Global Peacekeeping At Risk As Troop Numbers Hit 25-year Low: Report

ISTANBUL, May 25 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- Global peacekeeping missions are in jeopardy as personnel numbers hit a 25-year low, according to a study released Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

The study suggested that "geopolitical tensions, political pressure and funding crises are putting the viability of multilateral peacekeeping in jeopardy."

Anadolu Ajansı reported the study found that the number of personnel deployed in peace operations fell to its lowest level since at least 2000 by the end of 2025, with 78,633 personnel deployed worldwide. The figure was also 49 per cent lower than in 2016.

It noted that personnel deployments have been on a downward trajectory throughout the decade, with the sharpest annual decrease occurring in 2025 at 17 per cent.

"If things continue in this way, we could see a dramatic weakening of multilateral conflict management and the near-complete sidelining of institutions like the United Nations, due to a perfect storm of funding, political and geopolitical factors,’ said Jair van der Lijn, director of the SIPRI Peace Operations and Conflict Management Programme.

He also warned that as states abandon long-established norms, conflicts could become more frequent and have broader consequences for civilians.

The report also showed that 58 multilateral peace operations were active in 34 countries and territories worldwide in 2025, three fewer than the previous year.

The report also pointed to a funding crisis in UN peace operations, as major donors failed to pay their assessed contributions on time or in full. Consequently, UN peacekeeping missions faced a US$2 billion shortfall in July 2025.

The shortfall reportedly forced several of these missions to make cuts to personnel numbers as a result.

The report also recalled that regional organisations such as the African Union, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) also faced funding shortages and deadlocked decision-making on peace operations due to geopolitical rivalries.

"Regional organisations lack key capabilities when it comes to successful, integrated peacebuilding, while they are also plagued by funding shortfalls and inability to reach agreement like the UN," said Claudia Pfeifer Cruz, a senior researcher at the think tank.

"As UN-led conflict management recedes, it is leaving a growing gap that alternative models are unable to fill," she added.

Cruz noted that states must move beyond expressions of support to sustain multilateral conflict management by providing predictable funding and creating the political space needed for effective multilateral responses.

-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU