Young calls for GAO review of United Nations peacekeeping operations

Citing the need for reforms to United Nations peacekeeping operations, U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) recently led a bipartisan congressional call for the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a full review.

Young, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee that oversees the United Nations, and U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), the ranking member of the subcommittee, requested the GAO review in a letter to Comptroller General Gene Dodaro.

The lawmakers asked that the review explore whether peacekeeping operations support realistic and achievable political outcomes and the degree of cooperation from host countries of peacekeeping operations. It also seeks information on how peacekeeping mandates are updated based on changing conditions on the ground.

“Reform of UN peacekeeping is needed, and this GAO review will provide Congress and the administration valuable information to ensure UN peacekeeping operations are as efficient and effective as possible — focusing on the protection of civilians,” Young and Merkley said in a joint statement. Both lawmakers serve on the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Multilateral International Development, Multilateral Institutions, and International Economic, Energy, and Environmental Policy.

The review requested by Young and Merkley reflects principles that UN Ambassador Nikki Haley said should guide UN peacekeeping operations at a meeting of the UN Security Council in April.

“At the heart of this vision for reform are the civilians we are meant to serve,” Haley said in August, reiterating the need for peacekeeping reforms. “In peacekeeping, the UN must strive to ensure the ability of people to live in peace and security without a UN presence.”

Young and Merkley requested that the GAO summarize its findings in a written report by March 1, 2018, and that the report be unclassified “to the extent possible.”