NGOs and UN peacekeeping operations: Strange bedfellows

Abstract

This article examines the increased interaction between international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and UN peacekeeping operations in complex emergencies and civil conflicts. The involvement of NGOs in civil conflicts and the increased delegation of service delivery from states and institutions to NGOs has become a prevalent aspect of peacekeeping and peacebuilding exercise in the 1990s. The article reviews a number of the reasons for this development and argues that the increased involvement of NGOs in conflict situations has not always facilitated the resolution of conflicts or the implementation of UN mandates. The authors argue that NGOs will need to reassess their practices if they are to play a constructive role in UN operations in the future.