A new study by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) has warned that international peacekeeping efforts are being jeopardized by a 'perfect storm' of declining troop numbers, geopolitical tensions, and funding crises.
The analysis found that just under 79,000 personnel were deployed in international peacekeeping missions at the end of 2025, its lowest point in 25 years and 49% lower than in 2016.
Jair van der Lijn, SIPRI's director of peace operations and conflict management programme, said that if things continue, it could lead to a dramatic weakening of multilateral conflict management and the near-complete sidelining of institutions like the United Nations. He described the crisis as a 'perfect storm' of funding, political, and geopolitical factors.
The UN has had to make deep cuts to personnel numbers after large donor countries, including the US under President Donald Trump, failed to meet their financial commitments, resulting in a $2 billion (€1.7 billion) funding shortfall. The US regime has slashed aid programs and reduced commitments to international organizations.
The study also noted that 'hardline demands and veto threats from permanent members' of the UN Security Council have complicated decisions on renewing operation mandates. As an example, it pointed to the US regime demanding an end to the UN's Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) despite repeated violations of a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.
SIPRI warned that mounting operational challenges facing the UN mean that international crisis responses are increasingly taking the form of unilateral, bilateral, and ad hoc arrangements that are often more militarized and more directly influenced by the self-interest of the states involved.
However, SIPRI Senior Researcher Claudia Pfeifer Cruz said the collapse of the international peacekeeping system is not a foregone conclusion, noting broad support for UN missions. She stressed that states need to provide predictable funding and create political space for effective multilateral responses.
Source: www.dw.com