SOLLIMS Sampler Volume 9, Issue 3 | Page 5

1. INTRODUCTION In his most recent Protection of Civilians report, the UN Secretary-General honed in on a number of countries – highlighting the regrettably high civilian casualty counts for 2017: In 2017, the United Nations recorded … some 2,600 [civilian casualties] in Somalia and approximately the same number in Yemen. In the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, attacks killed more than 1,100 and almost 2,000 civilians, respectively. In each of these countries of seemingly endless violence, dedicated UN peacekeepers are steadfastly going about their business. And in one particular country – namely, Mali – UN peacekeepers themselves have been the targets of sporadic attacks while determinedly going about their business. Complexity abounds – within these environments, missions, mandates, planning, coordination, contingencies, and so on. This SOLLIMS Sampler examines just a handful of the great many complexities found in peacekeeping operations, such as:        protecting peacekeepers against an array of asymmetric threats figuring out keys to success in peacekeeping and violence reduction optimizing robustness to impact conflict resolution – Mali and beyond ensuring effective strategic communications – Somalia and beyond pursuing inclusive mediation at multiple levels with multiple actors managing transitions – peacekeeping to peacebuilding – Liberia and beyond addressing/improving environmental impact during peace operations To its credit, the UN has gained various efficiencies in peacekeeping over recent years – through updates to policy, doctrine, training, etc. “Success” in the face of complexity has also proven possible: UNMIL / Liberia attests to this. That said, in the interest of gaining further efficiencies and successes, the lessons in this publication offer various thoughts and recommendations from researchers, analysts, and peacekeeping practitioners. Peacekeepers return to base after completing Counter IED and EOD training during Exercise Shanti Doot 4, a multinational UN peacekeeping exercise in Bangladesh. (Photo by Lance Corporal Adam Montera. March 2018.) Table of Contents | Quick Look | Contact PKSOI Page 4 of 34