Human Rights Obligations of United Nations Peacekeepers: Implementation through the UN’s Own Policies and Remaining Challenges

Abstract

There is no comprehensive document, in which the United Nations sets out its position on the human rights obligations of its peacekeepers. Security Council and General Assembly resolutions do not provide much guidance either. However, a patchwork of United Nations policies – some adopted at the level of the Secretary-General, others by the UN departments responsible for peacekeeping operations and special political missions – recognize and seek to implement a comprehensive set of human rights obligations that rest on United Nations peacekeepers. The present article seeks to place this patchwork into a coherent normative framework consisting of duties to respect human rights, duties to take precautionary steps, duties not to assist human rights violations of others, a responsibility to protect civilians and their human rights and the obligation to provide effective remedies for human rights violations. In doing so, it identifies remaining gaps in the policy framework. While not the primary focus of this article, some of the most significant advances and gaps in the actual implementation of existing policies are highlighted.