CAF26 Background Paper: Host Country Consent and Cooperation with UN Peace Operations – Towards Shared Accountability for Mandate Implementation

In this paper, Prof. Charles Hunt argues that host-country consent and cooperation are foundational to UN peace operations and a prerequisite for effective mandate implementation. The erosion of consent across a range of missions represents one of the most significant changes in the peace operations landscape over the past five years, with profound implications for how missions operate and deliver on their mandates. This background paper analyses this trend, and the opportunities and challenges associated with the recommendations put forward in the Secretary-General’s Review on the Future of all Forms of UN Peace Operations. Building stronger relationships between the UN Security Council, host states, peace operations and other key stakeholders will be critical to the effectiveness and legitimacy of future UN peace operations.

The paper is based on a larger report on host country consent commissioned by the Challenges Forum and undertaken by Professor Charles Hunt.