UN peacekeeping is increasingly under strain – over-deployed, heavily-mandated and under-resourced. This state of overstretch, coupled with continuing demand for new missions, presents a fundamental strategic challenge for the UN and its members. To adapt to the challenges facing peace operations, the international community must examine options for institutional improvements in UN peacekeeping as well as strategies for responding to emerging global trends.

In support of this objective, the Center on International Cooperation and the Canadian Permanent Mission to the United Nations are cooperating to convene a series of panel discussions to explore critical issues confronting the future of UN peace operations. The series will draw on expertise from the practitioner, NGO, academic and UN communities. It will provide a forum for candid discussion of current challenges and potential solutions.

This series builds on a similar series held through 2009 and 2010. The intention of renewing this series is to build on the lessons emanating from these early discussions to inform new strategic and operational challenges facing United Nations peacekeeping operations.

The series will be conducted throughout 2012, with each event preceded by a concept note prepared by the Center on International Cooperation and circulated to all member states. All events will be hosted at or near the United Nations in New York, and will be open to the full UN membership.

This page, which contains all of the documents from the first series of discussions, will be updated regularly to provide all of the concept notes and event summaries for this series of panel discussions.