SOLLIMS Sampler Volume 9, Issue 3 | Page 9

7) Information gathering & analysis must be continuous and driven by prioritized requirements. 8) Protection of Civilians should be at the forefront of every operation. 9) Legitimacy matters – PK presence/operational necessity must be communicated/understood. 10) The conduct/behavior of peacekeepers must be good/ethical. 11) Peacekeepers need to be respectful of the culture, traditions, and sensitivities of local people. 12) Good public relations must be achieved – with local authorities, local people, and the media. 13) Senior Leadership matters – for relationship-building and ensuring unity of effort. 14) Training is paramount – especially on security, ROE, Code of Conduct, and cultural awareness. 15) Female peacekeepers enhance operational effectiveness & open channels with local women. 16) Missions must plan & be prepared to appropriately respond to refugee and IDP scenarios. Notably, quantitative analysis published in a recent Stability journal article (March 2018) identifies many of the same factors as keys to reducing violence in peacekeeping operations. Four factors of prominence are: 1) Deploying into continuing armed conflict as it is the case in Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan or the DRC, and to some extent also in CAR and Mali, thwarts the chances of establishing comprehensive peace ... Indeed, during the deployment of [such] stabilization missions the number of battle deaths, domestic unrest and refugees is increasing, while scores for personal safety are decreasing. In the long-run, such a situation is unsustainable. However … If there is a working peace agreement, the chances of a positive impact are significantly higher. Burundi, Liberia, Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone have responded fairly well to international peacekeeping by displaying mostly stable positive trends … The impact of peacekeeping depends to a fair degree on the end or at least control of violent conflict prior to deploy- ment. [This aligns with (1) above.] 2) What brings down non-lethal forms of violence might be less related to the deploy- ment of a peacekeeping mission and more about the quality of security govern- ance in a country. … Higher scores in the quality of security governance are positively related to lower numbers of domestic unrest [and violence]. If peacekeep- ers aim at reducing violence, a stronger focus on security governance issues is needed. [To affect the quality of security governance, (3) above is necessary.] Table of Contents | Quick Look | Contact PKSOI Page 8 of 34