gaining the necessary political support for addressing protection issues in talks.
As geopolitical divides inside and outside the Security Council continue to hamper a united approach to addressing conflict, it is worth considering how different UN missions can contribute to the protection of civilians. Part of the strength of UN envoys is that they are not bound by proscriptive mandates and can explore innovative approaches, though envoys are not a substitute for other interventions. In looking forward, the role of UN envoys in building consensus around a shared vision for the future may enable them to advance civilian protection through dialogue.
Header photo: Ms. Najat Rochdi, Deputy Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria, briefs the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East in June 2024. Credit: UN Photo/Loey Felipe
Notes
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