On May 13–14, Berlin will host a ministerial meeting on peacekeeping, initiated by Germany.
Ahead of the event, the German Foreign and Defense Ministries released a joint statement urging the international community to strengthen UN peacekeeping missions and enhance their effectiveness. The statement highlights issues such as funding, limited mandates, and the challenges faced by large-scale missions.
Currently, around 70,000 peacekeepers are deployed in 11 missions across the globe, often operating with insufficient resources. Berlin notes that their total budget is smaller than that of the New York City Police Department. For this reason, the conference will focus on both structural and substantive reforms to better adapt missions to today’s challenges. For the first time at this level, the future of peacekeeping will be a key topic of discussion.
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul emphasized that the “Blue Helmets” remain the face of the UN, a force the world must continue to rely on. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius added that, despite Germany’s current focus on strengthening national and NATO defense in Europe, the country remains committed to supporting UN missions worldwide — particularly through personnel training and material-technical assistance on the ground.
The event is already being described as the most important peacekeeping conference to date. More than 130 countries have been invited to participate and are expected to make concrete commitments in support of UN missions.
